ABOUT
Senior-level judgment.
No agency overhead.
I’m Aaron Lipner — The NPI Guy. I’ve spent 25+ years getting hardware products from concept to mass production at Sony, IDEO, Nokia, ASML, OtterBox, and Microsoft. 60+ products shipped. Patents awarded. Products featured in top 10 lists and national press. Now I work directly with founders and hardware teams who need that experience without hiring a full-time NPI director.
My work lives at the R&D-to-supplier handoff — the phase where most schedule drag, rework cost, and production risk originates. I own it. PRDs, RFQs, DFM review, EVT/DVT/PVT sequencing, supplier qualification, and production ramp. For each project I build the right team and manage them on your behalf.
I’ve worked across every major manufacturing method: injection molding, die casting, metal stamping, CNC machining, 3D printing, decorating, and assembly.
This is more than a help desk, this is personal.
33% faster to market
Led dual path prototyping with Taiwanese suppliers. Hit immovable CES announce and Earth Day launch dates
$50M+ product line
Qualified specialty materials through UL HazLoc certification testing, enabling an industrial product line that wouldn’t have existed otherwise.
25–30% faster prototype cycle
Built the first PRD and RFQ package for a startup’s debut hardware product from scratch. Suppliers praised the clarity. Cut discovery-to-prototype time on day one.
Fractional NPI Leadership
Embedded senior-level NPI leadership for teams that need execution ownership without hiring a full-time operations leader.
Product Development Planning
Turn product ideas, prototypes, and early requirements into a structured plan for development, supplier engagement, and production readiness.
PRD, RFQ, and SOW Development
Create clear product requirements, supplier quote packages, and statements of work that reduce ambiguity and improve vendor responses.
Supplier Sourcing and Selection
Identify, evaluate, and select design firms, suppliers, contract manufacturers, test labs, and specialized partners.
Design Transfer and DFM Support
Help engineering teams reduce friction between design intent, manufacturability, supplier capability, and production realities.
EVT / DVT / PVT / Ramp Planning
Build and manage the path from engineering validation to design validation, production validation, and production ramp.
Factory and Manufacturing Coordination
Coordinate with domestic and global suppliers to keep builds, documentation, communication, and execution aligned.
Program Recovery
I step into stalled or drifting programs to clarify the issues, reset priorities, realign suppliers, and restore momentum.
Crowdfunding creators
Inventors & innovators
Startups without NPI
Start when you need to. Stop when you’re done. No long-term commitment.
