Case Studies
60+ hardware launches over 25 years. These nine stories show the patterns: what broke, what I did, what happened, and the one number that matters. If your team is heading into production, at least one of these will look familiar.
33% faster to a launch date that could not move
The problem
A new line of phone cases made from ocean-recycled plastic, sourced from old fishing ropes and nets, was set to be announced at CES and launched on Earth Day. Neither date could move. The material had never been qualified, and it did not work with any of our existing designs.
What I did
I ran two design paths at once so a single failure could not sink the schedule. I used computer drop simulations to prove the design before cutting expensive molds. And I partnered with a molding expert in Taiwan, checking parts and colors on-site at the factory.
The result
The line hit CES and Earth Day on schedule, with the same drop protection customers expected. It launched the LifeProof brand’s ocean sustainability story.
The number
33% faster than a typical new product line. 12 versions shipped covering 8 phone models, with a $1 donation built into every case sold.
Zero to working product in 5 months
The problem
During COVID, restaurants and hotels needed portable protective barriers that did not exist yet. I co-founded a startup to build them. No team, no supply chain, no playbook, and a market that needed the product immediately.
What I did
I ran the whole development myself: concepts, 3D design, prototypes, testing, and patents. I evaluated three suppliers in Mexico, reviewed how every part would be made, and ran trial production to prove the design could be built.
The result
Working prototypes in under five months, a US design patent awarded, and a utility patent filed. And a firsthand education in what founders face, which now shapes how I work with every client.
The number
Under 5 months from idea to working product, with no playbook.
The $50M product line unlocked by one material
The problem
OtterBox wanted to sell cases built for workplaces where a single spark can cause an explosion, like oil rigs and grain processing plants. Products sold there must pass UL HazLoc, one of the toughest safety certifications in the world. Standard plastics kept failing the tests. No pass meant no product line.
What I did
I went hunting for specialty materials that could survive the extreme testing, where a material has to hold up in both severe heat and severe cold. Qualification took more than a year, because UL testing is slow by design. I drove the certification through and kept the rest of the program moving the whole time.
The result
The materials passed. The certification cleared. A product line that would not have existed otherwise went to market and opened industrial sales channels the company had never reached before.
The number
A $50M+ product line, unlocked by finding the right material.
The phone frame that kept cracking
The problem
Nokia’s flagship flip phone had to be ultra thin, and the only way to get there was a magnesium metal frame. The frames kept cracking in drop testing. The launch was tied to an exclusive deal with AT&T, so every cracked frame put the whole program at risk.
What I did
I brought in a world expert on die casting, the process that forms metal parts in molds, and audited the supplier’s factory in China. We found the real cause: copied casting machines with poor process control. I ran new trials, taught the supplier better practices, and qualified a backup vendor so one factory could not hold the launch hostage.
The result
The frames passed every durability test and the phone launched on AT&T’s schedule. When the president of AT&T Mobility handled the final phone, he said, “This smells of quality.”
The number
Zero delay. The frame fix landed inside the existing schedule while the software caught up, and the phone shipped on AT&T’s timeline. The prize was bigger than one launch: it protected the AT&T relationship itself.
First-time founders to a supplier-ready RFP
The problem
Two founders, a surgeon and a physicist, had a strong idea for a medical implant product and no hardware background. The requirements lived in their heads. Suppliers could not quote the project, and every conversation started over from zero.
What I did
I wrote their first product requirements document, the document that tells a supplier exactly what to build and why. I also created the first realistic hardware blocks and proposed components. Then I built the request-for-proposal package suppliers actually bid from, and ran a side-by-side evaluation of eight US design firms against clear criteria.
The result
Suppliers finally had something they could price and act on. Firm after firm called the package thorough and far better than what they usually see. The founders chose their design partner with confidence instead of guessing.
The number
Discovery-to-prototype time cut by 25 to 30%, starting from the first engagement.
The industry’s first curved-screen waterproof case
The problem
When a leading Korean phone maker moved to curved screens, no waterproof case on the market could seal against one. The entire waterproof product line, and the revenue tied to it, was suddenly at risk.
What I did
I led the design and supplier work to create a case that could seal against a curved screen, something nobody had built. We created several prototypes and manufacturing rounds to prove the design could be built, would fit right, and would survive water testing.
The result
The industry’s first curved-screen waterproof case shipped. It kept LifeProof on the brand’s flagship phones for multiple product cycles.
The number
Millions in yearly revenue protected. The whole product line would have been lost without it.
A factory transfer with zero downtime
The problem
ASML’s Cymer division makes the light source inside the machines that make advanced computer chips. A key program had to move from a team in the Netherlands to San Diego. A rough handoff meant lost knowledge, stalled engineering, and downtime the chip industry does not tolerate.
What I did
I built a detailed transfer plan and ran daily stand-ups across two continents until every open item was closed. I captured the requirements across the mechanical, software, and systems teams so nothing got lost in the move, and tracked milestones with the program office week by week.
The result
The program landed in San Diego on schedule and within its resource plan.
The number
Zero unplanned downtime through a transatlantic handoff.
The drawing that slowed a factory to a crawl
The problem
At Nokia, our drawings were works of art. Detailed, precise, and overspecified. We demanded tolerances tighter than the product needed, and we assumed every factory could read advanced GD&T, the symbol language of precision drawings. Many could not. The cost showed up everywhere: slow inspection setups, good parts rejected for specs that never mattered, and rounds of back-and-forth just to explain what the drawing meant.
What I did
I changed how I build drawings, and I have carried it into every program since. Before a drawing gets heavy, I align the design to what the supplier can actually hold on their real process, and I match the drawing to the factory’s actual GD&T fluency instead of assuming expertise. Then I build parts, check the real fit, and only lock the drawing and inspection plan once they describe reality.
The result
Drawings the factory can actually use. Inspection setup stops being a translation exercise, good parts stop getting rejected, and the schedule stops paying for precision nobody needed.
The number
There isn’t one, and that is the lesson. Overspecified drawings leak time and money in ways nobody adds up on a single line. The cheapest fix is the one made before the drawing is finished.
Fall launches that could not miss
The problem
Every fall, a new phone launches on a date nobody can move. A case maker that is not on the shelf that day loses the biggest sales window of the year. I’ve led launches worth $10M to $100M that each rode on hitting that window, season after season.
What I did
I coordinated builds with factories across Asia and Mexico, ran manufacturability reviews early, and planned every build stage with room to absorb surprises. Problems surfaced early, while there was still time to fix them, instead of at the ramp when it is too late.
The result
Every assigned fall launch shipped on time. No missed shelves, no lost seasons.
The number
100% on-time fall launches for assigned programs, worth $10M to $100M.
60+ launches. Let me help you get your product made.
