Where I usually get called in
Usually it's one of a few things. A quality problem that keeps coming back and nobody can pin down. A supplier relationship that's stopped working. A product that passes every test and still fails in the field. A team that knows what needs fixing but doesn't have the systems to make it hold.
The specifics are different every time. The underlying work rarely is.
Build the systems that keep quality consistent as you scale — so standards live in documentation and process rather than in one person's head.
Quality manuals, inspection standards and AQLs, product specifications, testing programs, and compliance requirements — written so your team can run them without you.
Transform supplier relationships from a source of surprises into something you can measure and manage.
Factory audits and onboarding, supplier scorecards, corrective action processes, and the governance cadence that makes performance conversations routine rather than reactive.
Turn returns and warranty data into product decisions instead of a cost line.
Inspection and disposition standards, a reason-code taxonomy that holds up in real use, trend reporting, and the feedback loop that gets findings back to engineering and suppliers.
Launch or scale a personalization program without it becoming the thing that breaks your operation.
Embroidery, engraving, foil stamping and digital printing — the equipment decisions, workflows, quality standards, and lead-time math behind a program that holds at volume.
Additional Expertise
Every engagement is different. My experience spans the full product lifecycle — from early product development and supplier strategy through manufacturing, quality, packaging, and operations — allowing me to tailor support to your team's specific challenges.
Product Development & Commercialization
Manufacturing & Production
Supplier Strategy & Management
Manufacturing Transfers & Scale-Up
Product Compliance
Packaging Development & Optimization
Materials & Product Testing
Operations & Process Improvement
Cost & Value Engineering
Fractional & Interim Leadership
Ways to Work Together
Every brand's situation is different, so scope is built around your problem, not a template. Most work starts one of three ways.
Product & Quality Diagnostic
Fixed fee, from $8,000 · About two weeks
For when you know something is wrong but not exactly where. I review your supplier base, quality and returns data, specs, and inspection process, then give you a written assessment: what's actually driving the problem, what it's costing you, and what to fix first.
You get a findings memo, a prioritized roadmap, and a working session with your team. It's yours to act on with or without me.
Focused Projects
Fixed fee, scoped to the work · Typically six to twelve weeks
For a specific thing that needs to get built or fixed. Recent examples:
Standing up a returns and warranty data system that feeds product and supplier decisions
Building a supplier scorecard and governance program
Qualifying a new factory or opening a second sourcing region
Redesigning packaging to take cost out without cheapening the unboxing
Writing the quality manual, inspection standards, and testing program
Planning and running a manufacturing transfer
You get the system, the documentation, and the training so your team runs it after I'm gone.
Not sure which one fits?
Tell me what's going wrong and I’ll tell you what the work would look like — including if it’s smaller than you think. Factory visits and travel are quoted separately.
Fractional Quality & Manufacturing Leadership
Monthly retainer, from $6,000 · Three-month minimum
For when you need the judgment of a quality and manufacturing leader but not a full-time one. A set number of days each month spent on supplier reviews, escalations, launch readiness, and coaching your team — in the decisions where getting it wrong is most expensive. Scope, availability, and response times are agreed up front.
Most retainers run two to four days a month. Larger scopes — a quality function to stand up, several factories in motion, a launch calendar to hold — run higher.
On-site days are scoped and priced separately.
What you get is continuity: someone who already knows your suppliers, your data, and your history on the day something goes wrong.
Have a Product or Manufacturing Challenge?
Whether you're solving a specific issue, building a new process, or looking for additional leadership support, I'd love to learn more about your business and discuss how I can help.