How to Take a Product to Market: Prototype to Shipping

Your prototype works on the bench. The demo went well, people are asking when they can buy one. The distance between "it works" and "it ships" is still much larger than it looks from the bench.

Taking a hardware product to market means closing that gap. Many products stall there, on the details nobody put in the pitch deck: design for manufacturing, CE marking, suppliers, packaging, shipping. This post walks through them in the order you meet them.

A working prototype is not a shippable product

A prototype proves the concept: the technology works, the interaction makes sense, the product has value. But a prototype is built for the bench. A product has to be built the same way thousands of times, survive drops, static discharge, heat, cold and confused users, and pass the rules of every market you sell in.

The work in between (robustness, repeatability, manufacturability, compliance) is not glamorous, and it is the difference between a product and an expensive demo. Where it sits among the build stages is covered in the five gates and in the whole hardware product development process.

Design for manufacturing (DFM)

DFM is the work of changing a design so it can be built consistently, at the volume you plan, at a cost that makes sense. It touches the whole product:

Fewer, simpler assembly steps. Snap-fits, fewer screws and connectors a machine or a worker can seat in one motion reduce assembly time and errors. Hand-soldered wires do not scale.
Draft on moulded parts. Injection-moulded parts need taper so they release from the tool. A common rule of thumb from mould makers is about 1 degree per 25 mm of cavity depth, though material and tool decide the real number.
Even wall thickness. Thick sections cause sink marks, warp and voids. Keep walls as uniform as the design allows, and make ribs thinner than the wall they sit on.
Test points on the PCB. So every board can be tested at the factory before it goes into the enclosure.
Parts that can be bought. Choose components with more than one source and a healthy lifecycle, so one supplier's change does not stop the line.

Do the DFM review with the manufacturer, not alone. Every factory has its own capabilities and preferences, and a design tuned for one may not suit another. Involve them while there is still time to change the design.

CE marking for electronics: what you have to do

If you want to sell an electronic product in the EU and the EEA, which includes Norway, it normally has to carry the CE marking. The CE mark is the manufacturer's own declaration that the product meets the relevant requirements; it is not an approval stamp from an authority or a test lab. DSB sums the manufacturer's work up in five steps:

Identify which directives, regulations and harmonised standards apply to your product.
Check and test the product against those requirements, and use a third party where the rules demand it.
Prepare the technical documentation.
Prepare safety instructions and a user guide.
Draw up the declaration of conformity and affix the CE mark.

The mark must be at least 5 mm high and visible, legible and permanent on the product (or on the packaging or accompanying documents if the product does not allow it). Only the manufacturer or its appointed representative can affix it, and a product that does not need CE marking must not carry it.

Which rules usually apply

Radio Equipment Directive (RED, 2014/53/EU). Applies to anything with a Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular or other radio. It covers safety (with no voltage limit), electromagnetic compatibility and efficient use of the radio spectrum.
EMC Directive (2014/30/EU) and Low Voltage Directive (2014/35/EU). For products without a radio. The Low Voltage Directive covers equipment rated at 50 to 1,000 V AC or 75 to 1,500 V DC, so many small battery products fall outside it. Check which safety rules do apply to yours; consumer products without specific legislation fall under the General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988.
RoHS (2011/65/EU). Restricts ten substances in electrical and electronic equipment: lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, PBB, PBDE and four phthalates (DEHP, BBP, DBP, DIBP). Ask your component suppliers for declarations.
WEEE (2012/19/EU). Requires separate collection and proper treatment of electronic waste, with producers carrying the responsibility. In Norway, importers and producers of electrical and electronic products must join a return company (returselskap) for EE waste.
Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. If your product has a battery. Labelling rules apply from 18 August 2026 or 18 months after the labelling implementing act, whichever is later, so check whether they already apply to you. From 18 February 2027, products with portable batteries must let the end user remove and replace them, with exceptions. Check the text for your battery type, and how and when the regulation is incorporated into the EEA agreement for Norway.
Common charger rules (RED, Directive (EU) 2022/2380). Rechargeable devices in listed categories that charge by cable at up to 100 W (headphones, keyboards, mice, speakers, e-readers and others) must use USB Type-C, from 28 December 2024; laptops from 28 April 2026.

Medical devices follow the Medical Devices Regulation instead, a separate process. If your product might be a medical device, settle that before you design further.

Self-declaration or notified body?

For radio equipment, the manufacturer may use internal production control (Annex II of the RED) when the relevant harmonised standards have been applied and published in the Official Journal. A notified body is needed when you have not applied those standards, or applied them only in part, or when none exist. In other words, self-declaration is the normal route, but only if you actually test against the harmonised standards. Pre-compliance measurements during development tell you early whether you are heading for a pass.

Cybersecurity for connected products

Since 1 August 2025, internet-connected radio equipment (and childcare, toy and wearable radio equipment) has had to meet the RED cybersecurity requirements. The harmonised standards are EN 18031-1, -2 and -3, whose references were published in the Official Journal on 30 January 2025. The rules are changing: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/339, published in the Official Journal on 29 April 2026, repeals this delegated act with effect from 11 December 2027, when the main obligations of the Cyber Resilience Act apply. Until then the RED requirements stand. The Cyber Resilience Act's duty to notify actively exploited vulnerabilities within 24 hours of becoming aware of them has applied since 11 September 2026. Check how and when the Cyber Resilience Act is incorporated into the EEA agreement for Norway, and plan security updates for your firmware from the start.

What goes in the documentation

The technical documentation and the EU declaration of conformity, kept for 10 years after the product is placed on the market (RED, Article 10).
A type, batch or serial number on the product, and the manufacturer's name and a postal address on the product or, if it is too small, on the packaging or a document.
Instructions and safety information in a language the end users can easily understand, as decided by each member state, including the frequency bands and maximum radio power for equipment that transmits.
A copy of the declaration of conformity with every unit, or a simplified declaration with an internet address to the full one.

In Norway

The EU rules apply in Norway through the EEA agreement. Nkom is the authority for radio equipment, and its guidance lists safety, EMC, spectrum use and cybersecurity requirements for it; DSB handles electrical safety and EMC for other electrical products. If a product has a radio transmitter that can be removed, DSB supervises the product and Nkom the transmitter. Importers must also mark equipment with their name and postal address (RED, Article 12).

The United States

The FCC works differently. Intentional radiators, which includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi products, generally have to be certified by a Telecommunication Certification Body before marketing. Many unintentional radiators, such as products with only digital circuitry, can use a supplier's declaration of conformity instead. Check the rules for the exact product class.

How long does CE certification take, and what does it cost?

We do not quote a fixed time or price, because both depend on the product. What moves them: whether the product has a radio, which standards apply, whether the first test round passes, how many variants you have, and whether you need a notified body. The most reliable way to shorten it is to plan for it from the first schematic and to measure early.

Supplier sourcing and MOQ

Finding the right manufacturing partner matters as much as the design. You need a factory that can build to your quality at your volume, with communication that works in practice.

The minimum order quantity (MOQ) is the smallest amount a supplier will sell or make in one order. Expect it in three places: components (sold by the reel or in set pack sizes), tooling (a mould costs the same whether it makes a few hundred parts or many thousands), and assembly (setup costs that only pay off at volume). Your first run will cost more per unit than the steady state; plan for that in your financial model.

How to find a manufacturer

Write the package. Drawings, bill of materials, target volumes, quality requirements and the tests the product must pass.
Ask several for quotes and a DFM review. The questions they ask back tell you a lot about them.
Compare the whole cost. Unit price, tooling, test fixtures, shipping, duties and your own time to manage them.
Start with samples and a pilot run. Judge the result against your acceptance criteria before you place a large order.
Keep a second source for key parts. A single-source component is a single point of failure.

For a pilot run close to home, Norwegian pilot-production and test facilities exist, and parts of the work can be funded; see our guide to Norwegian innovation funding.

Packaging, documents and shipping

Packaging and manuals are rarely exciting, but they are the first thing the customer touches, and they carry legal content too: the declaration of conformity or a link to it, safety information, markings and the manufacturer's details, as listed above. Allow time for them.

If your product contains a lithium battery, check shipping early. Lithium cells and batteries are tested to UN 38.3 for transport, and carriers and shippers may ask for the test documentation. Ask your cell supplier for it when you select the cell.

Building a pre-launch pipeline

Build demand while you build the product, so the first batch has somewhere to go.

Waitlist. A landing page with email capture validates interest and gives you people to tell at launch. Cheap and informative.
Crowdfunding. Works as validation and as pre-orders, but a campaign is a project of its own.
Direct sales. The most control and margin, but you must bring your own traffic. Best when you already have an audience.
Distributors and retailers. Lower margin, more reach. Approach them with a working product and proof of demand, not a prototype.

How funding and launch interact is covered in Kickstarter vs VC vs bootstrapping. Pick one channel and do it well before adding others.

How we work on this in projects

We design with these questions on the table from the start: which regulations apply, which parts have a second source, where the test points go, how the product is assembled. For Hoviv, a cattle wearable, we delivered the system design (module, sensor stack, power, firmware loop and chassis directions), and the build is awaiting funding. The aim of doing that work before the build is to find the surprises on paper rather than in tooling. For connected products such as ARCIVE, where a hardware prototype was shown publicly in June 2026, firmware, back end and apps are planned together, so security updates and compliance are part of the design rather than a late addition.

Frequently asked questions

How do I take a hardware product to market?

Turn the prototype into a manufacturable design (DFM), test against the rules for your markets and keep the CE documentation, find and qualify a manufacturer, run a pilot build, prepare packaging and instructions, and build your audience while all that happens.

What products need CE marking?

Products covered by EU product legislation that requires it, such as radio equipment, electrical equipment, toys and machinery. Most electronics sold in the EEA are covered. A product that is not covered must not carry the mark. Identify the rules first.

How long does CE certification take?

It depends on the product, so we give no fixed figure; see the drivers above. Plan for it from the first schematic and measure early.

How do I CE-mark an electronic product?

Follow the five steps above. If the product has a radio, the Radio Equipment Directive is central; otherwise it is usually the EMC and Low Voltage Directives. RoHS, WEEE and possibly the battery rules come on top. Ask for help early if you are unsure which rules apply.

What is the Radio Equipment Directive (RED)?

The EU directive 2014/53/EU for products with a radio. It sets requirements for safety, electromagnetic compatibility and efficient use of the radio spectrum, with further requirements for cybersecurity and other areas for certain categories.

What is a minimum order quantity (MOQ)?

The smallest amount a supplier will sell or produce in one order. It applies to components, tooling and assembly runs. Ask for it early, and design around parts you can buy in the quantities you need.

How do I find a manufacturer for my product?

See the steps above: a clear package, several quotes with DFM feedback, the whole cost compared, and samples and a pilot run before a large order.

What is the difference between a prototype and a production-ready product?

A prototype shows that the idea works. A production-ready product is designed for repeatable assembly, tested against the regulations, documented, packaged and supported, and has a manufacturer who has built it successfully in a pilot run.

Sources

The rules and dates above come from these pages, last checked on 2 October 2026. Where a rule is still moving, we say so in the text.

Get the product ready to ship

We design for manufacturing and compliance from the first schematic, in electronics and PCB design and embedded firmware, and help founders plan the route to market through consulting. If you are between prototype and production, book a short call and we will look at what is left to do.

Your prototype works on the bench. The demo went well, people are asking when they can buy one. The distance between "it works" and "it ships" is still much larger than it looks from the bench.

A working prototype is not a shippable product

Design for manufacturing (DFM)

DFM is the work of changing a design so it can be built consistently, at the volume you plan, at a cost that makes sense. It touches the whole product:

Fewer, simpler assembly steps. Snap-fits, fewer screws and connectors a machine or a worker can seat in one motion reduce assembly time and errors. Hand-soldered wires do not scale.
Draft on moulded parts. Injection-moulded parts need taper so they release from the tool. A common rule of thumb from mould makers is about 1 degree per 25 mm of cavity depth, though material and tool decide the real number.
Even wall thickness. Thick sections cause sink marks, warp and voids. Keep walls as uniform as the design allows, and make ribs thinner than the wall they sit on.
Test points on the PCB. So every board can be tested at the factory before it goes into the enclosure.
Parts that can be bought. Choose components with more than one source and a healthy lifecycle, so one supplier's change does not stop the line.