Nick Cunningham is the managing director and partner of China 2 West, a manufacturers consultancy in China.
While Inventors Digest supports U.S. manufacturing (see our June 2011 cover story), the inescapable fact is Chinese manufacturing remains a viable and cost-effective alternative to producing many consumer goods.
Two teams within China 2 West are responsible for taking an invention concept and turning it into a reality. The first is the product development team, headed by a British industrial designer, and staffed by Chinese and Western designers who are responsible for turning concepts into a manufacturable product with 3D drawings, bill of materials and tech specs.
The second is the engineering team, responsible for finding the right factories and managing each project from tooling through mass production to final delivery.
Listen and chat live with Nick tonight on Got Invention Radio at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST at www.gotinvention.com. Call 877.474.3302 or email your questions to [email protected]
Born in 1971 in the Bahamas to British parents, Nick eventually settled in England in 1974 and graduated from Birmingham University with a degree in Spanish in 1993.
In 1994 he joined the Royal Marines Commandos as a junior officer and won his green beret in 1995. During his nine-year military service he often served with US Marine Force Recon and Navy Seal teams and had extensive operational experience in Bosnia, Georgia, Sierra Leone and Nicaragua.
After retiring in the rank of Major in 2003, he joined a group of entrepreneurs seeking to invest in the exciting growth market of China.
In 2004 he settled permanently in China and saw the opportunity to create a product development company there utilizing the advantages of local labor and proximity to factories while maintaining Western standards of communication and quality.
Nick began running China 2 West out of a spare bedroom with one part-time translator. As of 2011, China 2 West has ownership in five other companies ranging from a kiteboard brand to healthcare and even a bar. The China 2 West Group employs around 50 people worldwide with sales offices in the UK and the US.
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