Allit AG Kunststofftechnik

12 The process before the process. Guided tour 1: Beginnings. The easiest thing about producing two billion items a year is producing two billion items a year. A seemingly self-evident claim, but the point is that such an enormous mass produc- tion exercise can only succeed if the preceding product creation process is optimally planned and prepared, and thought through down to the last detail. In this chapter we aim to lay bare for you the capabilities of a full-service provider like Allit, which not only manufactures to order but also produces its own branded goods, by distancing ourselves from the actual items that stand at the end of the production chain. We shall be portraying what happens on the way to the finished products, drawing back the veil on our trade secrets! Let us begin at the beginning, then, with a blank sheet of paper. Six hurdles to surmount before series production release. At Allit an idea does not have an easy time of it. It has to show what it can do. Down to the smallest detail. But because we love ideas, we also help every idea to grow. In the process we take on many roles as the interlocutors of that idea: we will be the meticulous technician and the merciless interrogator, always picking holes and throwing in ifs and buts, but most of all remaining absolute enthusiasts. We love challenging both ourselves and the idea itself. Is it really possible? Under what conditions? At what cost? Would it work under the existing rules or would we have to make new ones? That is why every single idea, without excep- tion, has to clear six hurdles before finally a single three-letter word seals its fate: yes. This tiny word allows the idea to see the light of day. But only if absolutely every question has been answered. The belief that it will be possible to create a first-class product, coupled with the necessary expertise and knowledge of the relevant technology, raw materials and con- sumables, plus a pinch of craziness: that is one of Allit’s great secrets.