Case studies

Applied product and manufacturing decision support.

These representative case studies show how Orion Design turns fuzzy project questions into structured design, manufacturing, lifecycle, and commercial decisions. They are intended to show the shape of the work rather than disclose confidential project detail.

Representative examples

Older project work that shows the range behind the consultancy.

These examples show the kind of problems Orion helps solve: technical packaging, route-to-manufacture decisions, plastic part detail, and early product-definition work where the next choice matters.

University spin-out / scientific hardware

Causeway Sensors

Technical product development with a strong need for clear packaging, usability, architecture, and confidence about how a specialist product should present and perform.

Challenge Translate technical function into a credible physical product

Focus Enclosure logic, usability, and manufacturable detail

Value Sharper product definition before deeper industrialisation effort

Start-up / concept to manufacture

Rolltack

A portable consumer product where concept intent, product form, portability, and realistic route-to-manufacture decisions had to evolve together rather than sequentially.

Challenge Move from attractive concept to viable production path

Focus Architecture, portability, part strategy, and staged commitment

Value Better alignment between product ambition and manufacturing reality

Consumer accessory / DFM

Katchy Hooks

Consumer-facing design for manufacture work where simplicity, part shape, assembly logic, and tooling-friendly geometry all had to support a cleaner final product.

Challenge Make a simple product feel resolved without hidden manufacturing cost

Focus Plastic part detail, geometry discipline, and manufacturability

Value Cleaner production logic and fewer late-stage surprises

Plastic product / manufacture

Eco Depo

Design-for-manufacture work around plastic parts, product packaging, and the practical detail that sits between a promising concept and something ready for production dialogue.

Challenge Resolve product detail early enough to guide process choice

Focus Part strategy, manufacturing assumptions, and usability cues

Value More grounded conversations about cost, tooling, and scale

How the work is framed

Typical decision pattern.

Most projects look different on the surface, but the same underlying questions appear repeatedly.

Question 1

What should the team optimise for right now?

Learning speed, unit economics, manufacturability, sustainability, or investor readiness. The wrong optimisation target usually creates waste.

Question 2

What evidence is still missing?

Good case work clarifies what the project knows, what it assumes, and what must be tested before making the next commitment.

Question 3

What decision becomes easier after the work?

The goal is not just analysis. It is a better product, manufacturing, or commercial decision with clearer trade-offs.