However, product development partners can vary widely in terms of the value provided. Additionally, while offshore product development firms can provide a cost advantage; careful consideration should be given to the quality of their processes and ability to work well multi-nationally. This paper reviews eight areas to evaluate in that selection process:

· Ability to work well with your team
· Engineering expertise
· Materials expertise
· Defined product development process
· Intellectual property protection
· Manufacturability expertise
· Ability to align with cost goals
· Ability to meet quality assurance standards.