Field Notes 1 min read
Why I Stopped Designing for Manufacturing Efficiency and Started Designing for Repairability Instead
Three years ago I rebuilt my entire studio process around one question: can this be fixed in twenty years? Here is what changed — and what it cost.
The question that started it
Somewhere around the third year of running the studio, a client sent back a lamp with a note: the switch had failed, could I fix it. I could — but only because I still had the original drawings. A factory-made equivalent would have gone in the bin.
What changed in the workshop
Three rules now sit above the workbench, in order of how often I break them:
- Every fastener must be a standard size sold at a hardware store, not a proprietary part.
- No structural adhesives where a mechanical joint will do.
- Every product ships with an exploded diagram, even the simple ones.
What it cost
Lead times went up. Margins went down, at least on paper. But repair requests turned into referrals, and referrals are worth more than either.