Module 1 Know your customer and market 4 hAnalyse
Every sound business in sensor manufacture begins with one clear customer and one clear problem. In São Paulo and the wider state, demand is real but crowded, so a small, well-described customer group wins before a broad one.
- In sensor manufacture: Customers are machine makers and plants who need accuracy and long-term stability.
- Write the customer in one sentence: a machine maker or plant. Add the place, the moment of need and what they use today.
- List five rivals or substitutes within reach. For each, record price, strength, weakness and how people reach it.
- Interview at least eight real customers with open questions. Record exact words, not your summary.
- Count the market in units: how many sensors could one area buy in a month? Use two public sources and your own count, then take the lower figure.
- Choose one first segment and say why the others wait.
Worked example. Weak: 'Everyone needs a calibrated sensor.' Strong: 'Our first customer is a machine maker or plant within 8 km of the centre, who today pays R$ 286 per sensor and complains about delay. We target 240 sensors a month by month three.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: ten customers are interviewed for sensor manufacture. Seven say price, two say speed, one says trust. Question: which first message do you write, and which interview record backs it? Model answer: lead with the sensor price and speed promise, keep trust proof as the second line, and cite the seven price answers by date.
Activity. Write the one-sentence customer, a five-row rival table and eight interview records. Share them with a peer for a challenge round.
Standard to meet. Define a specific customer, build a rival table with prices, and trace every claim to an interview or a source.
Module 2 Rules, registration and data duties in Brazil 4 hUnderstand
Brazil asks every trader to be visible and accountable. Know which register, tax regime and sector rules apply before the first sale, and check each against the current official text.
- In sensor manufacture: Products may need conformity marking and metrology checks; keep calibration traceable to a recognised standard.
- Choose a legal form: micro-entrepreneur (MEI) only if your activity appears on the official MEI list, or a company registered with a CNPJ. Regulated activities need their sector authorisation first. Check the current limits and lists on the official portal.
- Learn the tax regime that fits your size and write down which taxes you will collect and pay, and when.
- Find the sector rules for sensor manufacture: licences, inspections, professional registers. List each with the office that issues it and the renewal date.
- Personal data of customers falls under Brazil's data protection law (LGPD). Collect only what you need, say why, keep it safe, and name who answers questions.
- Consumer law gives buyers clear rights on information, returns and complaints. Put your terms in plain Portuguese.
Worked example. Checklist for a new sensor manufacture trader: 1) legal form (CNPJ, or MEI only if your activity is on the official list); 2) city operating licence; 3) sector licence or register; 4) tax set-up; 5) privacy notice; 6) written terms. Each has an owner and a date.
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a neighbour says registration can wait until the first R$ 1.300 of sales. Question: what do you do? Model answer: do not delay; write the compliance table first, confirm the register, tax and sector licence with the official office, and start only where the table shows no open blocker.
Activity. Build your own six-line compliance table for your first location. Mark what is done, what is pending and who confirms it.
Standard to meet. Cite an official source for every line, assume nothing, and date every pending item. Local law always wins over this course.
Module 3 Design the offer 4 hCreate
An offer states what the customer gets, how well, by when and at what price. For a calibrated sensor, the offer must make the quality visible and the next step easy.
- In sensor manufacture: Offer a datasheet with range, accuracy, drift and operating limits, and a calibration certificate.
- Describe the core offer in three lines: what is delivered (a calibrated sensor), the standard it meets, and the time it takes.
- Add one proof for each promise: a sample, a test result, a guarantee or a customer record.
- Price from cost upward and from customer value downward, then pick a price inside both.
- Write a simple one-page terms sheet: what is included, what is extra, how to cancel.
- Create two options at most, so choice stays easy.
Worked example. Offer: 'A calibrated sensor, delivered within agreed time, checked against a written standard, price R$ 260 per sensor. Proof: a dated record the customer can check and sign. Changes or cancellation by written agreement before work begins.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a customer asks for a discount from R$ 260 to R$ 234 per sensor. Question: decide with numbers. Model answer: contribution falls from R$ 110 to R$ 84 per sensor; offer an extra of value (for example faster service) before cutting price, and accept only if the lower contribution still clears break-even.
Longer notes. Pick one measurement problem and stay on it, such as temperature in a cold room, moisture in a planter bed or vibration in a pump motor. Write the buyer's accuracy need, the operating heat and the dust or damp the housing must survive. Set your device beside an imported one and compare delivery time, calibration paper, repair turnaround and total cost of ownership. Build the bundle: sensor, cable, mounting kit, calibration certificate and a plain data screen. Cost every part, add a warranty reserve and fix the price. Run a pilot batch with two customers before you buy parts in volume.
Extra worked example. A cold-chain distributor orders sensors. Each sells at R$ 260 with a calibration certificate and costs R$ 150 to build and calibrate, so contribution is R$ 110, 42,3 percent of the price. At 400 sensors revenue is R$ 104.000, variable cost R$ 60.000, contribution R$ 44.000, and after fixed cost of R$ 30.000 profit is R$ 14.000. A 3 percent warranty reserve (worked-example figure, not market data) is R$ 3.120, leaving R$ 10.880. Past the 273rd sensor (R$ 30.000 / R$ 110 = 272,73), every unit leaving the bench is profit.
Activity. Write the offer card, the proof list and the terms sheet. Test them with three customers and note every point where they hesitated.
Standard to meet. Check that promise, proof and price are consistent, fit the terms on one page, and record three customer reactions.
Module 4 Run the work step by step 5 hApply
Good operations make results repeatable. For sensor manufacture, write each step so a new person could follow it on their first day, and measure each step.
- In sensor manufacture: Calibrate against a reference at several points, record the result, and age-test samples from each batch.
- Map the process from first contact to paid and closed. Typical stages: enquiry, quote, preparation, delivery of the sensor, check, payment, follow-up.
- Name the key resource at each stage: a calibration bench. Note what happens if it is missing.
- Write a one-page standard procedure per stage: who, what, tool, time, record.
- Choose three measures: speed, quality (errors per 100) and customer rating. Review them every week.
- Fix the cause of a defect, not the symptom. Ask 'why' five times and record the answer.
Worked example. Stage record: 'Prepare. Owner: lead. Time: 30 min. Tool: checklist. Record: signed sheet. Defect found on 1 of 100 sensors last week; cause: missing check on a calibration bench; fix: add check at start, review next Friday.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: of 400 sensors last month, 24 had a defect traced to a calibration bench. Question: what is the defect rate and what is your first action? Model answer: about 6 defects per 100; stop the cause (add a check at the start), correct affected customers, log the cause, and re-measure next week.
Activity. Draw the process map and write procedures for the two riskiest stages. Run each once and time it.
Standard to meet. Write procedures a stranger can follow, record weekly numbers for each measure, and trace one defect to a root cause.
Module 5 Safety, quality and risk 4 hEvaluate
The most serious risk in this field is a drifting reading that goes unnoticed. A calm, written risk routine protects people first and the business second.
- In sensor manufacture: Electrostatic damage and soldering fumes are hazards; use grounded benches and extraction.
- List ten things that could go wrong. Score each for how likely (1 to 5) and how serious (1 to 5). Multiply and sort.
- For the top five, choose a control: remove the hazard, replace it, guard it, train people, or use protective gear, in that order of preference.
- Write who does what in an emergency, and rehearse it once a quarter.
- Keep an incident and near-miss log. Near-misses are free lessons.
- Check that insurance and legal duties match the risk you actually carry.
Worked example. Risk row: 'Hazard: a drifting reading that goes unnoticed. Likelihood 3, severity 5, score 15. Control: written check before each sensor, trained staff, log sheet. Owner: site lead. Review monthly.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a near-miss occurs: a drifting reading that goes unnoticed nearly happened but no one was hurt. Question: what do you do in the next 24 hours? Model answer: make safe, record the event, ask the five whys, add or tighten one control, brief the team, and set a review date; near-misses count as lessons, not blame.
Activity. Build a ten-row risk register and a one-page emergency plan. Run a ten-minute drill with a peer and note two improvements.
Standard to meet. Rank controls by preference for the top risks, run the drill, and start the log. Where a regulation applies, follow the official rule.
Module 6 People, skills and service 4 hApply
People deliver the promise. Define roles, train to a standard and give feedback in the open.
- In sensor manufacture: Train technicians on handling, soldering to a standard, and test procedure.
- Write a role card for each person: purpose, five tasks, the standard for each, and who to ask for help.
- Train by showing, doing with support, then doing alone with a check. Record sign-off per task.
- Set service rules for answering customers: reply times, tone, how to apologise and fix.
- Hold a ten-minute team check each day: yesterday's problem, today's plan, one risk.
- Build a growth path: what a new person can do in week 1, month 3 and month 12.
Worked example. Training record: 'Task: process a complaint. Shown 2 May; done with support 4 May; done alone 8 May, checked: apology, fix, follow-up call. Signed by lead.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a new hire completes training but a customer complaint shows a skipped step. Question: whose gap is it? Model answer: first the system: check the role card, the training sign-off and the checklist; then coach the person and fix the document so the step cannot be skipped.
Longer notes. Split the bench into stations: parts check, soldering, sealing the enclosure, calibration, burn-in test and packing. Give each station one owner and a one-page card with photos of a good and a bad joint. Show a newcomer the soldering once, watch three repeats, then sign the person off. Choose one technician to read the calibration curve and stamp pass or fail. Tag every complaint from a customer with its batch number so a bad lot can be traced in minutes. Count rejected units each Friday and discuss the causes at the bench, naming the step, never the person.
Extra worked example. Take a worked example, not market data: in one month the line builds 400 sensors and calibration rejects 36, a rate of 9 percent. Each rejected unit wastes R$ 150, so the loss is 36 x R$ 150 = R$ 5.400. After retraining the soldering station only 16 of the next 400 fail, 4 percent, a loss of R$ 2.400, saving R$ 3.000 a month. Two operators trained 12 hours each at R$ 80 per hour cost R$ 1.920, repaid in 0,64 months, well before the next lot of paste arrives.
Activity. Write two role cards and a training plan for one new hire. Role-play a hard customer conversation twice and review.
Standard to meet. Write role cards with measurable standards, show the sign-off steps in training, and write the service rules in plain words.
Module 7 Money: cost, price and break-even 5 hAnalyse
A business lives or dies on a few numbers. Know your contribution per unit, your fixed costs and the volume you need.
- In sensor manufacture: Include yield loss and rework in unit cost; scrap above 5% is a warning.
- Contribution per sensor = price minus variable cost. Fixed costs are paid whether you sell or not.
- Break-even units = fixed cost divided by contribution. Plan to pass it by a safe margin.
- Make a 12-month cash plan. Cash timing matters as much as profit: customers may pay late, suppliers may want money first.
- Keep money for business and money for the owner apart.
- Test the plan: what if sales fall by a quarter, or cost rises by a tenth?
Worked example. Worked example, all figures in reais: price R$ 260, variable cost R$ 150, contribution R$ 110 per sensor. Fixed cost R$ 30.000 a month. Break-even = R$ 30.000 / R$ 110 = 272,73, so 273 sensors a month. At 400 sensors a month, profit = R$ 110 x 400 - R$ 30.000 = R$ 14.000. These are teaching figures that belong to this example only; later examples and the case study use their own figures. Use your own.
Second worked scenario. Scenario: sales fall to 300 sensors a month. Question: what is the monthly result? Model answer: R$ 110 x 300 - R$ 30.000 = R$ 3.000; compare with break-even of 273 sensors and decide whether to cut fixed cost or raise volume first. Teaching figures only.
Activity. Build your own table: price, variable cost, contribution, fixed cost, break-even and a downside case at 75% of sales. Show it to a peer or mentor.
Standard to meet. Calculate correctly, give every figure a source or mark it as an assumption, and show a downside case.
Module 8 Grow, measure and renew 4 hEvaluate
Growth should follow proof. Measure, learn, then add; and keep returning to the customer.
- In sensor manufacture: Grow by publishing honest drift data and offering recalibration.
- Pick one growth lever at a time: new customers, a higher repeat rate, a better price, or a new offer.
- Set one measurable target for 90 days, such as 'raise repeat customers from 20% to 30%'.
- Ask each customer how they found you, and record it. Spend more where the record shows results.
- Review monthly: numbers, defects, complaints, cash. Write three decisions each time.
- Plan the renewal of licences, equipment and skills a year ahead.
Worked example. 90-day plan: 'Lever: repeat customers. Action: follow-up call after every sensor. Target: repeat rate from 20% to 30%. Check: weekly count. Review date: day 45 and day 90.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: you can add 80 sensors a month by one of two levers: a follow-up call to past customers or a price rise of R$ 26 to R$ 286. Question: how do you choose? Model answer: test the cheaper reversible lever first (the call), measure for 30 days, and only then try the price change, so you can tell which one worked.
Longer notes. Follow each sensor after the sale. Log the quote date, the order date, the calibration due date and any return, then count how many quotes became orders in each channel: technical visit, trade show, online catalog. Choose one test per quarter, such as a free field trial for a new buyer, and drop it if profit does not rise. Contact each customer thirty days before the sensor needs recalibration and offer a swap or a service visit. Visit the plant of your best repeat buyer to learn which second device they would purchase. Note which second device the repeat buyer names, since that is your next bench.
Extra worked example. Treat these quote counts as worked-example figures, not market data. Last quarter 10 of 40 quotes won, 25 percent, each a monthly order of about 40 sensors. A recalibration reminder lifts wins to 12, or 30 percent, adding 2 x 40 = 80 sensors per month. Each sensor adds R$ 110 of contribution, so the gain is 80 x R$ 110 = R$ 8.800 per month. That reminder, sent thirty days before each recalibration date, lifts monthly profit from R$ 14.000 to R$ 22.800 at 480 sensors.
Activity. Write a 90-day plan with one target, three actions and a review date. Present it in five minutes and take questions.
Standard to meet. Set a measurable, dated target, break the actions down small enough to start this week, and put the review date in the calendar.
