I don't get group buys - help me understand

[Spooky]

I know nothing about the chip production process, and my understanding is that most of it is some big secret. But from the way I picture the process it goes something like this:

The clay materials are squeezed out of a glorified playdough factory machine and cut off into approximate chip sized slices.

They are transfered to another machine where the inserts are added.

Then they are pressed/cooked into molds, coated in some way, inspected, packaged, and shipped.

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Ok thats crude and probably inacurate.. but it will work for this discussion.

If there were a way to compile lists of orders from multiple customers who were interested in the same base/edge spot combinations. But with personalized inserts for each customer. Much of the re-tooling fees could be avoided.

You could work with customers to get their inserts to fit the standards, then they could add their names to the list for "Green w/Yellow-Red edge". When there was enough orders of that basic chip to make it worth the manufactures while the customer could get those chips.

Not all customers whould be interested in working this way, and you would need to do a lot of pre-work to have popular standard color combinations worked out. Not to mention working with the manufacturer to find the feasability of this method.


Anyway.. just an idea.