Research support for manufacturing & industrial operations

Whether you're vetting a new contract manufacturer in the Midwest, tracking raw material price trends, or benchmarking competitors' lead times, research work piles up fast when your team is focused on production. Trusty Oak EAs handle the sourcing, digging, and organizing so your operations and procurement teams have the information they need without losing hours to it. From supplier qualification research to industry regulation lookups, we've worked across manufacturing contexts and know what useful output looks like.

Fractional research support for manufacturers

How Trusty Oak handles research for manufacturers

A Trusty Oak EA assigned to research for a manufacturing client typically handles tasks like building supplier shortlists using ThomasNet, Kompass, or Alibaba, cross-referencing certifications and MOQs against your specs, and compiling findings into structured comparison sheets in Google Sheets or Excel. They'll also monitor trade publications like IndustryWeek or Manufacturing Dive for relevant news, track tariff or regulatory updates from sources like the Federal Register or OSHA, and pull together competitive intelligence from public sources, job postings, and procurement databases. Your role is to brief the EA on the research objective and criteria upfront — the more context you provide about what a good result looks like, the faster they'll return useful work. Deliverables are typically formatted documents or spreadsheets ready for your review, not raw notes you have to sort through yourself.

What your EA takes off your plate

Before your first research assignment, write down the three or four criteria that make a result actually useful to you — for supplier research, that might be minimum certifications, domestic-only, and under a certain MOQ. The most common mistake is handing over a vague request like 'find me some suppliers' and expecting the EA to guess your standards. A one-paragraph brief with clear filters will cut revision cycles significantly and get you a usable deliverable the first time.

Supplier Identification & Qualification Research

Search ThomasNet, Kompass, or industry directories to identify suppliers meeting your material, certification (ISO, AS9100, IATF 16949), and geographic requirements, then compile a comparison matrix with contact info and key specs.

Raw Material & Commodity Price Tracking

Monitor commodity pricing indexes (e.g., LME, USGS, Fastmarkets) for metals, resins, or other inputs relevant to your production, and deliver a regular summary with trend notes.

Regulatory & Compliance Research

Look up OSHA standards, EPA regulations, import/export tariff codes (HTS), or industry-specific compliance requirements and summarize what applies to your operations or product lines.

Competitive Intelligence Gathering

Research competitors' product offerings, pricing signals, geographic footprint, and hiring activity using public sources, LinkedIn, trade show exhibitor lists, and company websites to build a structured competitive profile.

Equipment & Technology Vendor Research

Identify and compare CNC machinery, automation systems, ERP platforms (e.g., Epicor, Plex, JobBOSS), or MRO suppliers based on your requirements, pulling spec sheets, pricing tiers, and customer reviews into a decision-ready summary.

Tools our team works with

We adapt to your existing stack — no forced migrations.

Apollo.io

SEMrush

SimilarWeb

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Statista

...and many more!

Trusted by manufacturers

Trusty Oak supports manufacturers including PVS Chemicals — handling everything from research to broader operational support.

What research support costs for manufacturers

Drag the sliders to build a monthly plan that fits your workload.

Executive Assistants

~$35/hour

10 hours $350

Specialists

~$50/hour

20 hours $1,000

Fractional Executives

~$95/hour

0 hours $0

Your monthly budget

$1,350

Starting at $1,000/month. One-time $300 onboarding fee includes your Strategic Delegation Plan.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Trusty Oak EA access paid databases or industry-specific platforms we already subscribe to?

Yes — if you have existing subscriptions to platforms like Dun & Bradstreet, IHS Markit, or a specific trade database, you can share access with your EA and they'll work within those tools. For research that relies only on public sources, no additional subscriptions are needed on your end.

How does this work if our research needs vary month to month — sometimes heavy, sometimes minimal?

Trusty Oak's model is built for exactly that kind of variability. Unused hours roll over each month, so during slower periods you're not losing what you've paid for, and during heavier research cycles you can use your accumulated balance. There's no need to ramp a new resource up and down based on project load.

What's the quality of the research output — are these EAs familiar with manufacturing terminology and sourcing processes?

Trusty Oak EAs are US-based professionals, and your onboarding includes a Strategic Delegation Plan where your Client Success Manager matches you with someone whose background fits your industry context. For specialized manufacturing research, being clear about your terminology and standards during onboarding ensures the EA understands what they're looking for before they start.

Put your research work in capable hands

Starting at $1,000/month with a one-time $300 onboarding fee, you'll get a dedicated EA and a Strategic Delegation Plan built around your manufacturing operation's actual research needs. Initial commitment is three months, then month-to-month.