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Research · Manufacturing & Industrial

Research support for manufacturing & industrial operations

By Zack Pennington, CEO Updated

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. Nacho 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.

Tools we work with: LinkedIn Sales Navigator Apollo.io SEMrush SimilarWeb

Can a Virtual Assistant handle research for manufacturers?

Yes. Nacho matches manufacturers with a vetted, 100% US-based Specialist who owns research week after week, not a one-off task. You start with a $300 Delegation Strategy Plan, set a monthly Talent Budget from $1,000, and we match you in about a week.

See how the match works What a Talent Budget costs Book a discovery call

How it works

How your Specialist owns research for manufacturers

A Nacho 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.

Off your plate

What your Specialist 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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

Your stack

Tools our team works with

We adapt to your existing stack, no forced migrations.

Gemini
Statista
SEMrush
G2
Claude
ChatGPT

...and many more!

Client proof

Trusted by manufacturers

Nacho supports manufacturers including PVS Chemicals, handling everything from research to broader operational support.

The model

What delegating to Nacho actually looks like

This is ongoing delegation to one vetted, US-based person, not a task posted to a marketplace.

  1. Start with a Delegation Strategy Plan

    A one-time $300 onboarding fee pairs you with a Client Success Manager who maps what to hand off first. See the full process.

  2. Get matched in about a week

    We match you with a vetted, 100% US-based Specialist in your time zone. If the fit is not right, the Nacho Guarantee re-matches you free.

  3. Set a monthly Talent Budget

    Budgets start at $1,000 a month and draw across Executive Assistants from $40/hr, Specialists from $65/hr, and Fractional Executives from $125/hr. Up to $200 of unused budget rolls over each month. See pricing in detail.

  4. Three months, then month to month

    The initial term is three months so the working relationship has time to compound, then it rolls month to month. Book a discovery call to size yours.

Talent Budget

What delegating research costs for manufacturers

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

Executive Assistants
from $40/hour
10 hours $400
Specialists
from $65/hour
20 hours $1,300
Fractional Executives
from $125/hour
0 hours $0
Your monthly budget
$1,700

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

Good questions

Frequently asked questions

Can a Nacho 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?
Nacho's model is built for exactly that kind of variability. Up to $200 of unused budget can roll over each month, so lighter periods don't have to mean wasted spend, and you keep a small cushion ready for when activity picks back up. 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?
Nacho EAs are US-based professionals, and your onboarding includes a Delegation Strategy 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.

Ready when you are

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 Delegation Strategy Plan built around your manufacturing operation's actual research needs. Initial commitment is three months, then month-to-month.

Not sure yet? See how it works, compare the Executive Assistant, Specialist, and Fractional Executive roles, or read why we stayed 100% US-based.