Derek Blankenship

About Derek Blankenship

Jaycon Systems was founded in 2011 with a clear mission: to help companies successfully bring physical products into production by reducing risk at the most critical stages of manufacturing. In 2026, Jaycon marks 15 years in business, built on deep expertise in plastic injection molding, tooling strategy, and scalable manufacturing execution.Led by co-founder Derek Blankenship, Jaycon specializes in guiding products from concept through production with a strong emphasis on design-for-manufacturing (DFM) and injection molding readiness. Over the past two decades, Blankenship has helped dozens of companies transition ideas into manufacturable, cost-effective products—avoiding common pitfalls that lead to tooling failures, cost overruns, and production delays.What began as a small operation has grown into a global engineering and manufacturing partner with operations in Florida’s Space Coast and long-standing relationships across China and Asia. Jaycon provides end-to-end support including product design, mold design and fabrication, supplier qualification, pilot runs, and full-scale production. This global footprint allows clients to balance cost, quality, and speed while maintaining transparency and control.Jaycon has supported startups, Kickstarter-backed products, and established billion-dollar organizations alike—often stepping in to troubleshoot tooling issues, optimize molded parts, or correct manufacturing problems discovered too late in the process. The team’s strength lies in practical experience: understanding how parts actually mold, how tools behave over time, and how to scale production reliably.With a manufacturing-first mindset and a proven track record in injection molding, Jaycon Systems helps clients move from idea to production with confidence—building products that are not only innovative, but manufacturable at scale.

Experience

1. Co-founder

   Jaycon

   Sep 2011 — Present · Melbourne, FL, US

   Jaycon Systems is a product design and manufacturing company based in Melbourne, Florida, with a proven track record delivering complex products for medical device and themed entertainment clients. Over the past 15 years, we have manufactured millions of units combining plastic injection-molded components, circuit board assemblies, mechanical subassemblies, and sheet-metal enclosures—trusted by Tier 1 organizations to execute at scale.Our capabilities extend well beyond design. Jaycon has produced injection-molded plastic parts and electronics assemblies for regulated medical applications, as well as high-reliability systems used in themed entertainment environments. To support these industries, we have built an in-house test laboratory capable of interpreting and executing against formal specifications such as ASTM and ASTM F24 standards. Our team designs custom jigs, fixtures, and test rigs, including supporting software to capture, track, and analyze test data throughout development and production.Our multidisciplinary team includes business-minded designers, engineers, and technologists who understand that successful products must be manufacturable, testable, and scalable. Whether a project begins as an early concept, a functional prototype, or a design ready for production, Jaycon supports the full lifecycle—from ideation and engineering through tooling, manufacturing, testing, packaging, and fulfillment.We believe every idea deserves a clear path to production. By combining deep injection molding expertise, electronics manufacturing experience, and rigorous testing processes, Jaycon Systems helps clients reduce risk, meet industry standards, and confidently bring products to market.

Education

• Colorado State University

  Bachelor Degree, Business Administration & Org Mgmt

  2000 — 2004