Thanks Mark,
that's good "nitty gritty" information, and helps me to clarify in my head how I would approach a manufacturer when/if I'm ready to get assembly done too. I think I should be safe enough from the pirates, this board will probably only sell in the hundreds after some considerable time. It's a fairly niche market and one where if you can't give technical support, word will get around quick. It's also got a micro-controller on board and even if fully assembled I'd program the chip on the board.
To be honest for my first run I'd probably be happy with as little as 10 boards and see if I can move them, and how quickly I can move them. Of course it the manufacturer works on a minimum blank size then I'll get as many boards made as can fit on there. That will also give me a taste of how well and how quickly I can do the SMD soldering, and see it the cost savings are worth it.
The information you guys have gave me has made me realise how little information one manufacturer gave me. Maybe he didn't want my business LOL.
Mitch from Hackvana has a customer guide explaining a few things, that's a good way to operate.
Keith.