PI is HIGHLY dependant on the area in which the planets are.
If it’s in Hi-Sec then I’d Strongly recommend you chose another area of New Eden.
Low Sec is slightly better, Null, again better than Low Sec and Wormhole PI is the Best.
However : ALL PI, no matter where it’s done is subject to limits…
Some points to Concider.
If you do your PI at planets where the POCO are NOT owned by your corp then you will be subject (VERY LIKELY) to higher taxation rate when you import/export.
If there are MANY PLAYERS doing PI on the Same Planets then the returns will be small compared to if there are fewer players farming the same planets.
Pro tip : Right Click on the planets surface and select “Show other players networks”
Have a scoot around the planet surface (You will need to be zoomed in) and look for the little dots that are command centres…
Left click one of those and it will highlight “A Players” setup… Showing the name of the player, and corp and a VERY BASIC layout - You can hover over the layout to see how Basic or so it is and gain an insight into what they are extracting but that comes with experience.
Check with corp/local to see if they are known players or maybe old setups that are abandoned by players who left the game and didn’t delete their setup, or if they do actually belong to someone you know and then decide where to place your command centre and extractors.
As for what to produce - Well, that’s entirely up to you.
Produce to sell (Market OR Corp Sales)
Produce to USE - Rocket Fuel for missiles as an example.
I’m not sure what to make. Im thinking something that is in the long run good enough to make as a passive income selling directly via one of the trade hubs.
In a wormhole you don’t know which tradehub will be in reasonable reach next day. I sell in different places, it’s more or less Bob’s decision. Jita has great prices, but Epithals are weak and can be alphaed by Tornados which happens from time to time in and around Jita.
So if you are able to fly Deep Space Transports like the Occator, this can help to get the stuff to the hubs.