Catholic University of Cordoba – Chair: MKT and development of new Products

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PRODUCT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

1.- The design and development process in the 21st century.-

The first decision that must be made when designing a new production system is the
design of the product or service to be manufactured.

The development of new products has become a factor

key to achieving business success: if in the eighties everyone
efforts focused on reducing the manufacturing cycle and implementing
flexible production systems, the 1990s have come
accompanied by a change of perspective and a concern for the
design and development process of new products. And more specifically
for the reduction of time spent on the design and development of new
products.

This gives rise to a new way of competing in the market, to which it has
denominated Time-based Competence. The speed in responding to the needs of the
the market demands being a master in time management. It is what Kotler calls
turbomarketing

The strategic implications of this reduction in time are very significant:

1. Increases in productivity: As time decreases, productivity increases.

2. Price increases: Customers of companies that compete on time are willing to pay more.
for their products and services for both subjective and economic reasons.
3. Risk reduction: By compressing time, forecasts become more reliable, which reduces risk.
of failure.
4. Increases in market share: When customers trust the company's ability to deliver
With the expected deadlines, its market share increases significantly.

Therefore, to develop new products quickly, so that they are available as soon as possible.
available in the market, becomes one of the main concerns of companies
current.
The importance given to the development time of new products as a factor of advantage
competitive, has led to one of the main concerns of those in charge of managing
that process is to find a series of tools that help reduce that time.

2.- Stages of the design and development process in the 21st century.-

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 This process involves carrying out a complex set of activities, in which must
intervene in most of the functional areas of the organization. Generally, this process of
development is usually divided into five phases or stages:

1.- Identification of opportunities.

2.- Evaluation and selection.

3.- Product and process development and engineering.

4.- Tests and evaluation.

5.- Start of production.

In the first phase (Opportunity Identification), opportunities are obtained.

information about market needs and demands, identifying
the existing opportunities, the possible movements and reactions of the
competition, the technical possibilities and the manufacturing requirements.
This information is combined to establish the architecture of the new
product. During this phase, the design of the concept is fixed, and the
target markets, the level of performance, the necessary resources and the
predictable financial impact of the new product.

Among the main sources of ideas for this process, we can point out the following:

-Clients: In a competitive environment where the market plays a prominent role, it seems
It is evident that the customer must play an active role in the design of new products.
The company must have the appropriate communication channels so that the customer can
contribute their ideas to the design and development process.

Engineers and designers: But not all ideas can come from the market, since
in that case, there would be no 'radical innovations', that is, totally new products.
Hello, only the personnel of the R&D department can know the latest technological advancements.
which can lead to new innovative products.

Competitors: On numerous occasions, new products arise from ideas from the
competition that the company adopts as its own, carrying out a process of creative imitation,
that is, improving the competitor's product but based on its initial design.

-Top management and employees of the company: This source of ideas is often underestimated.
on the part of those in charge of the design process and is often one of the sources
more effective. Since the organization’s employees are the ones who know the best about the
existing production processes, as well as the actual characteristics of the products
manufactured.

Universities and public research centers: The company must take advantage of
research capacity of these institutions to achieve new technological developments.
In Spain, the role of the University in the R&D process is still very low, especially
if we compare it with the situation existing in other countries such as Germany, Japan or the United States
United.

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 In the second phase (Evaluation and selection), those ideas are selected that present the greatest
possibilities of success. This evaluation process involves an analysis of the product's feasibility from
different points of view:

Commercial viability: It involves analyzing whether there is a market for that

product.

Economic viability: A cost-benefit analysis is conducted to allow us to

estimate if that product will provide an adequate margin, taking into account
consideration of its estimated production cost, as well as the price at which they could be
to sell oneself.

Technical feasibility: It is necessary to verify that the company has the technical capability.
and suitable technology for the mass production of the product.

Assessment of the reactions of the competition: It is necessary to assess the possible

reaction of the competition to our launch. Since on some occasions our
the company will not have sufficient resources for an 'open war' with our
competitors, so in these cases, perhaps the most appropriate strategy is not to continue
with the design process.

Adjust the organization's objectives: New products must respect the

organization's strategy, contributing to achieving the established objectives.

Once approved, the project moves to Product and Process Engineering. In this third...
phase most of the detailed design and product development activities are carried out, as well as
of the production processes necessary for manufacturing and subsequent market launch.

In many occasions, concurrently or simultaneously, the fourth phase (Testing and

evaluation), in which the tests and evaluations corresponding to the resulting designs are carried out.
the third phase, for which the manufacturing of prototypes and the simulation of the process are carried out
manufacturing, trying to detect possible deficiencies in both the new product and its process of
manufacturing. Subsequently, market tests are carried out to simulate the
real market conditions, either in a laboratory (market pretest) or in a small
market area to which the product will be directed (alpha market tests), with the aim of selecting
the most appropriate launch strategy and make a sales forecast.

Companies test in the market when:

It is a new product with a large investment

There is uncertainty about the product or the marketing program.

Companies do not test the market when

It is a simple line extension.

A copy of a competitor's product

There are low costs

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There is trust from management

Finally, if the evaluation carried out in the previous phase is favorable, the product passes to the fifth
phase in which large-scale production begins; the launch of the new product to the market occurs
product, its initial distribution and the support operations for it.

The development process described is carried out iteratively until the most optimal design is achieved.
suitable for the demands of consumers. In each iteration, knowledge is gained about the problem to be solved.
and the existing alternatives until it converges to the final design and the specifications are completed
initially detailed. This iterative process is known as

Design-build-test cycle (See figure 1).

Figure 1.- Design cycle-

manufacturing-test.

Source: Wheelwright and Clark, 1994.

The effectiveness of this design and development process will depend not only on speed, productivity
and the quality with which each stage of the cycle is carried out, but it will also depend on the number of
necessary iterations until reaching the optimal solution.
In any case, the design and development process involves a complex set of activities.
which will vary depending on the specific project being undertaken and the type of innovation.
to whom it refers.

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 3.- The time factor in the design process
and development of new products.

The growing importance of new product development time as a competitive advantage

competitive has motivated numerous studies focused on analyzing the
importance, effects, and determinants of this development time.

Based on the number of stages in the development process

that encompass different concepts or measures of the cycle of
development. Thus, what is generally referred to as time of
development (Griffin, 1993) refers to the period of time that
it runs from the detailed design phase to the phase of
product introduction.

Another concept, and perhaps the most commonly used within specialized literature, is the timing of
market or time to market. This concept is defined as the period of time that elapses between the
definition of the product and the moment it becomes available in the market (Vesey, 1992). It is
to say, it would encompass from the concept development phase to the product introduction in the market.

Throughout this text, the concept of market timing will be used more broadly,
including also what some authors call acceptance time or time-to-acceptance,
that is, the time that passes until reaching the total sales potential of the product, this is, the
time that passes until the product is definitively accepted by the market. Therefore, the
market time, in broad terms, will encompass everything from product definition to its
acceptance by the market, that is, not only until its launch, but until it is bought by
the client in a massive way.

This broader definition of the concept of market timing merely captures the objectives.
What the company aims for with time management. The company's interest is not limited to being the
first to launch the product without further ado, but the ultimate goal of time management is to achieve
that the product is accepted by the market in the shortest possible timee[1].

Another concept closely related to market timing is the so-called cycle of

life of innovation, which refers to the period of time that elapses from the moment it is made
evident the opportunity of the new product and the moment when the first customers are satisfied. It is
say, it would include all the stated phases of the development process, from the identification of the
opportunity up to the product introduction.

Unlike the broadly defined concept of market time, the innovation cycle
It begins when the opportunity arises and not when the product development starts and ends.
when the first sale occurs and not when the product reaches its maximum sales potential.

If we compare the concepts of market timing and innovation cycle (See figure 2) we
observe the existence of a dead time that goes from the emergence of the opportunity until the definition
of the product.

Figure 2.- Innovation cycle and time to market.

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 This dead time is known in Anglo-Saxon literature as Fuzzy Front End.
define as the time that elapses from the moment when the process could have begun
of development and the moment when it really begins (Reinersten, 1994).

Proper management of this downtime can lead to significant competitive improvements.

fundamentally due to the following reasons:

1.- This dead time represents approximately between a third and half of the
total development time.

2.- The time savings in this initial period are less costly to achieve, given that the
the cost of reducing time increases exponentially as one advances in the process of
product development.

So far, this downtime has received little attention from the teams.
managers, so their proper management can be an important differentiating factor and serve as
foundation for obtaining competitive advantages.

4.- New techniques for design and development of new products.

Companies that aim to dominate their markets need a continuous process of searching.
one of the best techniques for time management. Many of these techniques have already proven to
they are notably useful in practice and currently enjoy wide acceptance, while
others are innovative tools that will gradually take their place within the universe that
it constitutes business management.
There are various strategies to reduce time to market (Vesey, 1992), but all
They rely on two basic pillars to achieve the set objective:
Create an organizational environment where change and innovation flow naturally.
Adopt the technologies that provide the members of the organization the best
tools to carry out your work.

Below, we discuss some of the techniques that are having the greatest impact on the
current management of the design and development process of new products.

4.1.- Concurrent Engineering.-

Simultaneous engineering owes its current rise to the success of its practical application in companies
Japanese, especially in the automotive sector. Toyota was one of the first.
companies in their application in the mid-1960s, Mazda introduced it in the late

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seventy and Nissan did not do it until the mid-eighties. As far as its application is concerned,
Western companies, General Motors and Ford introduced simultaneous engineering in their
processes at the end of the eighties.

This technique is based on overlapping different activities to achieve a reduction in the

market timing. The effects of this overlap of activities can be observed
clearly in the following figure, where two projects carried out in the sector are compared
electronics and telecommunications of the United States, one of a traditional or sequential nature
and another of a flexible or simultaneous nature (See figure 3).

Simultaneous engineering is generally associated with the overlap of design activities.

development and manufacturing of new products, however, this simultaneity of activities
it can extend to the rest of the functional areas, appearing what is generically known
as simultaneous management of activities.

Stoll (1986) has clearly defined the four basic characteristics of simultaneous engineering.
What are:

a.- Concurrency.- Both production and process are designed in parallel.

b.- Limitations.- The limitations of the process are taken into account in the design of
product, making the product components easy to assemble, manufacture and
manage, using the existing technology for that.

c.- Coordination.- Process and product are coordinated to meet the requirements of
quality, costs, and time.

d.- Consensus.- The most important decisions regarding products and processes are
They are made with the participation of the whole team by consensus.

Figure 3.- Simultaneity vs. sequentiality.

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 Source: Self-made based on Iansiti (1995)

According to Youssef (1994), we can define concurrent engineering as a philosophy.

design that promotes collective and integrated efforts of a certain number of teams
involved in the planning, organization, management, and control of all activities
related to products and processes, from the generation of the idea to the completion
of the product or service, in such a way that:

the designs, manufacturing methods, and available information technologies are

used efficiently.

teamwork is emphasized.

Redundancies and activities that do not add value are eliminated.

integration in the company is promoted.

- consumer requirements and quality are taken into account from the design of
product.

Early product management.

4.2.- Design for excellence.-

Every product must satisfy or meet several objectives: to function satisfying the
customer wishes, to be easy to assemble, to maintain and repair, to test, to dispose of it and many
Others. Those companies that want to succeed must consider all these objectives from the very beginning.
stages of the design process.

De Andrade (1991) states that, in addition to clients and the company, there are other people
Organizations that are affected by the new product and by the activities of its life cycle.
Therefore, the objective of the design process should be that the resulting product meets the set of
needs of all affected individuals or organizations, in the most efficient way.
To achieve this goal, the so-called Design for Excellence arises.
Design for Excellence (DFE), which encompasses a series of design techniques, aimed at managing the
quality, cost, and delivery time of the new product.

Thus, Design for Excellence (DFE) includes the following techniques:

Design for Assembly (DFA).

Design for Manufacture (DFM).

Design for Testability (DFT).

Design for Service (DFS).

Design for Internationalization

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 Design for Environment (DFE).

Design to Facilitate Operations or Design for Operability (DFO).

Next, we will briefly analyze each of the techniques encompassed within the DFE:

Design for assembly.

Design for Assembly focuses on simplifying the process of

assembly, which reduces the manufacturing cycle and improves product quality. To do this,
this technique allows designers and engineers to systematically evaluate the components and
assemblies, in such a way that they are easy to assemble and manufacture.

It is about simplifying the manufacturing process as much as possible to avoid

or minimize possible errors in the process. For this, the components are designed in such a way
that can only be assembled in one way, eliminating the possibility of failures in the
assembly.

Design for manufacturing.

This technique aims to facilitate the manufacturing process by simplifying the design of the new product.
through a reduction of the components that make it up. This reduction in the number of
components enhance product reliability, decrease product life cycle costs, reduce
the number of design engineering hours required reduces purchases, inventories, and space
to store the components.

Design for the tests.

The objective of this technique is to design a product in such a way that the tests to which it will be subjected
subject to before its launch and manufacture, can be easily carried out and in the shortest period of
time.
One of the possible ways to simplify these tests is to design the product in a modular way,
so that each of the modules can be tested independently, being
subsequently only some tests are necessary to verify the correct integration of the different
modules.

Design for the service.

This technique, also known as Design for Service or Design for Serviceability, allows
take into account in the product design those factors that facilitate the provision of services
associated with the use of the product.

Customers demand products that break down as little as possible, and in case of a breakdown, they want
that the repair is as quick as possible. For this reason, many companies are adopting a
strategy of easy-to-maintain and repair products, offering its customers several years of warranty,
during which all repairs and maintenance tasks are the responsibility of the manufacturer.

Design for internationalization.

The objective of this technique is to manage the design process so that the resulting product
it can be easily adapted to the specific characteristics of each country where it will be
introduced.

Design for the environment.

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 This technique aims to integrate environmental factors into the process of
design of new products. Specifically, the environmental factors that must be
to be taken into account when proceeding with the design of a new product are the
next:

1.- Use of materials.- One should try to use the greatest amount
possible from renewable materials, the least amount of material possible, as well as
try to minimize the number of components of the product.

2.- Energy consumption.- In this area, there should be an aim to reduce consumption.
energy required for the manufacturing of the product, as well as the use of energy sources
renewable and clean (solar, wind, hydroelectric energy, etc).

3.- Prevention of pollution.- In product design, it is necessary to avoid or, at least,

reduce to the maximum possible toxic emissions during the production process, as well as during the
product usage.

4.- Solid waste.- Efforts should be made to minimize the volume of solid waste
generated at the end of the product's useful life, as well as during its manufacturing process. For this purpose, the
the design team should ensure that most of the components of the resulting product are
reusable or, at least, recyclable. This is what is known in the specialized literature as Design
for Disassembly (Design for Disassembly or DFD) and Design for Remanufacturing
Remanufacture or DFR.

In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, numerous applications have been developed.
informatics that facilitate the work of development teams, allowing the resulting product
gather the necessary conditions to facilitate the service benefits inherent to it and that it is of
easy assembly and easy recycling.

Design to facilitate operations.

This technique involves taking into account from the earliest stages of the design process the
needs of the operators and users of the product. Thus, if the product has a high cost, the
potential users will lose interest in that product. Similarly, if the product is
difficult to use or that such use involves some danger, the product will lose its value for the user.

Therefore, to avoid these situations, the product must have an operating cost.
reasonable and an adequate added value. To help achieve these objectives, Design to facilitate
Operations or Design for Operability makes use of other design techniques, among which the following stand out
the Deployment of the Quality Function (QFD).

4.3.- Deployment of the Quality Function (QFD).-

This technique aims to translate or transform the client's desires into technical specifications.
correct ones, that help to proceed with the design of a product that meets the needs of the customer.

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 The concept of QFD was introduced in Japan by Yoji Akao in 1966, being
applied for the first time at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd in 1972. Its first
application in Western companies does not occur until the mid-eighties,
being Rank Xerox and Ford in 1986 the first Western companies to apply
said technique to its new product development process (Zairi and Youssef,
1995).

Shigeru Mizuno defines the deployment of quality functions.

Deployment) as the deployment, step by step, in as much detail as possible, of the
functions or operations that systematically constitute quality, with
objective procedures, rather than subjective ones. Ultimately, it is about converting
the demands of consumers for specific quality characteristics, for
proceed to develop a design quality through the systematic deployment of
relationships between demands and characteristics, starting with the quality of each functional component
and extending the deployment to every part and process.

The main tool to achieve these aims is the so-called quality chart or 'house'.
of quality (Figure 4).

Figure 4.- The house of

the quality.

Source: Preparation
own from Charney
(1991).

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 QFD begins by listening to 'the voice of the customer', dividing into successive levels of detail.
information obtained regarding the quality needs of consumers (left side of the
matrix).
The next step is to transform the needs or requirements of the consumer into
design requirements or quality elements, that is, it is about making the desires of the
consumer (top part of the matrix).

Both displays are combined in the central part of the matrix, where the signs
indicate the level of relationship between quality needs and quality elements or characteristics. The
The correlation matrix is the triangular table added at the top of the 'house' and establishes the relationship
existing among the various identified quality elements.
The chart also captures the importance assigned by the customer to each of the needs.
quality, as well as a couple of graphics that show the competitive assessment of the needs and
quality elements in relation to the main competitor.

Transfer the items from the sheet to the design planning PP as well.

4.4.- Design, manufacturing and computer-aided engineering.-

Recent advances in information technology have made it possible for the emergence of
numerous software applications that considerably facilitate design operations. Among
we can mention: Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) and
Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM).

Computer-Aided Design (CAD): It is a design system, quite well-known and

used, which significantly expands the possibilities of traditional drawing systems
and whose main advantage lies in the speed with which it allows modifications to be made to the design,
difference from what occurred when designs were made on paper.

The possibilities of the CAD system are enormous, being able to perform a wide range of tasks.
among which we can highlight:

Display any model in three dimensions and in perspective on the screen.

Use different colors for each surface.

Automatically remove hidden lines and surfaces.

Rotate or move the piece.

Obtain any type of sections by automatically drawing plans and elevations.

Calculate the volume, surface area, center of gravity, inertia, etc., of each piece, almost
instantly.

Each of these operations required a lot of time, while with the system
CAD is done by simply changing a parameter or selecting a specific option in a menu.

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 Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE): This set of
computer applications allow analyzing how the designed piece behaves
through the CAD system in response to temperature changes, compression stresses,
traction, vibrations, etc. This will allow for the selection of the most suitable material
for the piece, as well as make the necessary modifications to improve the
performance of the same.

The possibility of carrying out these simulations before actual existence

the part allows for a notable reduction in the time required for the
prototype construction, on which tests were later conducted for selection
the most suitable materials.

Before the development of the CAE, a change of material meant the construction of a new prototype,
which took several days; with the CAE it only involves altering a series of parameters, operation
that lasts only a few seconds.

Although this technique does not completely eliminate the need to build prototypes, it does reduce
dramatically the number of tests to be performed with those prototypes and serves as an aid to be able to
identify early on the reliability, performance, certain cost issues, etc.

Computer-Aided Engineering is also known as Virtual Prototyping.

Virtual Prototyping, because it allows simulating the behavior of the part virtually.

Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM): Once the design of the part has been completed
and simulations have been carried out on their behavior in extreme situations, the following steps are taken
its manufacturing. It is at this point where the CAM comes into play, creating, based on the CAD design, the
numerical control devices that will control the work of different machines, so that the
the result matches exactly with the design made in the shortest time possible.

The CAM system is also responsible for simulating the physical path of each tool, in order to
to prevent possible interference between tools and materials.

All this set of possibilities provided by CAM technology shortens in a way

consider the market timing, avoiding having to make corrections afterwards in the
basic characteristics of design.

4.5 - Rapid prototyping.

The design of a new product begins with its definition. Once the...
technical specifications of the product, the design and development team proceeds to shape the set
of characteristics determined in the definition of the concept. To this end, it is very useful the
CAD technology, that is, computer-aided design, which allows us to easily modify the
design by simply modifying a series of numerical parameters.

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 The next phase involves giving physical shape to the design, that is, equipping
body to the design made via CAD. This phase will conclude with the
construction of a prototype of the new product, which will allow to confirm
the strengths and weaknesses of the design, through the realization of various
tests on the functionality and durability of the product.
Traditionally, there was a team for prototype manufacturing.
specialized in translating the data provided by the designers into a
physical model. This process was very laborious, delaying this
largely determines the release date of the new product.

With the emergence of Rapid Prototyping, the landscape changed.

completely. This set of techniques allows us to build prototypes directly from the
data generated by CAD, in a matter of hours. This facilitates the subsequent stages of the process of
design and development, such as testing, design modifications, etc., can be completed in a few
weeks, instead of the months and years that elapsed in the case of traditional manufacturing of
prototypes.

Some of the main techniques, encompassed within the concept of rapid manufacturing of
the following are prototypes:

1.- Stereolithography (SLA).

2.- Selective laser sintering (SLS).

3.- Manufacturing of laminated objects (LOM).

4.- Liquid phase deposition modeling.

5.- Solid Ground Curing (SGC).

6.- Continuous extrusion.

7.- 3D printing systems.

7.- Summary.-

The present lesson aims to provide an overview of the importance of the design process.
and development of new products currently. It begins with an analysis of the stages that
they make up the design and development process and the tasks to be performed in each of them.
Next, the time factor is introduced as a determining element of the success of the new ones.
products in the market, the main measurement methods of this time are described and justified
current importance of its proper management.
The lesson concludes with the description of some of the most widely used techniques in current management.
from the design and development process, the deployment of the quality function, engineering is analyzed

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simultaneous, rapid prototyping, design techniques, manufacturing and assisted engineering
by computer and the set of techniques grouped under the concept of design for excellence.

8.- Bibliography.-

Andrade, R. S. de.: 'Preliminary evaluation of the needs in the design process'. International
Conference on Engineering Design, ICED91, Zurich, 1991.

-Barba, E.: "Excellence in the process of developing new products". Ed. EADA
Management, Barcelona, 1993.

Barius, B.: "Simultaneous Marketing: A Holistic Marketing Approach to Shorter Time to Market".
Industrial Marketing Management, no. 23, 1994.

-Charney, C.: “Time to Market: Reducing product lead time”. Society of Manufacturing Engineers,
Dearborn, MI 1991.

-Griffin, A.: “Metrics for Measuring Product Development Cycle Time”. Journal of Product
Innovation Management, no. 12, 1993.

Shooting the Rapids: Managing Product Development in Turbulent Environments

California Management Review, vol. 38, no. 1, 1995.

-Reinertsen, D. G.: “Streamlining the fuzzy front end”. World Class Design to Manufacture, vol. 1,
No. 5, 1994.

-Stoll, H. W.: “Design for Manufacture: An overview”. Applied Mechanics Review, vol. 39, no. 9,
1986.

-Vesey, J.T.: “Time-to-Market: Put Speed in Product Development”. Industrial Marketing

Management, no. 21, 1992.

-Wheelwright, S. C. and Clark, K. B.: 'Accelerating the design-build-test cycle for effective product
development." International Marketing Review, vol. 11, no. 1, 1994. Youssef, M.: "Design for
Manufacturability and Time-to-Market (I). International Journal of Operations & Production
Management, vol. 14, no. 12, 1994.

-Youssef, M.: “Design for Manufacturability and Time-to-Market(II)”. International Journal of

Operations & Production Management, vol. 15, no. 1, 1995.

Zairi, M. and Youssef, M. A.: "Quality function deployment: a main pillar for successful total quality"
management and product development. International Journal of Quality & Reliability
Management, vol. 12, no. 6, 1995.

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