The Transformation Process of Product Design and Development - Coursework Example

The Transformation Process of Product Design and Development Table of Contents Introduction 3 Principles of lean product development 4 Toyotas lean manufacturing thinking 5 Software production 7 End point of manufacturing 8 Product journey: From idea to the store 9 Idea generation 9 Idea screening 9 Concept development and testing 10 Marketing strategy and development 10 Business analysis 10 Product development 11 Test marketing 11 Commercialization 11 Reference List 12 Introduction One of the essential factors of success of a firm depends upon its ability to develop valuable products and services. Product development has evolved into a specialized area of business that includes designing, gathering resources and establishing suitable manufacturing processes. The entire product development process must be established in a manner such that they are successful in adding value to the product at every stage of manufacturing. Additionally product development processes also act as suitable platform to achieve competitive advantages over other firms in the market. This is basically done through developing innovative techniques which facilitate achieving cost reduction, optimum utilization of resources or improve the quality of the end product (Heizer, Render and Weiss, 2004). Lean manufacturing techniques have therefore evolved as an important aspect in product development processes which facilitates organizations to develop systems that makes optimal utilization of resources and develops a number of competitive advantages for the organization. Lean manufacturing principles are vastly adopted by organizations so that resources can be optimally utilized and value additions at every stage of production are more effective. In other words it can be explained that lean facilitates enhancing effectiveness in the product designing and manufacturing process. Engineers across the world try developing new and innovative concepts which leads to unique benefits for the company, the industry and the customers (Slack, Chambers and Johnston, 2009). The current paper deals with understanding the important of lean manufacturing systems in modern day manufacturing process. It is basically seen that organizations which adopt the lean product development techniques are able to survive market competition and make their products more suitable in enhancing consumer satisfaction. Principles of lean product development Figure: Key principles of lean production Lean manufacturing system is mainly about achieving resource optimization and enhancing the quality of the end products. In most organization lean concepts are used to strategically counter competition and reduce wastages. One of the most important features of the lean system is that it aids in integrating the needs of customers into the production system (P. Coughlan and D. Coghlan, 2002). Since the prime objective of firms is to fulfil the needs of the consumers, it becomes essential that at every stage of manufacturing consumer needs are kept in mind and accordingly product attr4ibutes are formed. The development of an efficient product develop process depend upon the skills and expertise of the engineers. Engineering process play an important role in determining the optimization of resource utilization. There also needs to be established a suitable balance between integration of functions and expertise. Not all types of expertise can be utilized in the production process. Managerial excellence lies in the ability to select between important processes and implementing them (Chase, Aquilano and Jacobs, 2001). Additionally manufacturing systems are also required to be flexible so that they can be changed as per the strategy and operational changes undertaken by the firm. Efficient product development processes aim to achieve continuous improvement. Frequent changes and establishment of continuous improvement in the product development process facilitates an organization to achieve innovative and unique advantages in the industry. The implementation of production systems must also be on the basis of the competencies and the abilities of the employees and workers of an organization (Russell and Taylor, 2000). While establishing new systems, firm must provide training to employees. Environmental and sustainability related needs are also required to be considered while developing product development techniques. The adverse impacts of organizational activities upon the environment and the requirement of following sustainable techniques of production require organizations to minimize wastages and establish systems that incorporate recycling and reusing. Many organizations also try to base their manufacturing process on sustainable sources of power (Krajewski, Ritzman and Malhotra, 2012). Toyotas lean manufacturing thinking Toyotas Lean manufacturing techniques takes into consideration concepts such as just in time, jidoka and kaizen amongst many others. These concepts have facilitated the firm to achieve cost reduction as well as meet the needs of consumers on time (Stevenson and Sum, 2009). Some of these concepts are discussed briefly as follows: Toyota production system concepts Just-in-time Means to deliver the right product, at the right place, in the right quantity and at the right time. Aims to reduce manufacturing expenses. Ensuring that parts for manufacturing products are always available. Lowers cost of production adequately. Incorporates assembling of products when orders are received. Reduces wastages and carryover of inventory. Kanban Refers to scheduling of the product line. Based on a visual process. Production of only those products which is requested by customers. It focuses on the flow of work Scope of improvements. Limiting the work process by eliminating all non value adding work. Jidoka Refers to the process of early detection of abnormalities. Aims to rectify errors in production process quickly. It is important that errors from one process are not carried over unrecognized. Early detection prevents wastages and enhances product quality. Kaizen Continuous improvements in production process, products and the organization as a whole. Involves all employees of an organization starting from the top most level till the bottom most. Facilitates uniting all employees under the same spirit Must be established at all levels of an organization. Establishment of standardized polices and to provide opportunities for learning. Organizations which implement such lean manufacturing techniques are able to achieve flexibility and procure greater competitive advantages (Kleindorfer, Singhal and Wassenhove, 2005). Appropriate integration of people, processes and technologies are essential aspects upheld by the Toyota manufacturers. The production system of Toyota strives for achieving continuous improvement. This aids it to become one of the most competitive organizations of the world (Voss, Tsikriktsis and Frohlich, 2002). Software production The lean software development concept was inspired and adopted from the Toyota system of production. It involves converting lean techniques of production into the software domain. The lean approach to software development involves elimination of uncertainty to a certain extend. It is essential that software development is associated carried out with an option based approach (Forza, 2002). This would make the decision making process delayed. However it would lead to taking decisions based upon an informed structure. The lean software development system includes development of an agile framework that systematically moves the services from the manufacturing phase to the customer keeping in mind the lead time requirements. In the service category quick delivery of information is vital. Fast software systems are essential to support the manufacturing activities and establishing suitable networks of communications between the suppliers, engineers, production managers and the customers. Agile and efficient software transmits information swiftly so that different functions can be carried out without the wastage of time. Carrying out rectification processes, placing orders and many other activities related to the production process relies upon the suitable implementation of different software techniques (Stuart, et al., 2002). End point of manufacturing One of the peculiar characteristics of the Toyota production system is that their systems of manufacturing are based on the needs of the end point users of the products. In other words customer orientation is very high and is adopted at every stage of the production. Toyota recognizes that their products are chiefly required to fulfil two important dimensions. These are the organizations needs and the needs of the consumers. Consumer needs cannot be altered or influenced much. Hence Toyota alters their own production process and production systems so that they match the needs of the end users (Roth and Menor, 2003). The end point manufacturing system is also followed by Toyota on the basis of the manner in which they carry out their production. Products are manufactured on the basis of orders received from consumers. This leads to prevention of overstocking of products and removes the possibility of the trapping revenue in the form of closing stock. The company follows the Just-in-time production and operations method in this respect. As a result goods are sent to the production line after orders are procured. This requires Toyota to ensure that manufacturing parts are available at all times without any delay. The production is completed in real time and products are sent off to retail locations (Hayes, 2006). Product journey: From idea to the store New product development process requires being highly systematic. Usually most organizations develop new products on the basis of the following framework: Idea generation Ideas for new products are essentially developed on the basis of the market research and analysis. The relative strengths and weaknesses of organizations are evaluated so that the newly developed products facilitate enhancing the same. The new products must be able to provide competitive advantages to the organization in the market. Brainstorming is the most commonly adopted by organizations to form ideas relating to new product development. Idea generation process is usually initiated when organizations feel that it is essential to develop competitive positions for itself in the market through the launch of new products (Shah and Goldstein, 2006). Idea screening Many ideas usually get developed through the idea formulation process. Of these ideas relating to different products, the company is required to shortlist and select to manufacture only one or few of the products. The screening process usually involves analysing the product on the grounds of benefits provided to the consumers and the firm, size and growth of the firms target market segment, current market trends and their influence upon the product, technical and financial requirements and ultimately the expected profits from the product. If the product is bale to provide positive results on all of the grounds, they can be adopted for initiating manufacturing (Grover and Malhotra, 2003). Concept development and testing The concept development stage involves formulating engineering models, designs and determining the features for the products. The process involves development of simulated product models and analysing its feasibility. In this stage it is also assesses how the product is likely to do in the market and customer reaction towards it. The benefits and the disadvantages of the product can be understood more clearly at this stage. Suitable steps can also be taken at this stage to eliminate the drawbacks in the selected product. Finally the product at this stage is also put through testing. Testing is carried out by asking prospective customers their opinions regarding the product (Aksin, Armony and Mehrotra, 2007). Marketing strategy and development The market strategy and marketing process involves determining the price, promotion, location and product attributes. Decisions relating to these facilitate understanding whether the target market segment would purchase the product and would trigger purchase behaviour. Not all types of marketing strategies are suitable for every product. Hence organizations are required to evaluate the market conditions, the needs of the consumers and the objectives of the organizations before determining suitable marketing strategies. At this stage the company also sets aside the required budget for marketing related activities (Leenders, et al., 2001). Business analysis In the new product development process, the company tries to analyse their existing position in the market. This facilitates understanding whether the selected product strategy would be suitable for enhancing the market for the product. Business analysis also facilitates understanding whether the selected product would be able to add value to the present position of the company. It is also essential to understand whether the selected product would meet the long term objectives, missions and visions. During this stage, many organizations also evaluate the long run position of the product (Ritzman, Krajewski and Klassen, 2004). Product development In this the product plans and designs are approved and management makes the necessary arrangements for procuring different types of resources and technologies for carrying out the production process (Barnes, 2008). Test marketing In the test marketing phase the firm launches the product into the market in a small quantity. This phase makes it possible to understand whether the market would react positively to the product. Commercialization In the commercialization process the company undertakes aggressive promotional and advertising strategies for popularising the product in the market. This is undertaken to popularise the product, inform consumer regarding its attributes and the type of value it aims to deliver (Weihrich and Koontz, 2005). Reference List Aksin, Z., Armony, M. and Mehrotra, V., 2007. The Modern Call Center: A Multi‐Disciplinary Perspective on Operations Management Research. Production and Operations Management, 16(6), pp. 665-688. Barnes, D., 2008. Operations management: an international perspective. Connecticut: Cengage Learning. Chase, R. B., Aquilano, N. J. and Jacobs, F. R., 2001. Operations management for competitive advantage. New York: Irwin/McGraw-Hill. Coughlan, P. and Coghlan, D., 2002. Action research for operations management. International journal of operations & production management, 22(2), pp. 220-240. Forza, C., 2002. 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Voss, C., Tsikriktsis, N. and Frohlich, M., 2002. Case research in operations management. International journal of operations & production management, 22(2), pp. 195-219. Weihrich, H. and Koontz, H., 2005. Management: A global perspective. Singapore: McGraw-Hill. Read More