Start Smart
MTI’s product development models get a boost from Lean principles.
Poor communication. Lack of clear prioritization of projects. A chaotic work environment filled with constant interruptions. These issues would be problematic in any work scenario, but they happen to be some of the top causes of wasted resources in the product development process. No matter the industry, product development can be crippled if processes go awry.
Fortunately, the same Lean principles that can streamline the rest of a company’s processes will work for new product development, too. In fact, MTI has announced that it’s rolling out a new Lean-based roster of product development tools. Its new product development consulting services combine the expertise of its manufacturing consultants with the tools, methods, and technologies that can help your company eliminate wasted time, effort, and money.
LEAN FOR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
The National Institute of Standards and Technology/Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST/MEP) is moving toward a Lean New Product Development model developed by Bart Huthwaite of the Institute for Lean Design, Mackinac Island, Mich. “This will be the new model for MTI as well,” says Sam Gould, an MTI business services consultant who has more than two decades of new product production and commercialization under his belt.
Gould adds that the Lean product development tools offered by Huthwaite and Ron Mascitelli, an expert in advanced product design and development methods, will be used in conjunction with the Stage Gate process. The selling, implementation, and support of the Stage Gate process will be done through software provider Sopheon PLC, as the Product Development Institute (PDI) no longer supports the ATOMSME version of the product. PDI will, however, allow MTI to promote and sell its primary product—Stage Gate Navigator—which would be augmented by the additional Lean product development tools.
The Lean product development tools and services MTI is offering include:
- Lean NPD Innovation Blitz
MTI facilitates a workshop that includes the client’s new product development (NPD) team, the customer, and the supplier. This workshop helps Poor communication. Lack of clear prioritization of projects. A chaotic work environment filled with constant interruptions. These issues would be problematic in any work scenario, but they happen to be some of the top causes of wasted resources in the product development process. No matter the industry, product development can be crippled if processes go awry. Start Smart MTI’s product development models get a boost from Lean principles. SPRING 2007 l MINNESOTA TECHNOLOGY 5 develop and focus the NPD team’s efforts for new product development . Like a traditional Lean innovation blitz, this makes a business think hard about its product development processes—how and why it works (or doesn’t). Through this, the company can jettison wasteful practices and explore new ways to serve its customers. MTI’s Innovation Blitz will be used in conjunction with the Lean NPD tools from Huthwaite.
- Lean NPD Process Development
This model works to facilitate the creation of a Lean NPD process specific to a particular client. “This may be predicated upon the Stage Gate process and software available from Sopheon or Stage Gate,” says Gould. “MTI would assist in the configuration of the software modules for use by the client company as well as providing the company-wide training.” This service also includes evaluation and scoring to correctly prioritize the existing new product development activities through portfolio-mapping techniques.
- Product Commercialization Consulting Services
MTI provides these services on a per-project or per-diem basis. The services may entail an evaluation of a company’s IT position, initial patent research, completing marketing research, finding suppliers and orchestrating a supply chain, and helping with distribution channels. MTI also conducts a launch review after a product launch to assess the positive and negative outcomes in comparison to the expected results.
“The biggest problems in manufacturing are usually caused by design [flaws],” says Gould. “Most of the waste on the manufacturing floor is created by an immature or non-Lean product.”
MTI’s team of consultants, by applying the services and the powerful Lean tools and methods they’ve assembled, can address the waste and glitches caused by faulty design processes. No matter the industry, size of your business, or unique technological challenges, MTI New Product Development Consulting Services can make a big difference: Not only is your usual operating chaos stilled, but limited resources are stretched, processes are clarified, and development costs plummet.