Develop A New Product For Bicycles.

Engineering Services - Product Development

Product Development Services

"We need a new ______!"

"I've got this great idea!"

"What if we made ______?"

"Customers are asking for ______"

. . . just a few statements that start the process to develop a new product for market.   Do any of these sound familiar?

The concept of a new product starts with a need.  It might be a question like the ones above, or yours might be a little different.  Either way, when someone gets serious about it, there is work to do in moving from a question or idea, to actually creating the new item.

I can be a lot . . . design, prototyping, testing, manufacturing, packaging, etc . . . before it hits the shelf.  The process is Product Development and that is how we develop a new product for market.  Read This Article as an overview of the process and as a guide for those embarking on the journey.

When you browse in a store, do you ever think about the effort it takes to get that widget from first idea to on the shelf?  Do you wonder “Who thought of this?”  Or ponder the time and cost that went into it?  The essence is summed-up in this diagram.

Engineering Product Development Flow Chart
A Map Of The Product Development Process.
This Is How We Develop A New Product.

The process to develop a new product starts with an idea or a vision, and hopefully ends, with an awesome product.  The important essence of “Developing” is iteration.  We think about it, configure it, challenge it, then evaluate and repeat.  The loops start in our thoughts, but later transform to the electronic (CAD), and eventually to the physical (prototypes).

To develop a new product it starts with the New Idea.  Coming up with the idea, configuring thoughts, challenging the thinking, then revisiting the ideas with new mutations until it is ready.

This happens in cognitive processes as we experiment or create anything new.  We usually don't even realize it - like following a recipe in the kitchen.  Or, doing almost anything for the first time?

Our Product Development Kitchen

The process to natural, but it has a lot of choices.  When developing a product for market, you can waste time and money if you muddle around - just like when cooking when you don't have direction.

The product development process is similar to creating yummy things in the kitchen.  It works with a recipe because you are following steps others show, and you know the sub-processes like measuring ingredients and mixing.  Even if you are making up your own new recipe, you already know the main steps and have a pretty good idea about how to borrow from other recipes and things you have previously done to be successful.

That is us, except our kitchen is the lab.  We do Product Development.  With nearly 30 years of success, we know a little about it.  In the kitchen there is cooking.  In our lab we call it Product Development - with us as the master chefs that love making new “recipes” - to develop a new product for you.  Oh, and it takes a little more than 40 minutes in the oven to bring it out perfect 🙂

Fitting the Process

Design Example RockShox Forks
Examples of our work are seen on nearly every page of this website.  They are in the Product Design Slide Show, and the fiddly images placed for decoration.

Our job is to assist in creating and mutating ideas, then to think through the details (also called design).  We then challenge them with prototypes and testing to see how it goes.  That is how we learn, then we iterate (through the cycles) to perfection as we develop a new product for each customer.

Learning is a big deal in Product Development, with long reaching effects.  These are discussed in What is the Cost Of Change? and the follow-up, Optimizing The Design Process.

Using the kitchen metaphor, we have been cooking for a long time.  We know how to measure, what to mix - and, what not to mix.  We have been helping customers for a lot of years, so we very aware of potential pitfalls, hurdles and money wasters.  Knowing how to develop a new product comes with experience.

Case Studies - To Develop A New Product

How have we helped others?  From inventors to huge corporations, we have helped many folks move ideas through the various stages of Product Development and into production.  Of course there are so many to discuss, we can't show them all.

OK, here are a few Case Studies as samples:

Engineering in the Cycling Industry

Better Shifting For Bicycles

For years Synthesis did the design, engineering and product development of cycling components for WickWerks.  Starting with the realization that front shifting is a less developed area of bicycles, and improving it will make a better ride experience.

We created the technology for faster, better shifting chainrings, proved it in bike races including many World Cup wins.  We also created other new and innovative cycling products . . . like the Z-Rings, the Fit Link Adapter, the Juniors Solution, and the Sentinel (Dual-Side Chain Catcher) . . . all invented and developed here at Synthesis.

Learn more about how we develop a new product and our bicycle engineering efforts in this more complete Case Study:  Full Service Engineering.


License Plate Frames

Artistic Expression

Artistic appeal of a license plate frame easily masks the technical effort and innovation behind it.  This image shows just a few.  Synthesis provides much of the design, and engineering as we work with the team to develop a new product. This is product development where the art shines.  Read the full Case Study.

Eyes are easily pulled into the art and fun of the frames, while overlooking the blend of manufacturability, optical illusion, 3D effects, and legal limitations.  The elegance is in a careful blend of all the demands - because license plate frames represent much more than just a pretty decoration.


Develop a New Product Tiny House Trailer

Engineered Tiny House Trailer

When building a house, a solid foundation is paramount.  And, when the house must survive the rigors of towing, there is even more to consider while engineering the foundation.

The common method of just dropping the house on any old trailer is asking for trouble.  And, this becomes more important as the trailer gets longer.

Check out  Tiny House Trailer Design as a case study in product development and engineering with conflicting requirements.  Creativity is a key to success, because a lot that goes into designing a mobile foundation.  ( Plans are here if you want. )


Integrated Control Custom Machine

Custom Machines

Applications of product development go far beyond the consumer items we normally think of.  The same principles apply as we develop a new product like a Custom Machine for factory automation, and special tools for specific tasks.  While the quantities are usually small ( like 1 or 2 ), the process to build and successfully deploy specialty equipment are definitely product development.

To more fully illustrate, the Jigs, Fixtures and Custom Machines page gives (and shows) several examples while describing that portion of the Engineering Services we provide.


Develop A New Product With Synthesis

Develop A New Product for Bicycles
Yes, the process develop a new product is pretty natural.  So, why hire Synthesis to help?  There are 3 important reasons:

  1. Experience.

    We know the road because we have been there in a lot of industries for a lot of customers.  Of course, every time is different and every new product idea is unique, yet there are similarities.  Reliance on our experience gives you the edge with each new adventure.  One of our jobs is to assist in guiding you through potential pitfalls as you develop a new product.

  2. Knowledge.

    A close companion of experience is knowledge.  We all learn as we go, and we pay attention so we can bring greater knowledge and experience to each new customer and each new project.  In everything we do, we bring knowledge and experience to enhance your success.

  3. Cost.

    The single most constraining aspect of Product Development is cost.  While it is not cheap to develop a new product, or to prototype, or to manufacture new things, our experience will help in making good decisions along the way.  That is a big key to controlling cost.  See Experience and Knowledge above.  We will help you think through the cost options to find ways of minimizing this aspect of your journey.

Experience, Knowledge and Cost are closely connected in product development.  As noted in Approaching the Green Line it is a quest for the optimal path.  A good mix of Experience and Knowledge are keys to success with Cost and, more importantly, for successful product launch.

True, hiring engineering expertise like Synthesis is not cheap, so there better be a Return on the Investment.  That ROI comes with guidance around money and time sucking obstacles.  It also comes through acceleration to develop a new product and get it into production.

If our help gets you selling widgets 6 months earlier, that is a lot of revenue to justify hiring us.  Oh, and don't forget the jump you get with your customers - and, the jump on the market compared to your competitors.  That is more difficult to measure in dollars, but it is huge in company success.

Accelerate Your Product Development

Electrical / Mechanical Interface
Everything we have comes from nature or from some sort of manufacturing.  Sometimes in small ways like chopping vegetables for a salad, and often in much larger processes like producing a car.

The Product Development process is the method in which ideas transform into “things” to use, to sell, and to buy.  Classically, it is the process of taking ideas from concept to market, but to develop a new product is more too.

Synthesis is all about helping with product development - with many years of successful experience.  Whether on a small piece of the process in an Engineering Consulting role, or by assisting in the complete process from start to finish, That is what we do.

If Product Development is in your future, it is wise to get assistance with experience.  Working with Synthesis is one way to accomplish that as a Lever To Boost Your Bottom Line.

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