Engineering Services – Product Development
“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 in bringing new products to market. Do any of these sound familiar?
When you browse at 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?
There’s a lot . . . design, prototyping, testing, manufacturing, packaging, etc . . . before it hits the shelf. The process is Product Development. Read This Article as an overview of the process and as a guide for those embarking on the journey. The essence is summed-up in this diagram.
The process 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).
It all starts with the New Idea. Coming up with the idea, configuring thoughts, challenging the thinking, then revisiting the ideas with new mutations until it’s 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 is 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’re following steps others show, and you know the sub-processes like measuring ingredients and mixing. Even if you’re 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’ve previously done to be successful.
That’s 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 it’s cooking. In our lab it’s Product Development — with us as the master chefs that love making new “recipes” for you. Oh, and it takes a little more than 40 minutes in the oven to bring it out perfect 🙂
Fitting the Process
Examples of our work are seen on nearly every page of this website. They’re 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’s how we learn, then we iterate (through the cycles) to perfection.
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’ve been cooking for a long time. We know how to measure, what to mix — and what not to mix. We’ve been helping customers for a lot of years, so we very aware of potential pitfalls, hurdles and money wasters. That comes with experience.
Case Studies and Examples
How have we helped others? From inventors to huge corporations, we’ve helped many folks move ideas through the various stages of Product Development and into production. Of course there are so many to discuss, yet here are a few Case Studies as samples:
Case Study: 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 in bike races including many World Cup wins. We also created other 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 our bicycle engineering efforts in the Case Study: Full Service Engineering.
Case Study: 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, engineering and product development so the art shines. Read the 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 the frames represent much more than just a pretty decoration.
Case Study: 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.
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. )
Case Study: Custom Machines
Applications of product development go far beyond the consumer items we normally think of. PD also includes Custom Machines 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 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.
Product Development with Synthesis
Yes, the process for Product Development is pretty natural. So, why hire Synthesis to help? There are 3 important reasons:
Experience.
We know the road because we’ve 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 an edge with each new adventure. One of our jobs is to assist in guiding you through potential pitfalls.
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.
Cost.
The single most constraining aspect of Product Development is cost. While it’s not cheap to develop, or to prototype, or to manufacture new products, our experience will help in making good decisions along the way. That’s a big key to controlling cost. See Experience and Knowledge above. We’ll help you think through the cost options to find ways of minimizing this aspect of your new development.
Experience, Knowledge and Cost are closely connected in product development. As noted in Approaching the Green Line it’s a quest for the optimal path. A good mix of Experience and Knowledge is key to success with Cost and, more importantly, for successful product launch.
It’s true, engineering services like Synthesis are 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 production. If our help gets you selling widgets 6 months earlier, that’s a lot of revenue to justify hiring us. Oh, and don’t forget the jump you get with your customers — and on your competitors. That is more difficult to measure in dollars, but it’s huge in company success.
Accelerate Your Product Development
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’s the process of taking ideas from concept to market, but it’s 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’s what we do.
If Product Development is in your future, it’s wise to get assistance with experience. Working with Synthesis is one way to accomplish that as a Lever To Boost Your Bottom Line.