Integration in new product development: Case study in a large Brazilian high-technology company

Proficiency in management activities undertaken in product development processes is regarded as a key competitive advantage for companies, particularly for high-tech industrial firms, which benefit from the important competitiveness factor of launching products with a differentiated technological content. This paper's objective was to identify, through case study, practices for integration between the roles of R & D with others involved in product development in a large Brazilian company of industrial automation. The results suggest some management practices to improve the integration in new products development, such as the use of employees from marketing with knowledge and experience previously gained from R & D activities and uses the heavyweight product manager to solve synchronization problems between product and technology development. © Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Facultad de Economía y Negocios.

Integration practices for the technological innovation of products: Case studies at two large technological companies

Studies on innovation and technology management have emphasized the importance of integration between the research and development (R&D) department and others involved with the product development process (PDP) as a relevant practice for the good performance of technological innovation of product activities. This study addresses the topic of transfers of technologies to new product projects and also integration practices between the R&D department and others involved with the PDP. A qualitative study was conducted that was operationalized through two case studies at large high-tech companies: One is Brazilian and the other is a multinational subsidiary in Brazil. Among its main result, this paper represents and analyzes management practices that are favorable to integration in product development projects that demand development and transfer of technologies, such as: participation of R&D personnel in market activities, the adoption of virtual interaction mechanisms, and the application of methods such as technology roadmaps. © Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Facultad de Economía y Negocios.

Inovação no desenvolvimento de produtos em cluster industrial: Práticas do setor moveleiro de votuporanga

It is notorious that the cluster formation is a possibility for micro, small and medium companies to become more competitive. This research therefore aims to analyze leading practices for product innovation in companies belonging to the cluster of Votuporanga, which is the largest furniture industry in production and exporting of São Paulo state. Therefore, we conducted a survey research and data were collected from 61 furniture companies in the region of Votuporanga-SP. Among the main results it is observed that the incremental innovation of products is a central characteristic between the companies in cluster and there is little collaboration for the joint development of products from these companies with external agents such as research institutes, universities and even suppliers.

Padronização e melhoria de processos produtivos em empresas de panificação: estudo de múltiplos casos

An important tool for organizational change is the standardization of procedures for developing standards so that companies have greater control, thus providing a broad view of their processes and needs. This paper presents and analyzes a model of standard processes developed by the bakeries in PROPAN (Support Programme Bakery), detailing each stage of deployment to evaluate both its benefits for companies and employees and its shortcomings, to make proposals for improvements. Five bakeries were selected for this multi-case study, whose methodology consists of qualitative research using semi-structured interviews, on-site observations and document analysis. The main positive points of the model are the possibility of standardized recipes and procedures, a large decrease in wasted raw material and a significant increase in worker productivity. The main challenges are the lack of employee and owner commitment to the project, the lack of materials needed for deployment and the resistance of employees to change.

Product-portfolio management: A framework based on Methods, Organization, and Strategy

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Diagnóstico do nível de maturidade do processo de desenvolvimento de produtos: um estudo de caso em empresa calçadista

The process of product development (PPD) is a strategic factor in which companies seek to identify consumer needs. The relationship of the practices adopted, tools, techniques, among others, can determinate the maturity level of the company in this process. The purpose of this paper is to understand and diagnose the level of maturity of the PDP in footwear segment industry. For the case study, a company inserted into one of the largest poles of women’s footwear in Brazil, located in Jaú, São Paulo State, was researched. The diagnosis is based on the maturity levels of the unified model, reference in the process of product development, proposed by Rozenfeld et al. (2006). The application of the model assisted to diagnose the current maturity level of the company in this process, providing useful information to achieve higher levels of maturity in the PDP.

Green product development and performance of Brazilian firms: measuring the role of human and technical aspects

The goal of this study is to present and test a conceptual framework that describes the technical aspects (TA), human/organizational aspects (HOA) of the adoption of green product development (GPD) practices and the effect of these practices on firms'environmental (EP), operational (OP) and market performance (MP). To this end, after reviewing the literature on these themes, a conceptual framework with 5 hypotheses is proposed. These hypotheses were tested on 62 Brazilian companies through structural equation modeling using SmartPLS 2.0M3. The main results of this study are as follows: (a) in general, the proposed framework obtained adequate goodness of fit statistics (GoF); (b) technological factors are shown to have an influence on the adoption of GPD practices, and those practices are related to company EP, OP and MP, thus confirming 4 hypotheses of the study; and (c) one of the study's hypotheses is not validated, indicating that the relationship of human/organizational aspects to GPD must be further analyzed. This work extends the literature because: (a) the conceptual framework tested in this study establishes several concepts that have been only partially tested in the previous literature; (b) this work presents evidence about Brazil, where the themes addressed herein have not been yet been thoroughly investigated; and (c) the non-validation of the hypothesis regarding the relationship between human/ organizational aspects with respect to the adoption of product-related environmental practices requires attention. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of maturity levels in the management of product development: case studies in the capital goods industry

In recent approaches to the management of product development process (PDP), maturity levels have attracted the attention of practitioners and researchers. The CMMI model contributes to evaluate the maturity levels and improvement of the product development process management. This paper, based on CMMI model, analyzes the practices adopted in two companies of the capital goods industry, which develop and manufacture equipment upon request. It was observed that on account of market conditioning factors and different practices adapted to PDP management, these companies are at different maturity levels. One company is at the initial level of maturity while the other at the most advanced one. It was also noted that the application of CMMI model can provide improvement to PDP management, as well as present guidelines to achieve higher maturity levels, adequate to companies' needs.

Inovação tecnológica em projetos de novos produtos: um estudo exploratório sobre relações gerenciais de integração entre unidades de uma multinacional

Although thetopic of integrationin product development is widely debated in the literature, there are few studies that address the participation by subsidiaries of multinational and R & D centers around the world in development projects of new products. Focusing on the perception of the Brazilian unit, this paper aims to present and analyze integration practices among subsidiaries, headquarters and R&D centers in product development projects in amultinational high tech company. For this purpose, was conducted an exploratory and qualitative researched operationalized by case study. Among the main results, it was noted collaboration betweenlocals marketing and engineering with the R & D centers, important role of senior management in the Brazilian unit to communicate outcomes of the strategic planning of products andtechnologies established by the headquarters to the subsidiary, the adoption of technological and information mechanisms and the application of methods such as technology roadmap.

Open innovation and user s involvement in new product development: a case study in the automotive sector

Innovation is an essential factor for obtaining competitive advantages. The search for external knowledge sources for product creation, which can contribute to the innovation process, has become a constant among companies, and users play an important role in this search. In this study, we aimed to analyze user’s involvement in the product development process based on open innovation concepts. We used the unique case study research method. This study was carried out in an automotive company that has developed a project of a concept car involving user’s through the Web 2.0. With such scope, the research demonstrates that users can contribute not only with generation of ideas but also with the innovation process itself.

New product development in brazilian technology-based small and medium enterprises

This article examines new product development (NPD) in small and medium-sized Brazilian enterprises (SMEs) in two technology-based industries: medical devices and process control automation devices. A conceptual model that categorizes factors that contribute to the success of a new product was established. The data were collected from a sample of 62 Brazilian SMEs. The conceptual model was tested to examine the relationships between NPD practices and new product success. Data analysis reveals that new product success in medical device companies is related to organizational characteristics such as NPD proficiency and marketing skills; while in process control automation device companies, they deal in a large degree with product differentiation, innovation and capability to analyze the targeted market. Due to the relatively small sample size, caution should be exercised when interpreting the results.

Gestão de portfólio de produtos: práticas adotadas por uma empresa de base tecnológica de médio porte localizada na cidade de São Carlos, SP

In the context of the product development process (PDP), portfolio management plays an important role by determing the set of products that a company uses to compete. Due to its characteristics, performing continuous technological forecasting activities for developing and transferring technologies to their products through the PDP, this tends to make portfolio management a complex activity for products at these companies. This paper’s objective was to identify practices for product portfolio management in a medium-sized technology-based firm located in São Carlos, SP. Qualitative research was used and it was operationalized through a case study. Among the main results, it was noted that decisions on product portfolio depend mainly on the perception of senior management and the financial analyzes constitute the main method used for supporting the decision.

Innovation in industrial clusters: a survey of footwear companies in Brazil

The aim of this study is to characterize the relationships in innovation and business clustering processes in the productive chain of small and medium enterprises (SME) of Brazil. The object of study are SMEs the local procuctive cluster of the shoes in Franca, State of São Paulo. The conceptual model developed is based on the following constructs: vertical integration, innovation and characteristics of the cluster, and it is focused on identifying the agents that act predominantly in product innovation processes in the cluster. A survey was conducted. It was found that there is cooperation between the companies in the productive arrangement studied, and that shoe manufacturers are those who, predominantly, stimulate innovation within the cluster.

Gestão de portfólio de produtos em pequenas empresas de base tecnológica

The product portfólio management is considered relevant activity to the proper performance of the product development process. This paper aims to present the main methods of management that technology-based small businesses adopt for decision-making in product portfolio. This survey, which collected data on 31 companies was conducted. It was observed that although firms adopt market research and mapping methods and financial methods and for this decision-making, most of them based on the informal deliberations of senior management. Unable to understand the business relationships between the presence of ISO 9001 certification with greater formalization for decision making in product portfolio.

Métodos para a tomada de decisão em portfólio de produtos: um levantamento em empresas dos setores eletrônico, óptico e de informática

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)