HOW TO AVOID COMMON PITFALLS WITH NPD PROJECTS

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Looking back on his own work, Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Though Edison’s logic still rings true today, the difference is that all of the trial and error doesn’t fall on your shoulders. By identifying the common pitfalls of new product development (NPD) projects and understanding where other companies have failed in the past, you can avoid making the same mistakes and find success with your project.

Give Due Diligence to the Discovery Phase

Oftentimes, manufacturers are so eager to get a product to market that they rush through the initial stages and move right into design. This is a major mistake that companies need to avoid whether they’re managing the project in-house or working with an external manufacturing partner. Overlooking the crucial questions can result in a cycle of endless redesign1 that costs time (recurring meetings/ regroups) and money (delayed production). 

How exactly does the product need to look and feel once it’s manufactured? Is it a customer-facing product that will require cosmetic finishing? When does production need to be completed by? These are just some of the many questions that need to be answered early on. 

It is during these discussions that a manufacturing partner can also point out various time-saving and cost-saving opportunities to the client. For example, at Vollrath® Manufacturing Services (VMS), we are able to use products or manufacturing processes from our other divisions to help clients save time and money on their projects. There are many times when we already make a part that either meets a client’s specifications or is a very close match that requires just minor adjustments. This is one of the ways in which we can minimize tooling investment, reduce the cost of parts and accelerate the manufacturing process for a number of projects.

Robert Krickeberg, lead project manager at VMS, emphasizes the importance of client-vendor communication in the discovery phase:

“This is when we can go back to the client and tell them, for example, that we already have an existing powerboard very similar to what they were looking for. With just some minor adjustments, we can skip all of the preliminary design work and ultimately, greatly reduce the cost of developing the end product. This is something that we know is crucial because we’re an OEM ourselves. So we’re always conscious of a rapidly changing market and the value of accelerating production without cutting any corners.”
ROBERT KRICKEBERG, LEAD PROJECT MANAGER AT VOLLRATH® MANUFACTURING SERVICES

Follow an Established Process To Stay on Track

With NPD projects, the distance between the starting line and the finish line involves many twists and turns that require a clear strategy to successfully navigate. Otherwise, it’s almost inevitable for something to get lost in translation along the way. Many manufacturers try to spearhead these projects themselves, only to find that they’re in over their heads with choosing the right materials, ensuring manufacturability, controlling costs and much more.

There must be an established process for both accountability and quality assurance purposes. Such a process will include various checks and balances to ensure all requirements are met before moving to the next phase.

This is where many companies encounter delays and setbacks. They either don’t have dedicated project managers in-house to efficiently manage the project, or they’re working with a partner that fails to establish and follow a clearly defined process. 

At VMS, we follow a proprietary process for all NPD projects. This gated process ensures that all of our teams remain fully aligned throughout the course of the project. It also ensures that we stay in close contact with our clients and communicate with them while developing the project. 

Krickeberg elaborates further on this process and how it impacts the results for every project:

“The process starts with a preliminary project review to ensure that all specifications have been met. Part of the review process will also include a DFM/DFA evaluation. Then it moves into PPAP (production part approval process) where we’ll run the part off the final tool and share the results with the customer. Once we’ve completed any necessary modifications and have received approval, we’re then ready to go into production. It’s a very clear and organized process to ensure that by the time we’re in production, we’ve really done our due diligence to create a manufacturable, cost-efficient and quality product.” 
ROBERT KRICKEBERG, LEAD PROJECT MANAGER AT VOLLRATH® MANUFACTURING SERVICES

Be Selective With Your Manufacturing Partner

If you could pick five words to describe your end product, what would they be? Many times, the ideal traits you see in your product are the same traits you should look for in a manufacturing partner. For example, if you were to describe your product as “bold,” you likely wouldn’t want to partner with a company that typically manufactures the same type of product and little else. Instead, you’d want to work with a more versatile, diversified company that can be as bold in the design and manufacturing as you are in your vision.

These are the kinds of opportunities that Krickeberg loves to encounter as a project manager:

“We get some pretty wild requests in terms of how clients would like us to adapt one of our existing products from our other divisions. Take, for example, a deep-drawn pot that seems like it would be limited to just the foodservice industry. But at its core, the pot is essentially a shell that can store just about anything and can even be vacuumsealed. So just because you have something like a pot in front of you, that doesn’t mean the same materials and concepts can’t be used to create something else.”
ROBERT KRICKEBERG, LEAD PROJECT MANAGER AT VOLLRATH® MANUFACTURING SERVICES

When seeking a manufacturing partner, you should also take a mental note of how many questions the company asks upfront. A reputable partner will take the time to understand the specifics of your project and determine whether they can reliably meet your expectations. Some companies will simply say “yes” to everything and then realize down the road that they don’t have the expertise or bandwidth to do the job right. Unfortunately, this is after you have already invested a great deal of time and money into a project that has now reached a standstill.

Here are some other questions to ask before choosing a manufacturing partner for your NPD project:

Are they leveraging any sort of purchasing power to help us save on the cost of materials? Do they have existing parts that we can utilize to save time and money on the project?

• Do they have a dedicated point of contact or project manager assigned to each project?

• Are they looking to build a long-term relationship with our business or are they just looking for a quick transaction?

• Are they domestic or overseas?

• Do they have an established process in place that they can tailor to our needs?

As an OEM Ourselves, We Understand Your Challenges

In addition to our custom manufacturing services, we manufacture our own product line under other divisions. This means that we know the various challenges and concerns our clients face because we face them ourselves. Krickeberg discusses the overlap between both companies and how it benefits VMS projects:

“The teams managing VMS projects are also the same teams manufacturing the products for our other divisions. Because our internal teams manage both sides, they know exactly what it means to not only design a product, but to also produce it and sell it. So even though you’re choosing VMS as a manufacturing partner, you’re also working with a company that understands the challenges of marketing and selling a product and how high those stakes really are.” 
ROBERT KRICKEBERG, LEAD PROJECT MANAGER AT VOLLRATH® MANUFACTURING SERVICES

When it comes to NPD projects, it is as valuable to know the steps to avoid as much as the steps to take. By dedicating the necessary time to the discovery phase, following an established process and choosing the right manufacturing partner, you can avoid the common pitfalls and reap the rewards of a smooth product launch.

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