Product Development
When it comes to trading and logistical excellence, the Netherlands have a pretty stellar track record. Out of the 155 countries studied by The World Bank in 2010, the Netherlands was rated third for logistics competence and quality, second for logistics infrastructure and fourth for its customs environment. And although the Netherlands makes up 0.25% [...]
The ability to effectively manage production and customer drawings, engineering specs and quality documents is important for all manufacturers, but for companies that build engineer-to-order (ETO) products it is especially critical. Companies who create ETO products work to meet customer requirements, which can sometimes seem like a moving target throughout production. For these companies, tracking [...]
Recently, we’ve been taking a new approach to product development at Arena. Traditionally, our main goal in developing new product features was to go-live with well-architected, fully-designed and ready-for-use products. While this approach has worked well for us over the years, changes in software development and delivery have got us thinking a little bit differently. [...]
For most companies, manufacturing changes begin when an issue is identified on the manufacturing floor and end when a solution is implemented into a product’s design. But there are a million ways to manage what happens in between—and how you navigate this gray area can either help you or hold you back. To ensure that [...]
We frequently hear about organizations that rely on the “old” way of doing things to avoid the perceived risks and costs of implementing a new system. But when it comes to managing your product data, maintaining the status quo can cost you in the long run, while the risk of evaluating and embracing new systems [...]
How do small and mid-size manufacturing companies operate today? And do these firms anticipate growth over the next five years? Last December more than 200 small to mid-size manufacturing firms (thank you!) participated in the Arena Product Development Survey. The respondents represent a range of industries—high-tech electronics, medical device and diagnostics, automotive supply chain and [...]
A recent Harvard Business Review (HBR) blog post makes the case for experimentation as a key part of the product development process. Authors H. James Wilson and Kevin Desouza cite a December 2010 Babson Executive Education survey of 149 senior executives, in which 51% of respondents say that “experimentation is now their organization’s preferred approach [...]
The economic downturn disrupted the supply of electronic components, leaving a supply chain with fewer players, each of whom has diminished capacity. This is putting serious strain on the manufacturers trying to build and launch new products quickly. My post this summer about the limited availability of tantalum capacitors was based on conversations with small [...]
We often meet small and mid-size manufacturers when they’re in the midst of a growth stage—and the processes they’ve created on the fly are no longer good enough to keep product development running smoothly. While the engineering change process is one of the first places most of them want to add more structure, we typically [...]
I have recently been talking to people in small and mid-size businesses about their goals for this year and the challenges they face. New product development is on many companies’ list of goals, but blocking it—the supply of parts. I expected to hear about delays from suppliers or contract manufacturers (CMs) who reduced capacity during [...]
