Materials and techniques play an important role in high-tech industries such as medical engineering and technical optics. In order to achieve the best results in the market, however, other factors are also coming into play. Successful product development is primarily customer-oriented and not based on a company’s capabilities. The magic word is balance: To find the right balance between a technically feasible concept, fulfilling needs and an economic viability.

Successful product development focuses on the customer

What sounds simple in theory is often a particular challenge in practical terms. It requires close collaboration of marketing, R & D, quality assurance and production. The marketing specialists have to be close to the customer and work in close coordination with sales. Customized product development is best achieved if loyal corporate clients can be involved in the project. This assumes that you (and not just the sales force) build up and maintain a good customer relationship.

Product development is an iterative process and requires continuous checking for plausibility and fine-tuning. Above all, product development is based on good research: an objective market analysis, the investigation of the needs of the target customers and their emotional reasons to buy. Equally important are the competitors and their behavior. A SWOT analysis helps to get a realistic overview of the company. The correct assessment of the research findings defines the development project. The technical criteria of the future product are recorded in the tender specifications which constitutes the basis for the subsequent acceptance and success of the product. The tender specifications have to compiled objectively, and with attention to detail. R & D develops forward-looking ideas and solutions via brainstorming and creative techniques. They examine technical possibilities and prepare appropriate performance specification. Any discrepancies between requirement specification and feature specification have to be resolved before commencing with the actual product development. Using systematic and methodological assessment methods (morphological box, value-of-use analysis, kanban), the best idea can be determined from previously developed solutions. This represents a first draft in the next step of product development and the start of launch preparations. At the same time, the functional model is tested. It is fine-tuned according to the tender specifications and finalized so that the finished product enables series production within budget.

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