New Product Development process in manufacturing: 11 stages

You will learn in this post about the new product development process and various methods to complete the product. I explain the 11 stages of the new product development process.

This is applicable for electrical and electronics products, but is also useful for other types of products.

These 11 stages of new product development are based on the experience of the author in developing a number of new products.

Stages of the new product development process

The following 11 stages of the new product development process:

• New product selection
• To understand our design capability
• Technoeconomic study
• Lab model
• Production planning
• Issue of production documents
• Manufacturing or 1 or 2-number product
• Type testing
• Modification
• Field trial
• Make more products, test in many fields, and declare as a proven design

Now I explain in detail all 11 stages of the new product development process.

New product selection – Stage 1

The first is the first stage of the 11 stages of the new product development process.

We must decide about the new product, we want to do development. Even many times, our final objective is to bring the new product to the market and sell it. But there may be other reasons for developing new products.

We decided about the new product according to the following points:

• Demand in the market
• More economical version of the available product
• Made in India object
• What is needed
• Needed for own use. This is to use this new product in some other big product or some other use, like testing or learning, etc.
• Learning new technology. This is helpful if we want to import technology. So we can negotiate better terms if we know about the product.

Product design capability, can we make it – Stage 2

Even if we decide on a possible new product, we must make sure that we can make it somehow. There is no use in starting to develop a new product which is difficult to make.

So we check the following points before tasking the final decision to make a new product.

• Available expertise, knowledge (In-company)
• Talents and capabilities of the available engineers.
• Availability of the facilities within the company or outside.
• Fund available

Techno-economic study – stage 3

Then we do a techno-economic study for product development as follows

• Techno economical study of the new product
• Technically feasibility
• Profitable to the company and its financial implications

If everything is OK, then go ahead.

Now the product leader and team are formed. The team starts working

Stages of New Product Development – Lab model, Stage 4

In this stage, first, we make a lab model of the product. This is to check the working of the concept of the design. There are the following activities in this stage.

• Product design on paper
• Simulation if any
• Assembly
• Testing

If the team successfully develops and makes the product work in the lab, and does testing. Then we go ahead to the next stages of the new product development.

A large percentage of lab-working products fail at a later stage and are closed. The reasons for this failure is discussed in the last part of this article.

New product development stage 5 – manufacturing of a commercial product

Now we make the list of components required for making the product for this stage of the 11 stages of the new product development process.

There may be two types of materials.

1 – Components that can be manufactured in the company

For this kind of material or components, we make detailed manufacturing and testing information for all the materials.

2 – Components to be bought from the market

For these kinds of materials or components, we make detailed purchase documents for each item (even for a screw).

The list of documents for the components to be purchased from outside is as follows:

• Drawings
• Technical specification
• Applicable IS standard
• Testing methods to check components
• List of the Vendors (supplier or manufacturer)

Sometimes there may not be any supplier of a few components. In that case, we work with the supplier and help them to manufacture the components.

Stage 6 – List of production documents

Now, in this stage of the 11 stages of the new product development, we make the necessary documentation to manufacture the equipment or product within the company. A few examples of such documents are as follows:

• Testing on purchased material
• Assembly drawings
• Wiring or connection diagram  
• Detail in-house testing, etc

Stage 7 of the 11 stages of new product development

We make 1 or 2 products or pieces of equipment as per the above documents. This should be done by the production department and not in the lab.

Further, we also apply for a patent for the new product to the patent office if applicable and necessary. This is to protect the business of the company. If we do not apply for a patent, then someone else may apply for the patent.

Stage 8 of the 11 stages of the new product development

Now we need to do type tests of the product to meet various standards. Many of these types of tests may be required to be done by outside national or international agencies. This required too much effort, time, funds, and knowledge.

Then the test certificate we get from such agencies will help to prove the quality of the product.

Stage 9 of the new product

Then, after performing type tests at various agencies, we may need a few modifications in the product based on the tests. We modify the design and documents both.

Then we do type tests again if necessary.

Stage 10 – Field trial of new product

 For the field trial, we can install a few products at some place, preferably at a customer site. Then we will observe the proper working of the product for a few months.

If everything is OK, then we say that the product has been successfully developed. But this is still not a proven design product.

Stage 11 – Proven design and successful launch of the product

More products are made and installed at various places. Observations are made.

All should work properly for a few months. Then, only the product is declared successfully developed and proven.

Industry Insight: Beyond the textbook

Why did product development fail?

When we develop a new product, it may also fail during some stages of the new product development. This may be due to many reasons. A few causes of product development failure are as follows:

1 – Field trial conditions are different than assumed –

We test out the product in the lab for limited functions. We may not consider all design requirements during the design stage.

For example, If we make a DC power supply and test it for a resistor load. But in actual conditions, there may also be a capacitor load. And our product may not work for a capacitor load.

Further, many times there will be a functional failure and damage due to the high electrical and magnetic noise in the electrical system in actual field working conditions.

2 – Design reliability problem

I will give an example related to my design of a new product.

I designed an electronic module during the initial stage of my job. That electronic module worked properly in the lab.

However, when the production department made 10 numbers of the product, then most of them failed during testing. A BJT transistor was burning out.

This failure was due to a lack of experience and knowledge at that time during the design stages of the new product development. However, this failure changed my way of thinking about design. And failure was never repeated in any new product design in the next few decades.

3 – Customer requirement change after commissioning

One of the very big and expensive power system products was not working, as the customer could not supply the necessary electrical supply system of agreed system short circuit level. The system short circuit level of the electrical system was much less than agreed upon. This was creating instability and overvoltage.

Even if it is not the designer’s fault, and hardly anything can be done. But it is certainly not a welcome condition.

4 – Ambient condition

Many times product fails due to the different ambient conditions that is designed for (or not considered at all during the design stage due to lack of experience).

These kinds of failures may be related to high ambient temperature, moisture in the air, salt (like the near sea), vibration (like on a train), high wind (for outdoor equipment), protection class, improper cooling of the equipment, etc.

5 – Failure during type test – Noise

Many pieces of equipment do not pass the type test for EMC testing for noise (for electrical and magnetic noise) at external testing agencies. They may also fail during the protection class tests for water and dust.

6 – Unknown reason for failure

Sometimes the equipment fails for a totally new reason not known to us (due to a lack of knowledge at the design stage).

During the testing of a special design CT for a short circuit test, the CT looked good. However, the testing agency cut the core to check the inside of the core. This is to see whether the orientation of the grain particle inside the iron core of the CT got disturbed or not.

“A failure in the design of a new product during the initial stage of our profession is an opportunity to learn more and not a disappointment”. ─ G K Agrawal Retd. Sr DGM, BHEL

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For a detailed understanding, watch the video:

I hope that you enjoyed the article on the new product development process with 11 stages.

Further, read an article on electrical equipment on how to use open-circuit CT transformers.

Continue reading about the power factor.

Further, read AC or DC, which is more dangerous.