Huw Millward

Barriers to successful new product development within small manufacturing companies

Purpose – The objective of the research is to identify and analyse the main barriers to new product development within small manufacturing companies.Design/methodology/approach – The study has employed a longitudinal case‐study methodology, which has focused on data gathering from three manufacturing companies that have undertaken new product development activities in‐house. The detailed case‐study material has been derived from project documentation and interviews with personnel at various technical and managerial levels.Findings – Three generic managerial issues that impinge on new product development are identified: the influence of a dominant owner/manager; a focus on time and cost ahead of other key factors; and a failure to understand the importance of product design.Research limitations/implications – Although the case studies are detailed, only three manufacturing companies are assessed. Future research should expand on the generic issues, increase the number of case‐study companies, and ideally i...

Enhancing the Design Capabilities of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Through Knowledge Transfer

The National Centre for Product Design & Development Research (PDR) has generated extensive case study material based on over 20 successful Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs). These KTP projects have concentrated on enhancing the design capabilities of a range of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in order to facilitate innovation and new product development. This paper highlights the opportunities for design and development within SMEs, and provides a rationale for knowledge transfer. PDRs research has identified four issues that characterize design challenges within SMEs: (i) the impact of the owner-manager; (ii) the resource-constrained environment; (iii) the need for an effective design process; and (iv) promoting a company vision for innovation and change. The paper employs twelve exemplar KTP case studies (three in each of these four areas) to fully define these issues and draw conclusions with regard to a framework for effective product design within SMEs.

Challenges in Implementing Design-Led Technologies in Small Manufacturing Companies.

This paper examines some of the challenges of implementing design-led technologies, such as computer-aided design (CAD), in the context of small manufacturing companies. The research is based on university-company collaborations in the UK using the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) model, and the paper adopts a case-study approach based on three such partnerships. The authors assess the operational impact of design-led technologies in three key areas: lead times, project costs and product quality. The general design-based challenges are evaluated by examining the management and new product development culture in small manufacturing companies.

A generation of more efficient CNC tool paths using simulation modelling

This work presents new two-phase optimisation strategy for efficient planning of finishing end-milling operations when machining pocket-type features. The novel optimisation approach incorporates the design tolerance into an error stack that relates directly to the CAD/CAM output. The optimisation mechanism controls dimensional tolerances through knowledge of cutting forces and the associated cutting tool deflections. The new off-line optimisation methodology creates a more efficient milling process with variable feed rate than conventional constant feed rate.

A novel approach to sterile pharmaceutical freeze-drying.

Abstract A novel approach has been developed that enables sterile pharmaceutical products to be freeze-dried in the open laboratory without specialist facilities. The product is filled into vials, semi-stoppered and sealed inside one, followed by a second, sterilization pouch under class 100 conditions. The product is then freeze-dried in the laboratory where the vials are shelf-stoppered before being returned to class 100, unwrapped and crimped. The sterilization pouches increased the resistance to water vapor movement during sublimation, thereby increasing the sublimation time and product temperature. Ovine immunoglobulins were double wrapped and lyophilized (as above) adjusting the primary drying time and shelf temperature for increased product temperature and, therefore, prevention of collapse. Ovine immunoglobulin G formulations freeze-dried to ≤1.1% residual moisture with no effect on protein aggregation or biological activity. The process was simulated with tryptone soya broth and no growth of contaminating microbial cells was observed after incubation at 35 °C for 2 weeks. Although increasing lyophilization time, this approach offers significant plant and validation cost savings when sterile freeze-drying small numbers of vials thereby making the manufacture of treatments for neglected and orphan diseases more viable economically.

A case study of flexible tooling solutions for a small healthcare company

Performance Health Products Ltd is a small healthcare company that specialises in the design and development of posture management products that can be customised to the specific needs of the end user. The company formed a collaboration with The National Centre for Product Design and Development Research to develop an injection-moulded version of their AXXIS backrest system. This paper employs a case-study methodology to examine how flexible tooling solutions can drive rapid product development in the small company context. Customisation of the companys product has been matched by agility within the overall development and manufacturing process. The case-study shows that flexible tooling solutions provide a balanced development strategy, that risk management is a key element during the initial tooling development, and that cost reduction and time compression can be achieved through the use of reconfigurable tooling, high-speed machining techniques and advanced cutter technology.

Proof of Concept: Containment Systems that Prevent Freeze-Dryer Contamination When Lyophilizing Escherichia coli (JM 109)

This study describes the use of containment systems to prevent escape of microorganisms during lyophilization, thereby avoiding contamination of freeze-drying equipment. Cultures of Escherichia coli (JM 109) of an approximate cell concentration of 109 cfu/mL were suspended in 0.9% saline, aseptically dispensed into vials, double-wrapped in either medical-grade paper or Tyvek sterilization pouches and freeze-dried. An intentional collapse phenomenon was observed during the freeze-drying process, ejecting debris and aerosols from the vials, thus representing a worst-case challenge for containment. Following freeze drying, the layers of the pouches were tested for microbial contamination using 3 M Clean-Trace surface ATP analyzer swabs, surface swabs, and tryptone soya agar contact plates. The paper and Tyvek pouches were able to contain a maximum cell concentration of 1 × 106 cfu/mL of E. coli recovered from ejected debris. Some penetration through the first paper pouch layer was observed (although not Tyvek); however, this was successfully retained by the second, outer layer preventing contamination of the lyophilization apparatus and laboratory environment.

The relationship between technology management and product development boundaries in small and medium-sized enterprises

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are in a prime position to develop new products due to their close relationships with customers, suppliers and competitors. The new product development (NPD) process is interdisciplinary in nature, typically covering early concept design, detailed engineering and high-volume manufacture. This paper examines how technology management in SMEs can overcome the boundaries inherent across these product development disciplines, and thereby refine and accelerate the whole process. The National Centre for Product Design & Development Research (PDR) have employed government-backed Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) to establish two-year collaborative projects with SMEs who are undertaking NPD activities, and this research study employs a case-study methodology based on 15 KTPs that have been successfully completed over the last eight years. The case studies represent a diverse range of SMEs operating across numerous sectors, implementing an equally diverse range of technology. Analysis of these case studies assesses the impact of the product development activities and maps out the interactions between the technology and the management systems for each company. The results highlight the key technology management drivers, which in turn are related to overcoming the main barriers to NPD. Recommendations are made for enhancing technology management for NPD activities within SMEs.