Description
NEW PRODUCTS have been a source of fascination and excitement since the beginning of the age of mass production. Today, superiority in product development- moving new product concepts from R&D to design and engineering to production and into the marketplace with speed and efficiency is the hallmark of many of the world's most successful companies and a key source of competitive advantage.
Until now, however, little attention has been given to the subject of product development. Most analyses of global competition have focused instead on issues of productivity and quality in manufacturing. This book is the culmination of six years of research on how manufacturing firms around the world approach the development of new products. It explores the impact of strategy, organization, and management on this critical business activity.
Drawing on their study of twenty automobile manufacturers in Europe, Japan, and North America, the authors of Product Development Performance identify the strategies, practices, and capabilities that create superior performance in lead time, engineering productivity, and total product quality. The auto industry is an ideal model for studying product development for it is a microcosm of industrial competition in the 1990s-the companies are diverse, the products and technologies are complex, the customers are sophisticated, and competition is global and intense. From their research, Clark and Fujimoto distill the lessons of superior product development and relate them to other industries.
Product Development Performance reveals the pattern of development that leads to consistent success. Managers will learn how to forge the critical links between customers and the details of product design. They will also better understand the power of product integrity and the critical role of leadership in the entire development process. Above all, readers will appreciate the importance of integrating product development with corporate strategy to create long-term competitive advantage.
ISBN:9780875842455
