Managers and business theorists have long talked and written about the importance of networking with customers, integrating with partners, and outsourcing with suppliers as key strategies for achieving long‐term success in the globalized marketplace. Now, it seems that there is concrete...

Rapid prototyping (RP) technology has undoubtedly had a major impact on the manufacturing industry in the UK and throughout the world. There are now nearly 6,800 machines, worldwide, and in the year 2000 these produced a staggering three million models and prototype parts. This is a huge number...

By enabling the more effective transfer and application of knowledge, knowledge management solutions can undoubtedly enhance business performance – no more so than when effectively applied to the world of product innovation. The potential of such systems is highlighted by studies that show...

While time to market was the most critical measure of performance in product development throughout the 1990s, the recent economic downturn has caused a shift in priorities. Today, lowering product development costs is the key focus. To this end, companies are looking for ways to improve R&D and...

Design and manufacturing technology has advanced rapidly over the past 20 years, and the increasing pace of change shows no sign of letting up. In that time CAD/CAM and 3D modelling has become an almost universally adopted tool, rapid prototyping technology has emerged and become commonly...

One of the key strategies applied by most manufacturers over the past few decades has been the aim of decreasing production costs, improving quality and shortening time to market. In this respect, the technique of Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) has proved essential for improving the...

When it comes to Innovation, there are few certainties. However, two factors that are increasingly accepted, are that innovation is vital for business growth, but that the innovation process in most companies is poor.

When it comes to product development, all companies are increasingly being faced by the need to radically reduce new product failure rates, while at the same time deliver new products to market much faster. This dilemma is most obvious in the consumer market, which now has an insatiable appetite...

Rapid prototyping (RP) technology, the physical modeling of a design using digitally driven additive processes is having, and will continue to have, a major impact on manufacturing industry and the way products are modeled, prototyped, tooled and even manufactured.

Discussing the research and development strategy of Hewlett Packard, senior vice president of research, Dick Lampman, recently said: “Ultimately the responsibility of R&D is to generate profitable growth for the company. For the customer, the test is about how we create value for them – why...