A presente pesquisa procurou aperfeiçoar os conhecimentos no que se refere à gestão do desenvolvimento de novos produtos no segmento de componentes da indústria de materiais de construção. Não obstante a vasta literatura sobre a gestão do desenvolvimento de produtos, ainda existe uma lacuna no que diz respeito a este tema no setor. Procurou-se, então, identificar o grau de formalização, as etapas e as características da gestão do desenvolvimento de produtos na indústria de materiais de construção, como também as convergências e divergências entre os casos práticos e a literatura levantada. O desdobramento teórico desta pesquisa teve por base uma compilação dos principais modelos de gestão do processo de criação, como também do mapeamento do setor da indústria de materiais de construção. Por sua vez, o desenvolvimento empírico amparou-se na pesquisa qualitativa, predominantemente exploratória, baseada na técnica de estudo de casos múltiplos, contando com uma amostra de quatro empresas: Perflex, Deca, Cecrisa e Tigre. Verificou-se que existe um razoável nível de aderência entre o que preconiza a literatura e o que de fato acontece nas empresas pesquisadas, todavia, existem algumas contribuições relevantes que podem ser consideradas. Observou-se que nesse setor industrial os projetos derivativos são predominantes, com grande direcionamento para projetos topológicos; que o processo de captação de idéias realizado pela Cecrisa e pela Tigre diferenciase das demais empresas, obtendo as mais diferentes informações; que na etapa de desenvolvimento do conceito do produto a Cecrisa sobressai por inserir depoimentos de especialistas sobre a imagem da linha e a atualidade da idéia, o que poderá ser utilizado nas suas peças promocionais. Destaca-se, ainda, na montagem do produto, pois o faz em etapas iniciais, utilizando a matéria-prima e o processo produtivo finais. E a Deca, Cecrisa e Tigre realizam o lançamento interno do produto, distinguindo-se pela forma como é feito, e por não ter sido encontrado nenhum caso na literatura que inclua essa etapa no processo. É importante ressaltar a falta de aplicação de alguns critérios de Clark e Wheelwright (1993) nas empresas estudadas. Estas se diferenciam bastante das empresas utilizadas na pesquisa dos autores citados, pois são empresas pequenas com distâncias hierárquicas menores, onde acontecem constantemente reuniões formais e encontros informais para discussões e esclarecimentos sobre projetos. Com este estudo foi possível conhecer a realidade das indústrias de materiais de construção, a qual não se encontra em más condições, pelo contrário, está atualizada com os novos conceitos que envolvem o tema deste trabalho, gestão do desenvolvimento de novos produtos, com um processo e uma estrutura formal e organizada. / This study tries to improve the knowledge of the management of new products development in the industry of construction materials. Despite the vast literature on the management of the development of the products, there is still a gap in this subject related to the sector. For this reason, this study also tries to identify the degree of formalization, the phases and the characteristics of the management of the products in the industry of construction material, as well as the convergences and divergences between the practical cases and the literature studied. The empirical development of this research was based upon the compilation of the chief models of management of the process of creation, as well as the mapping of the sector of the industry of construction materials. In its turn, the empirical development had as its base a qualitative, prevailingly exploratory, research, based on the technique of study of multiple cases, counting on a sample of four companies: Perflex, Deca, Cecrisa and Tigre. It was verified that there is a reasonable degree of disparity between what the relevant literature states and what it is done in the target companies; nevertheless, there are some excellent contributions that can be taken into consideration. It was noticed that in this industrial sector derivative projects prevail, many oriented to topological projects; that the process of capture of ideas and information carried out by Cecrisa and by Tigre is different from that of the other companies, getting the most varied information; that in the face of the conceptual development of the product Cecrisa stands out for inserting testimonials of experts on the image of the line and the up-dated character of the idea, which may be used in the advertising pieces. It also stands out in the assembling of the products for doing it in the initial phases using raw material and the final productive process. Deca, Cecrisa and Tigre make the internal launching of the product, differing from others by the form of doing it, and for the effect that no similar case has been found in the relevant literature that includes this phase into the process. It is important to note the lack of application of some of Clark and Wheelwright\'s principles (1993) in the companies studied. This target companies differ largely from the companies used in the research of the authors mentioned, for they are small companies with smaller hierarchical distances, where formal and informal meetings taken place, constantly, for discussions and clarifications about projects. With this study it was possible to learn about the reality of the construction materials industries, which, by the way, is not badly off; on the contrary, it is up to date with the new concepts of the theme of this study, the management of new products development, with a process and a formal and organized structure.

Uppsatsnivå: D

Incorporating electronics and software systems into manufactured goods is becoming very common in manufacturing companies. New technical functions, increased flexibility, and compensation for mechanical design weaknesses are some key drivers of this technological change in our everyday products. The automotive industry exemplifies this trend, since approximately 80–90% of new functions in cars are based on electronics and software, and it is expected that at least a third of the total cost of a car will eventually be accounted for by electronics and software. However, one of the main downsides of this technological trend is the increasing number of quality issues related to these new technologies, something usually claimed to be a result of the increased product development complexity. Previous research into product development management has mainly concentrated on either physical products or software systems, but not concurrently on both. Additionally, much of the research has concentrated on issues of integrating marketing, R&D, and manufacturing in these companies, and has treated the engineering disciplines in R&D as a homogenous group. Motivated by this change in technology content and the lack of research into complex product development and especially into integration between engineering disciplines, the present work investigates how to increase operational performance in multidisciplinary engineering organizations. This work has especially focused on interdisciplinary integration and the feasibility of various so-called integration mechanisms, such as building common physical facilities, job rotation programs, the implementation and use of information and communications technology, and computer-aided engineering tools. Both qualitative and quantitative research has been performed, involving 11 different companies and over 300 respondents. Supported by the present findings, it is demonstrated that interdisciplinary integration is a crucial factor to consider, and it is concluded that certain integration mechanisms stand out as more important than others. Organizational structure, work procedures and methods, training, social systems, and computer-aided engineering were the five types of mechanisms that displayed the greatest potential for improvement. It is further concluded that the ability to successfully match the body of practices to current products is essential, since there is a high risk of current practices becoming out-dated with respect to the technology content. Furthermore, inadequate identification of or managerial ability to establish the currently most important interfaces complicate the choice of trade-offs between various technologies that are found to be essential to cope with the inherent dynamic complexity. The organizational powerbase is often re-positioned in the studied organizations, and the loss of decisive power can result in a demoralizing ignorance of newly established disciplines and their design practices. Additionally, rigid structures and counterproductive traditions can reduce the potential gains accruing from new boundary-spanning innovations, so organizational responsibilities and mandates must be declared unambiguously, in many cases differently from how they have been in the past. Based on these conclusions, it is suggested that managers in organizations like those studied must be able to do the following: cultivate software knowledge in all parts and levels of the product development organization; reassess their recruitment strategies; organize for interdisciplinary collaboration; articulate and communicate the technology fusion strategy to all disciplines; and realize and disseminate the fact that product launches do not only concern manufacturability. / QC 20100621

New product development quality has been found to be a key determinant of the market success and profitability of a new product because of its contribution to superior customer value, the cornerstone of a firm¡¦s competitive advantage in the marketplace. Therefore, enterprises are increasingly utilizing new product development teams for new product development. Previous studies have suggested that the diverse backgrounds of cross-functional team members can increase the amount and variety of information available to design products, thereby improving design process efficiency and product development performance. However, researchers still know very little about how such teams can improve new product quality. Thus, our first research question was; what are the relationships between team characteristics and organization contextual factors and new product quality? In addition, as nationality has been shown to influence individual¡¦s cognitive schema, values, and nonverbal behavior, all of which influence behavior in teams, new product development teams pose a particular type of challenge in different countries. Team-based work designs have been easier to implement in countries with collectivist as opposed to individualist cultures. To address that issue, this study will examine the differences of how team characteristics and contextual influences affect new product quality in collectivist and individualist cultures. Thus, our second research question was; do team characteristics and organization contextual factors affect new product quality differently in collectivist cultures and individualist cultures? Because this was a cross-national research, samples were taken from two countries, one in Taiwan and the other in the U.S.A. We received 184 completed questionnaires from Taiwanese teams, and 176 completed questionnaires from American teams. In order to make sure that the instrument used in this study could measure what it was intended to measure, we used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the validity of the measurement models of both dependent variables and independent variables. We then used hierarchical moderated regression analysis to test the contingency hypotheses. Research results reveal two different outcomes of hypotheses testing. For Taiwanese teams, new product quality is positively affected by the capability of information integration in the team and quality orientation in the firm, but is negatively influenced by speed-to-market pressure and product innovativeness in the firm. Functional and tenure diversity have a moderate no effect on new product quality. The capability of information integration in a team can also reduce the negative effect of speed-to-market pressure on new product quality. In contrast, for American teams, new product quality is positively affected by functional diversity and the capability of information integration in the team and quality orientation in the firm, but is moderately negatively influenced by supplier involvement in the firm. Customer involvement in a firm can increase the positive effect of the capability of information integration on new product quality. In conclusion, the present study contributes to the literature on new product development teams in several ways. First, it extends research on new product development teams across collectivist and individualist cultures and identifies boundary conditions for theories of new product development teams. Second, this study is the first to empirically examine how team characteristics and organization contextual factors affect new product quality across cultures. Third, it provides a thorough and integrative review of the literature from diverse disciplines such as new product development, organizational behavior, and management and innovation as a means of establishing links among team characteristics, organization contextual factors, and new product quality. Finally, the model we have provided will assist managers in identifying the team characteristics and organization contextual factors needed to assist new product development teams in collectivist and individualist cultures to develop high-quality products. Since these factors can be directly manipulated by managers, they can create the effective conditions, specific to the industry characteristics they are engaged in, for new product development teams to develop high-quality products.

Product Development (PD) is a multifaceted and challenging process, more so in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) due to issues such as the resource constraints, high dependency on suppliers and the modern day competitiveness. For countries such as New Zealand, where 99.54 % of firms belong to the SME category, the significance of improving the PD system is enormous. These firms have to ‘do a great deal with very little’. The various PD management solutions that have been successfully deployed in large companies require “alterations” or customisation for application in SMEs. The research work presented in this thesis addresses the growing interest in the application of a distinctive best practice, one of the most recent, and promising solutions to product innovation in SMEs: (Toyota’s) ‘Lean Product Development System’. The Lean philosophy has proven time and again as a holistic system to enhance efficiency of the entire supply chain by optimising all internal processes; in addition to bringing about responsiveness to external environment. According to studies conducted by prominent research institutes across the world, Toyota’s excellence is equally seen in its PD as in manufacturing, where projects take half the time of its US equivalents, with four times the productivity, and consistent top quality. In line with the industry trend in exploration of Lean system to PD across the world, this study focuses on: "Evolving a broad framework for PD that incorporates Lean principles for application in Small and Medium Enterprises." In-depth action research within a SME environment showed that Lean Product Development Systems is one solution that provides ideal balance of being a systems based, process oriented, interactive expert managed approach with a clear customer / value focus for these firms. Aspects such as flexibility of engineering infrastructure, the CAD/CAM proficiency, flat organisation structure aiding better communication, and the continuous learning attitude prevalent within SMEs corresponds closely to that in Toyota, and were identified to be great enablers for Lean deployment. On the other hand, few areas were found to pose challenges to the Lean approach within SMEs: including resource scarcity, the dependency on suppliers, and lack of concept reuse, among others. On the whole, the findings have led to the development of a customized framework for Lean innovation in SMEs that addresses the knowledge, people, process, leadership, management, and planning elements, topped with measures to minimize effects of the identified obstacles.

This document provides a summary report of the M.I.T. Masters Thesis, "Systematic IPT Integration in Lean Development Programs" by Tyson R. Browning. These studies argue for the inclusion of program integration principles as an essential aspect of lean enterprise product development and organization. / Lean Aerospace Initiative

O Processo de Desenvolvimento de Produtos (PDP) é considerado a essência da criação de novo conhecimento na empresa. Os investimentos e esforços em gestão que visam à melhoria da capacidade criativa, da tomada de decisão e do emprego de melhores práticas, tendem a elevar o nível de competência dos recursos humanos, intervindo, conseqüentemente, no resultado final do produto. Esta dissertação apresenta um modelo conceitual de integração de ferramentas de auxílio ao PDP com aplicação no setor alimentício, com vistas a enfatizar a utilização destas de maneira associada, considerando alguns princípios da Gestão do Conhecimento (GC). Este modelo foi construído utilizando a estrutura base de um modelo referencial de PDP para a indústria de alimentos. Para a alocação no modelo proposto, algumas ferramentas foram selecionadas na literatura para o setor e, posteriormente, foram analisadas sob a ótica da criação do conhecimento. A relação existente nesta dissertação entre o PDP e a GC é relevante para elucidar a importância de criar, utilizar, compartilhar e registrar o conhecimento que faz parte da memória organizacional e que, normalmente, existe dentro da empresa de forma não estruturada. Neste contexto, as ferramentas de auxílio ao PDP podem servir como conversoras do conhecimento, transformando-o de tácito para explícito, e reciprocamente. Após o desenvolvimento do modelo, o mesmo foi validado junto à gerência do setor de P&D de uma empresa, comprovando-se a sua exeqüibilidade e facilidade de aplicação e benefícios associados ao PDP. Também foi possível comprovar a existência da relação entre a exeqüibilidade do modelo, o nível de maturidade da empresa e o investimento em capacitação. / The Product Development Process (PDP) is the essence of new knowledge creation in any industry. There is no doubt that the human resources’ abilities and expertise are improved by investments and efforts towards projects that bring higher levels of creative capacity, decision making support and better procedures implementation support. And it’s clear that improving the human resources’ level of competence interferes in the final product result. The present dissertation shows a tool integration conceptual model that assists PDP especially in the food industry. One of the main ideas is to emphasize the tool’s application in an associated manner, considering some Knowledge Management (KM) principles. This model was built based on a PDP’s referential model for the food industry. Some tools were selected from the food industry’s literature in order to allocate the tools in the proposed model. After, the tools were analyzed with a knowledge creation point of view. The relation between PDP and KM showed in this dissertation is important to explain the relevance of creating, using, sharing and registering the knowledge, which is a corporate memory’s part that usually exists in the industry in a non-structured way. In this context, the PDP’s tools are able to convert the knowledge, turning it from tacit into explicit and reciprocally. The Research and Development Department’s manager of a confidential company validated the proposed model. According to the interviewing results, it was considered that the model is executable, easy to apply and its use brings advantages to the PDP. Also, it was evident that there is a relation among the model’s application, the company’s maturity phase and the investments in the employee’s capabilities.

Este trabalho apresenta um modelo de referência para o processo de desenvolvimento de produtos no setor moageiro de trigo. O modelo tem a finalidade de facilitar os projetos de novos produtos, avaliando a necessidade, requisitos e limitações do setor; de modo a contribuir para melhores resultados em custos, qualidade e tempo de desenvolvimento, integração entre as áreas funcionais e transferência de informações. O modelo de referência proposto foi elaborado a partir de conhecimentos adquiridos da literatura de desenvolvimento de produto, diagnóstico do ambiente interno e externo do setor moageiro, estudo sobre duas empresas moageiras de médio porte e seus fornecedores. A modelagem é orientada por sete diretrizes, que visam definir as práticas de gestão para conduzir o processo de desenvolvimento de produtos (PDP) aos objetivos esperados e as particularidades desejadas. A estrutura operacional do modelo é composta por três macro-fases e oito fases, abrangendo desde o planejamento do portfólio de produtos até a retirada do produto do mercado. Estas fases são desmembradas em atividades e tarefas, onde ferramentas de apoio ao modelo podem ser utilizadas para gerar as informações de saídas necessárias para o avanço do projeto. No término de cada fase, as principais informações são compiladas em forma de um documento, que deve passar pela avaliação da direção (gate). A direção determina entre: continuar, descontinuar o projeto ou revisar a fase. A aplicação do modelo de referência foi realizada a partir de um plano para sistematizar o PDP de uma das empresas estudadas. A intervenção para adaptar o modelo de referência à empresa apresentou as etapas de: analisar a situação atual do PDP, propor melhorias e conduzir a aplicação do modelo. Entre os principais resultados, destaca-se a facilidade de enquadrar as soluções propostas para melhorar o PDP da empresa ao modelo referencial. Mostrando, assim, que o modelo de referência é exeqüível e de fácil adaptação as especificidades das empresas da indústria moageira. Também foi possível conferir, que o modelo está alicerçado na metodologia do desenvolvimento integrado de produtos, onde o banco de dados integrado permite a troca de informações e o aprendizado no processo de desenvolvimento, proporcionando o amadurecimento da estrutura organizacional. / This work presents a reference model for the milling wheat product development process. The model targets to facilitate the project of new products, evaluating the necessity, requirements and limitations of the sector. It contributes for better results in costs, quality, development time, integration among functional areas, and proper information transfer. The reference model proposed was elaborated from knowledge acquired in product development literature research, diagnosis from the internal and external milling industry environment, study about two medium size milling company and a questionnaire filed up by their suppliers. The model is oriented from seven policies, which aim to define managing practices to conduce the products development process (PDP) through the expected goals and the desired particularities. The operational structure of the model is composed by three macro-phases and eight phases, enclosing from product portfolio planning to the end of product life in the market. These phases are divided in activities and tasks, where model's support tools can be used to generate the output information necessary to the advance of the project. At the end of each phase, the main information is compiled in form of a document, which must pass by a top management evaluation gate. Top management decides between: continuing, discontinuing the project, or review the phase. The reference model application was planned to systemize milling wheat companies' PDP. The intervention to adapt the reference model to the company presented the following stages: analyse the actual status of the PDP, propose improvements, and conduct model application. Among the main results, stand out the facility to apply the proposed solutions to improve the company's PDP using the reference model. Showing that the reference model is easy to adapt and implement in milling wheat companies. It was also possible to figure out that the model is founded in the integrated product development methodology, where the integrated data base allow information and know-how transfer during the development process, proportioning improvement of the organization structure.

O Processo de Desenvolvimento de Produtos (PDP) é considerado a essência da criação de novo conhecimento na empresa. Os investimentos e esforços em gestão que visam à melhoria da capacidade criativa, da tomada de decisão e do emprego de melhores práticas, tendem a elevar o nível de competência dos recursos humanos, intervindo, conseqüentemente, no resultado final do produto. Esta dissertação apresenta um modelo conceitual de integração de ferramentas de auxílio ao PDP com aplicação no setor alimentício, com vistas a enfatizar a utilização destas de maneira associada, considerando alguns princípios da Gestão do Conhecimento (GC). Este modelo foi construído utilizando a estrutura base de um modelo referencial de PDP para a indústria de alimentos. Para a alocação no modelo proposto, algumas ferramentas foram selecionadas na literatura para o setor e, posteriormente, foram analisadas sob a ótica da criação do conhecimento. A relação existente nesta dissertação entre o PDP e a GC é relevante para elucidar a importância de criar, utilizar, compartilhar e registrar o conhecimento que faz parte da memória organizacional e que, normalmente, existe dentro da empresa de forma não estruturada. Neste contexto, as ferramentas de auxílio ao PDP podem servir como conversoras do conhecimento, transformando-o de tácito para explícito, e reciprocamente. Após o desenvolvimento do modelo, o mesmo foi validado junto à gerência do setor de P&D de uma empresa, comprovando-se a sua exeqüibilidade e facilidade de aplicação e benefícios associados ao PDP. Também foi possível comprovar a existência da relação entre a exeqüibilidade do modelo, o nível de maturidade da empresa e o investimento em capacitação. / The Product Development Process (PDP) is the essence of new knowledge creation in any industry. There is no doubt that the human resources’ abilities and expertise are improved by investments and efforts towards projects that bring higher levels of creative capacity, decision making support and better procedures implementation support. And it’s clear that improving the human resources’ level of competence interferes in the final product result. The present dissertation shows a tool integration conceptual model that assists PDP especially in the food industry. One of the main ideas is to emphasize the tool’s application in an associated manner, considering some Knowledge Management (KM) principles. This model was built based on a PDP’s referential model for the food industry. Some tools were selected from the food industry’s literature in order to allocate the tools in the proposed model. After, the tools were analyzed with a knowledge creation point of view. The relation between PDP and KM showed in this dissertation is important to explain the relevance of creating, using, sharing and registering the knowledge, which is a corporate memory’s part that usually exists in the industry in a non-structured way. In this context, the PDP’s tools are able to convert the knowledge, turning it from tacit into explicit and reciprocally. The Research and Development Department’s manager of a confidential company validated the proposed model. According to the interviewing results, it was considered that the model is executable, easy to apply and its use brings advantages to the PDP. Also, it was evident that there is a relation among the model’s application, the company’s maturity phase and the investments in the employee’s capabilities.

Este trabalho apresenta um modelo de referência para o processo de desenvolvimento de produtos no setor moageiro de trigo. O modelo tem a finalidade de facilitar os projetos de novos produtos, avaliando a necessidade, requisitos e limitações do setor; de modo a contribuir para melhores resultados em custos, qualidade e tempo de desenvolvimento, integração entre as áreas funcionais e transferência de informações. O modelo de referência proposto foi elaborado a partir de conhecimentos adquiridos da literatura de desenvolvimento de produto, diagnóstico do ambiente interno e externo do setor moageiro, estudo sobre duas empresas moageiras de médio porte e seus fornecedores. A modelagem é orientada por sete diretrizes, que visam definir as práticas de gestão para conduzir o processo de desenvolvimento de produtos (PDP) aos objetivos esperados e as particularidades desejadas. A estrutura operacional do modelo é composta por três macro-fases e oito fases, abrangendo desde o planejamento do portfólio de produtos até a retirada do produto do mercado. Estas fases são desmembradas em atividades e tarefas, onde ferramentas de apoio ao modelo podem ser utilizadas para gerar as informações de saídas necessárias para o avanço do projeto. No término de cada fase, as principais informações são compiladas em forma de um documento, que deve passar pela avaliação da direção (gate). A direção determina entre: continuar, descontinuar o projeto ou revisar a fase. A aplicação do modelo de referência foi realizada a partir de um plano para sistematizar o PDP de uma das empresas estudadas. A intervenção para adaptar o modelo de referência à empresa apresentou as etapas de: analisar a situação atual do PDP, propor melhorias e conduzir a aplicação do modelo. Entre os principais resultados, destaca-se a facilidade de enquadrar as soluções propostas para melhorar o PDP da empresa ao modelo referencial. Mostrando, assim, que o modelo de referência é exeqüível e de fácil adaptação as especificidades das empresas da indústria moageira. Também foi possível conferir, que o modelo está alicerçado na metodologia do desenvolvimento integrado de produtos, onde o banco de dados integrado permite a troca de informações e o aprendizado no processo de desenvolvimento, proporcionando o amadurecimento da estrutura organizacional. / This work presents a reference model for the milling wheat product development process. The model targets to facilitate the project of new products, evaluating the necessity, requirements and limitations of the sector. It contributes for better results in costs, quality, development time, integration among functional areas, and proper information transfer. The reference model proposed was elaborated from knowledge acquired in product development literature research, diagnosis from the internal and external milling industry environment, study about two medium size milling company and a questionnaire filed up by their suppliers. The model is oriented from seven policies, which aim to define managing practices to conduce the products development process (PDP) through the expected goals and the desired particularities. The operational structure of the model is composed by three macro-phases and eight phases, enclosing from product portfolio planning to the end of product life in the market. These phases are divided in activities and tasks, where model's support tools can be used to generate the output information necessary to the advance of the project. At the end of each phase, the main information is compiled in form of a document, which must pass by a top management evaluation gate. Top management decides between: continuing, discontinuing the project, or review the phase. The reference model application was planned to systemize milling wheat companies' PDP. The intervention to adapt the reference model to the company presented the following stages: analyse the actual status of the PDP, propose improvements, and conduct model application. Among the main results, stand out the facility to apply the proposed solutions to improve the company's PDP using the reference model. Showing that the reference model is easy to adapt and implement in milling wheat companies. It was also possible to figure out that the model is founded in the integrated product development methodology, where the integrated data base allow information and know-how transfer during the development process, proportioning improvement of the organization structure.