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Chemicals Manufacturer

NEEDS-BASED RESULTS

 

Chemicals Manufacturer

SITUATION

Largest domestic producer of polyester microfiber needed a method of identifying projects with market potential and fast-tracking their development with appropriate resource allocations.

DRIVER GOAL

  • Restructure the product portfolio from 20% to 80% proprietary.
  • Deploy a consistent methodology to evaluate new product potential.
  • Build an integrated New Product Introduction stage gate process.

RESULT

  • Accelerated product development and new product introduction, bettering promised commercialization dates by 50%.
  • Conserved $4 million in scarce development.
case study image, CS-168 large

Case Study

Optimize Time-to-Market Cycle

Issue

The largest domestic producer of polyester microfiber, facing increased and significant competitive pressure, needed an effective method of identifying projects with market potential and fast-tracking their development with appropriate resource allocations.

Highland Approach

The Highland Group developed and implemented a product portfolio management process that focused investments on the highest-value-adding products; a revised approach to planning, developing and going to market with new products, including a new consolidated organization and governance structures; and a series of tools to help measure and optimize product portfolio value.

Actions Taken

  • Convened a Product Development Council.
  • Consolidated technical resources, resolved conflicting goals and fostered the design of the revised development process.
  • Reviewed planned new products.
  • Customized a stage gate development process.
  • Developed the quality functional deployment matrices of customer and market channels.
  • Redesigned the Request for Quote and Product systems.
  • Delivered the high definition screening tools required to verify customer content requirements.
  • Developed a design analysis process to screen, control, evaluate and approve compliance.
  • Identified and delivered toolkits of analytical procedures and methods.
  • Realigned and rewrote Engineering procedures.
  • Implemented all processes in Development Unit environment.

Accelerated product development, bettering promised commercialization dates by

50%

and streamlined new product introduction to plants for production and certifications

Related Information

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