Innovating to Overcome Industrialization Challenges

Case Study

Innovating to Overcome Industrialization Challenges

Goals: reduce industrialization costs, minimize lead time variability, and improve product quality 

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50 years of innovation and sustainability

With almost 50 years of experience, this company began operations several decades ago in a region known for its industrial and technological development. Initially specializing in producing and selling heating solutions, it quickly became a market leader through a strategic licensing partnership with a global technology innovator. This collaboration facilitated the transfer of advanced manufacturing techniques, setting the foundation for its success.

Over time, the company diversified its offerings, venturing into renewable energy solutions and environmentally friendly technologies. It introduced solar energy systems to meet growing societal and legal demands for sustainable energy.

Known for innovation and sustainability, the company has earned recognition as a trusted brand and a leader in environmentally responsible solutions.

Address complexity in product development and industrialization

The organization faced significant challenges due to high industrialization costs for new products and projects with long and variable lead times. Additionally, engineering teams were frequently engaged in firefighting, addressing problems and delays that hindered efficiency and progress.

Understand the root causes

The root causes of the challenges included a primary focus on developing prototypes for testing without prior validation of feasibility or customer requirements. Furthermore, the initial conceptualization and design stages were not sufficiently validated to align with customer needs or business directives.

This has led to product quality issues, resulting in rework and delays during the industrialization phase. Addressing these challenges required a comprehensive review of the product development and industrialization processes.

Implement an innovation-driven solution

To address the identified challenges and their root causes, the company adopted a structured and innovative approach focused on proactive problem-solving and enhanced process design. The key elements of this approach included:

  • Design an innovation model using Set-Based Engineering (SBE) and design sprint cycles.
  • Analysis of customer insights to identify product use cases.
  • Prioritization of knowledge gaps through feasibility planning.
  • Execution of learning cycles using trade-off curves for knowledge reuse.
  • Creation of integration events to define the optimal solution based on test learnings.

Achieving measurable success through innovation

Implementing the proposed approach significantly improved financial performance and operational efficiency. Key outcomes include:

Financial benefits

The project resulted in tangible cost savings, generating a total benefit of £2.3 million. This reflects the effectiveness of the new methodologies in optimizing resource use.

Reduction in project lead time

By adopting Set-Based Engineering and design sprint cycles, the project lead time was reduced by an impressive 49%.

Project lead time reduction

Reduction in industrialization rework

Enhanced quality assurance processes and early validation of feasibility and customer requirements led to a 30% reduction in industrialization rework.

Industrialization rework reduction

These results highlight the success of a structured, customer-focused, and knowledge-driven approach in achieving significant cost reductions, faster project execution, and improved product quality. The company is now better positioned to sustain its competitive edge and deliver greater value to its customers.

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