Companies that integrate NPI into their routines see less disruption and achieve faster time-to-market.

Most events such as NPI are applied with common sense, which makes it even more surprising that few companies adopt rule-based control methods. There are four fundamentals to successful NPI. As you might expect, these are analysis, concept development, implementation and sustainability. Each can be subdivided so that specialists or appointed teams (Figure 1) can concentrate on a topic while knowing their counterparts are working on the others in parallel. NPI is usually time-sensitive, and the ability to run teams in parallel permits necessary work to be carried out in the allotted time. Time control is one of the areas that can easily get out of hand.


The analysis phase can be broken into processes or equipment evaluations and comparison with existing processes or equipment. This also includes any necessary assessments of skill sets. If no dedicated NPI facility exists, it is necessary to build NPI capacity into the planning schedule of the production line(s). At this point, the team should be assembled, in theory at least, ready to identify its tasks and time schedules planned.

That skill sets may need to be evaluated suggests the involvement of HR departments, but you may note the outer ring of other team member activities (Figure 1). This is intended as a catchall for departments such as HR. For example, purchasing may play a particular role in some NPI activities, although it lacks its own section.

Once we know that capacity is available and the skills, technology and processes can cope with the new product (or that measures are being taken to acquire the necessary skills, processes and technologies), we can move to the second phase: the concept.

The team leader and perhaps one or two chosen specialists will have performed all the analyses, but the concept requires the whole team’s input. The team must set up regular CAD and product layout reviews; prepare selection procedures for acquiring new equipment, materials and processes, and develop a project plan and define longer-term production and quality goals while ensuring the target time-to-market is met. No single person can be expected to do all this, which is why the team approach is so important. Appropriate time spent preparing the proper concept will speed later activities.

Implementation, as its name suggests, puts into practice all those items documented in the concept phase and embodies pilot schemes, first-off verification programs, and process and equipment program generation. If the concept is well controlled, implementation should run smoothly. Assuming that all new requirements have detailed specifications, and scheduling and planning are accurate, the implementation results should give a green light to immediate production pending only minor changes or modifications.

At this point, it is necessary to review everything that occurred during NPI to avoid future pitfalls. Document all activities carefully to permit daily production checklists that ensure volume or final product production targets are met.

Sustainability is the fourth stage. Now that we are all supposed to be involved in sustaining our environment, sustainability in this case refers to the ability to maintain production at quality and throughput targets.

Figure 2 shows a typical continuous process for product regeneration and includes sales and service, and obsolescence. Neither plays any real part in NPI, with the possible exception of early input from sales and marketing in the formulation of the product idea and volume.


Peter Grundy is director of P G Engineering (Sussex) Ltd. and ITM Consulting (itmconsulting.org); peter.grundy2@btinternet.com. His column appears bimonthly.

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