Product Design Goes Global

May 11, 2008
Tips to improve design collaboration.

Like nearly every other process in manufacturing, product design and development has gone global. Companies are partnering with other firms to improve design, gain better access to new markets and speed up time to market. Others are offshoring or outsourcing to reduce costs. Whatever the reason, "the strategy to design products across a global network of companies and individuals continues to grow," according to a study from analyst firm Aberdeen Group.

The best companies are doing this so well they are 52% more likely to meet product launch target dates and 28% more likely to meet product development cost targets than industry-average firms, the consulting firm says.

Design collaboration in a global environment continues to present challenges, protection of intellectual property being just one. However, following certain steps can help improve the collaborative design process. Aberdeen recommends the following in its benchmark report "Profitable Design Chains: Global Product Design Comes of Age":

  • Enable the design chain to operate in parallel to accelerate innovation while minimizing the impact of rework.
  • Coordinate the design chain through formal project management, formal review processes and centralized product design data to standardize and automate product development processes.
  • Implement software solutions that protect intellectual property while enabling global design chains to collaborate.

A white paper from product lifecycle management solution provider PTC offers several additional tips:

  • Be sure to understand the value drivers of the global collaboration.
  • Align key stakeholders.
  • Identify improvements.
  • Set clear measures for success and determine a timeline of events.

See Also

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

Learn How Manufacturers like 3M Cater to Digital Buyers to Increase Sales

Aug. 13, 2023
In this article, you'll learn how manufacturers can balance educating and guiding their buyers through their complex buying process with a digital first approach to product discovery...

Empowering the Modern Workforce: The Power of Connected Worker Technologies

March 1, 2024
Explore real-world strategies to boost worker safety, collaboration, training, and productivity in manufacturing. Emphasizing Industry 4.0, we'll discuss digitalization and automation...

3 Best Practices to Create a Product-Centric Competitive Advantage with PRO.FILE PLM

Jan. 25, 2024
Gain insight on best practices and strategies you need to accelerate engineering change management and reduce time to market. Register now for your opportunity to accelerate your...

How Manufacturers Can Optimize Operations with Weather Intelligence

Nov. 2, 2023
The bad news? Severe weather has emerged as one of the biggest threats to continuity and safety in manufacturing. The good news? The intelligence solutions that build weather ...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!