Case studies product development process

A summary of each of the key tools and techniques considered to be important in the product development process is given in Appendix III. This covers such techniques as FMEA, QFD, DFA/DFM and DOE. Included for each is a description of the tool or technique, placement issues in product development, key issues with regard to implementation, and the benefits that can accrue from their use, and finally a case study. It would be advantageous next, however, to determine exactly what a tool or technique does. In general, the main engineering activities that should be facilitated by their use are (Huang, 1996) ... 

Jenkins, S., Forbes, S., Durrani, T. S. and Banerjee, S. K. 1997b Managing the Product Development Process - Part II case studies. International Journal of Technology Management, 13(4), 379-394. 

The same company can perform both primary and supportive activities. Likewise, the same company can perform primary activities related to one process and supportive activities related to another process. An example from one of the case studies is an OEM that buys some critical and complex production equipment from a supplier. When the OEM develops new products, it works very closely with the equipment supplier, and thus the supplier is a primary member of the OEM s product-development process. However, when looking at the manufacturing flow management process, the supplier is a supportive and not a primary member, since supplying the equipment does not in itself add value to the output of the processes, even though the equipment does add value. 

Goworek, H., 2010. An investigation into product development processes for UK fashion retailers A multiple case study. J. Fash. Mark. Manage. 14 (4), 648—662. 

The use of CA has proved to be beneficial for companies introducing a new product, when an opportunity exists to use new processes/technologies or when design rules are not widely known. Design conformance problems can be systematically addressed, with potential benefits, including reduced failure costs, shorter product development times and improved supplier dialogue. A number of detailed case studies are used to demonstrate its application at many different levels. 

Jodicke, G., Zenklusen, O., Weidenhaupt, A., Hungerbiihler, K. (1999) Developing Environmentally-Sound Processes in the Chemical Industry A Case Study on Pharmaceutical Intermediates. Journal of Cleaner Production, 7, 159-166. 

Product bioavailability is mentioned, especially where it is low. Where there are differences between the formulations tested for bioavailability during the development process and the formulation to be marketed, there is considerable discussion of the data provided on the bioequivalence of the different products and/or formulations. This is particularly so where, for example, early clinical studies were undertaken with capsules but the marketed dosage form is to be a tablet. Bioequivalence data and pharmacokinetic data (e.g., in crossover studies) and comparative dissolution studies are usually reported. This is particularly significant where the different strengths of the final products are not achieved by using different quantities of the same granulate formulation. Process optimization may also be addressed in such cases. 

FIGURE 1.8 Electrolytic process. (From Wang, L.K. et al. Case Studies of Cleaner Production and Site Remediation, Training Manual DTT-5-4-95, United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Industrial Sectors and Environment Division, Vienna, Austria, April 1995.)... 

This chapter contains a discussion of two intermediate level problems in chemical reactor design that indicate how the principles developed in previous chapters are applied in making preliminary design calculations for industrial scale units. The problems considered are the thermal cracking of propane in a tubular reactor and the production of phthalic anhydride in a fixed bed catalytic reactor. Space limitations preclude detailed case studies of these problems. In such studies one would systematically vary all relevant process parameters to arrive at an optimum reactor design. However, sufficient detail is provided within the illustrative problems to indicate the basic principles involved and to make it easy to extend the analysis to studies of other process variables. The conditions employed in these problems are not necessarily those used in current industrial practice, since the data are based on literature values that date back some years. 

The non-random two-liquid segment activity coefficient model is a recent development of Chen and Song at Aspen Technology, Inc., [1], It is derived from the polymer NRTL model of Chen [26], which in turn is developed from the original NRTL model of Renon and Prausznitz [27]. The NRTL-SAC model is proposed in support of pharmaceutical and fine chemicals process and product design, for the qualitative tasks of solvent selection and the first approximation of phase equilibrium behavior in vapour liquid and liquid systems, where dissolved or solid phase pharmaceutical solutes are present. The application of NRTL-SAC is demonstrated here with a case study on the active pharmaceutical intermediate Cimetidine, and the design of a suitable crystallization process. 

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