First to market

The three main sources of competitive advantage in the manufacture of high value protein products are first to market, high product quaUty, and low cost (3). The first company to market a new protein biopharmaceutical, and the first to gain patent protection, enjoys a substantial advantage. The second company to enter the market may find itself enjoying only one-tenth of the sales. In the absence of patent protection, product differentiation becomes very important. Differentiation reflects a product that is purer, more active, or has a greater lot-to-lot consistency. 

To be first to market with innovative solutions in automobile safety... 

In the race to be the first to market a drug product, or in the midst of quality or supply issues, it is not uncommon for a distributor to receive phone calls on a Friday afternoon asking for a Monday delivery of excipients, because many excipient users do not necessarily follow a Monday through Friday, 9 00 a.m. to 5 00 p.m. schedule. This is especially true of product development groups in small, privately owned companies. It is not uncommon for formulation development to continue into the weekend. It has already been noted that small volume shipments are more difficult than large volume ones, and, further, arranging for these materials to be available on short notice can certainly compound the challenge. 

The importance of being first to market with a new product in the pharmaceutical, device, or biologies industries almost invariably leads to a larger market share and higher profits. The premium is such that being able to launch products rapidly can translate to enormous profits. Some areas that significantly support rapid launch of new products are as follows ... 

Summary of Figure 1.6 is that acceptable products will be produced. It highlights the flow pattern to be successful and profitable. Recognize that first to market with a new product captures 80% of market share. 

There are many factors that are important in making plastic products the success it has worldwide. One of these factors involves the use of the availability of different fabricating processes. All processes fit into an overall scheme that requires interaction and proper control of operations based on material requirements. Thus fabricating is an important part of the overall project to produce acceptable plastic products. It highlights the flow pattern for the fabricator (manufacturer) to be successful and profitable. Recognize that first to market with a new product captures 80% of market share. Factors such as good engineering, process control, etc. are very important but only represent... 

The project team must show that one s competitive posihon is sustainable. One way to sustain the position would be to attain a compehtive advantage within the market A competitive advantage can be achieved, for example, by being the first to market, or by having existing customer relations. 

The product must not only meet the needs of the market today, but must also be able to maintain its position in the future. The team must also indicate that there is a sustainable competitive advantage, with respect to the market. Such advantages could include being first to market, existing infrastructure, synergies, existing sales force, etc. 

The project schedule is also a big driver. In a typical two-year project, most of the investment occurs in the first year. That means another year goes by without any return for the investment. If a project can be speeded up it usually means that the rate of return of a project increases. Typically a three-month schedule improvement could mean 3 to 4% better return on the project. This can mean the difference between a profitable and non-profitable project. In many industries being the first to market a new product could have a huge impact on the long-range profitability of the project. 

A critical difference between automaker and oil company business realities is that some automakers will likely see benefits from being first to market. Oil companies see little advantage in being a pioneer. They see a prolonged financial drain. They are unlikely to be early investors in a rapid buildup of hydrogen fuel stations. That financial burden will fall on government. 

Fig. 10 (A) Sequence of filling of a trench profile for the fabrication of Cu interconnects, (B) a cross-section illustration of a six-level wiring structure, and (C) SEM view of IBM s first-to-market six level copper interconnect technology. (From Ref...

An estimate of the timing to market is important to know in order to assess the positioning of the new product in relation to competitor products in development and those already marketed. The use of CROs should be able to speed up development by allowing activities to be conducted in parallel. It is also important to predict what the market size is likely to be at the time of launch, based on market trends. Being first to market with a new treatment can be very advantageous in determining a high commercial price. However, if other competitor products are already established, the market price may be restricted unless... 

It would make sense from a practical standpoint that manufacturers err on the side of caution rather than attempt to take extreme shortcuts in order to be the first to market. It is in everyone s best interest to see that all necessary precautions are taken to produce and market therapies that have the least risk and greatest rewards for aU concerned. Everyone has a major stake in this new frontier, and the manufacturers have to be extremely careful as to do the right things to ensure acceptance for marketability. Regulatory bodies have to ensure that all conceivable precautions are undertaken in order that a safe and reliable product comes to market. Patients want this increased competition so that they may access biosimilar therapies that may result in cost savings. These factors are intercoimected, and may produce a win-win scenario for aU parties. 

Phenylbutazone has been utilised for some time in the treatment of severe arthritis, which, incidentally, afflicted such notables as Casanova, Goethe, and Luther. Leflunomide is used in the therapy of autoimmune diseases, such as active rheumatoid arthritis. Celecoxib is the first to market of a number of selective cycloxygenase 2 (COX 2) inhibitors which show great promise as anti-inflammatory and analgetic agents, without the undesirable side effects associated with other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories. There are many pyrazole dyestuffs - the food colourant tartrazine is one such substance. 

Once technical people from both companies begin to talk, problems can often be resolved rapidly and before any crisis occurs. This is also a w of learning about new technology that is in development. It m help your organization develop new products as well as improve existing ones. Being first to market with new products can be very beneficial for both oi nizations... 

Playing catch-up and copying never make you a leading compaity. The real money is made by being first to market and leading the way. 

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