Lean Strategies for Product Development

?Most companies are under a great deal of pressure to reduce expenses and increase profits. And as the competition continues to increase, these companies are all racing to develop new products and bring them to market as quickly and cheaply as possible. Many of these companies have turned to lean strategies in the manufacturing area to help them improve the process by eliminating waste and helping them gain a competitive advantage. Yet few if any have taken these same strategies beyond the manufacturing environment and into the product development area. This is the focus of Lean Strategies for Product Development, which explains how to use these same lean strategies and principles in non-manufacturing areas which will lead to reduced cycle times and increased profits. Lean Strategies for Product Development highlights problems that are common to companies in terms of developing products cheaply and efficiently. The result is a book based on proven strategies and methodologies that will enable a company to significantly reduce the time necessary to develop new products and dramatically reduce product cost. Companies that have implemented the concepts presented in Lean Strategies for Product Development have achieved dramatic results. In some cases, cycle time reduction by as much as 70% has been achieved. The concepts are presented in the context of a story centered on two key characters - a customer and his supplier. Through the dialog shared between the characters, the concepts are presented and a new business opportunity emerges.