Production preparation process analysis in new products development - a case study in the steel industry

Abstract

The demand for new products has increased in some companies from the steel industry, indicating a growing concern with the performance of products development process (PDP), which depends on several important conceptual elements found in the literature. The production process project is a relevant factor in a steel company, because it is a continuous manufacturing process and it generally involves significant investments in the production preparation phase. In this context, the present paper analyzes this stage of the process in a steel producer. The research aims to identify, through a case study methodological approach, the company's organizational practices with focus on the operational aspects and their interfaces involving the functional areas of marketing, product engineering and manufacturing. The study also analyzes the integration of multidisciplinary teams, the decision-making and the criteria forthe PDP results evaluation. It was concluded that the analyzed company makes use of practices that structure the production preparation and that the inter-functional integration of the areas is the main factor of the DPD success.