Short answer

Designers and engineers must collaborate with supply chain professionals early in the innovation process, using product design data to proactively shape the supply chain's structure and capabilities.

Field: Innovation & Design
Source: theses.fr (ABES) (2018)
Method: Engineering Design Process
Evidence: Strong effect

Integrating product design with supply chain development from the outset significantly reduces the challenges and increases the likelihood of success for innovative product launches. This innovation & design research insight is drawn from a 2018 study published in theses.fr (ABES). Using Engineering design process, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Designers and engineers must collaborate with supply chain professionals early in the innovation process, using product design data to proactively shape the supply chain's structure and capabilities.

Study

Innovation & DesignHigh ImpactStrong effect

Co-designing Product and Supply Chain Accelerates Innovation Launch

Integrating product design with supply chain development from the outset significantly reduces the challenges and increases the likelihood of success for innovative product launches.

theses.fr (ABES) · 2018

Key Findings

01The product and supply chain are not causally linked but exist within a complex, interdependent system.
02Co-designing the product and its supply chain is essential for mitigating launch risks and ensuring market success.
03An agile supply chain is better equipped to support innovative products through rapid adaptation to market changes.

Application

Design takeaway

Designers and engineers must collaborate with supply chain professionals early in the innovation process, using product design data to proactively shape the supply chain's structure and capabilities.

How to apply

When developing a new product, immediately involve supply chain experts to map out potential supply chain configurations based on the product's design requirements and anticipated market conditions.

Project actions

01When defining your project scope, consider not only the product itself but also its potential manufacturing and distribution pathways.
02Use your product design specifications to inform the requirements for your supply chain elements.

Method & Evidence

AimHow can product design data be leveraged to engineer and validate an effective supply chain for a new product?

MethodEngineering Design Process

ProcedureDeveloped a supply chain engineering methodology comprising three stages: co-design (collecting and processing product design data), positioning (defining the innovator's role within supply chain scenarios using systems engineering principles), and evaluation (assessing scenarios for agility and coherence). Utilized Rational Rhapsody® for detailed supply chain modeling.

ContextNew Product Development, Supply Chain Management

Variables

IVIntegration of product and supply chain design methodologies

DVSuccess of innovative product launch (e.g., reduced time-to-market, market adoption rate, reduced launch costs)

CVProduct complexity, market type, company size

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Addresses a gap in traditional product development by emphasizing supply chain integration.
+Proposes a structured methodology for supply chain engineering based on product data.

Limitations

It can be challenging to fully simulate or predict all supply chain complexities within a typical design project. Access to real-world supply chain data might be restricted.

Reliability & validity

The methodology's reliability would depend on consistent application of its stages and tools. Validity is supported by the theoretical framework of complexity and systems engineering, but empirical validation across diverse industries would strengthen it.

Think critically

To what extent can a 'co-design' approach between product and supply chain be truly effective when the supply chain often involves external partners with their own priorities?

Design Principles

"Holistic innovation requires the concurrent design of the product and its supporting ecosystem."

Traditional approaches often treat product and supply chain design as sequential, leading to inefficiencies and potential failures. A holistic, co-design methodology ensures that the entire ecosystem supporting a new product is considered and optimized concurrently, leading to more robust and market-ready innovations.

What This Means for Your Design

When you design a new product, you should also design how it will be made and delivered at the same time, not just one after the other. This makes sure everything works together smoothly and helps the product succeed.

How to use in your project

1.Reference this research when discussing the importance of considering manufacturing and logistics constraints during the initial stages of product conceptualization and development.

Add to My Project

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

This research highlights the critical need for a co-design approach, where product development and supply chain engineering are integrated from the outset. By leveraging product design data to inform supply chain strategy, as demonstrated by Brunelle Marche (2018), designers can mitigate risks associated with innovative product launches and enhance market success through a more agile and responsive ecosystem.

Source

theses.fr (ABES)

From product design to supply chain design : Which methodologies for the upstream stages of innovation?

journal · 2018

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about co-designing product and supply chain accelerates innovation launch?: Designers and engineers must collaborate with supply chain professionals early in the innovation process, using product design data to proactively shape the supply chain's structure and capabilities. Evidence: theses.fr (ABES) (2018).
Why does "Co-designing Product and Supply Chain Accelerates Innovation Launch" matter for design?: Traditional approaches often treat product and supply chain design as sequential, leading to inefficiencies and potential failures. A holistic, co-design methodology ensures that the entire ecosystem supporting a new product is considered and optimized concurrently, leading to more robust and market-ready innovations.
How can designers apply this research?: Designers and engineers must collaborate with supply chain professionals early in the innovation process, using product design data to proactively shape the supply chain's structure and capabilities.
What were the main findings?: The product and supply chain are not causally linked but exist within a complex, interdependent system.. Co-designing the product and its supply chain is essential for mitigating launch risks and ensuring market success.. An agile supply chain is better equipped to support innovative products through rapid adaptation to market changes.
What research method was used?: Engineering Design Process.
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2018 journal from theses.fr (ABES).
What should I do differently in my next project?: When developing a new product, immediately involve supply chain experts to map out potential supply chain configurations based on the product's design requirements and anticipated market conditions.
What are the limitations?: The study's focus on a specific engineering design process and tool may limit generalizability to all contexts. The effectiveness of the evaluation stage in predicting real-world agility needs further empirical validation.