What is product development?
Product development is the process of developing an idea into a new product or improving an already existing product for the better.
For OIM, it doesn’t matter when we get involved in your product development project. We are happy to continue your ongoing development and make sure to improve it or we will take overall responsibility for everything – from idea to market.
Product development - from idea to market!
Contact usHow does product development work?
When a company is about to develop a new or existing product they go thru a couple of different phases.
OIM is one of Sweden’s most innovative product development companies, with a concept that combines technical competence with people, innovation, and business acumen. OIM develops products for companies with an innovative approach to product development.
OIM’s ability to deliver is based on many years of experience running complex product development projects. This, combined with deep technical know-how, enables OIM to meet innovation and development in new ways.
Some projects we have done
OIM has an ISO 13485 certificate
For us, strict requirements and regulations together with solid quality assurance are an extremely important component when working in the MedTech area. With our ISO 13485 certificate, we cover both development and production in Life Science. We are used to working in technology-heavy projects where streamlining and tight schedules are decisive factors.
Product development at OIM
Our knowledge, innovation-driven working methods, and experiences give us the conditions to take on the most challenging assignments and the ability to develop the best solutions for any given project.
We are used to working with complex product development and work with quality assurance, long-term thinking, and innovation in every project. Our ability to deliver is no coincidence, we have many years of experience in what it takes to run complex projects and have solid technical knowledge that helps you as a customer to meet innovation and development in new ways.
Do you want to know how we can help you?
Contact usCERTIFIED PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
OIM Sweden follows our own certified product development process, where we guide our customers through all steps from idea to finished product in a quality–conscious way. OIM is unique in that we have many years of experience in running product development projects in–house and also have an ISO certification that guarantees quality and structure.
Concept study
For many of our customers, the concept study is the first step toward a finished product. During the concept study, we identify the potential improvements in the customer‘s own idea, investigate completely new product ideas, or look for potential improvements to an existing product. Depending on the requirements of the project, we can focus on areas such as:
- component selection
- materials
- design
- user functionality
- productibility
In some cases, it may be more appropriate to do a simpler feasibility study instead of a concept study.
Visualization/Design
Our industrial designers always start from both our customer’s requirements and from the user’s needs together with their ability to innovate. In this way, we create a product with a focus on the right expression and the right function. A good design thus helps to strengthen your brand and thereby increase your competitiveness and profitability. Many elements may be included in this phase, such as:
- development of mood boards
- user studies
- sketches
- simpler CAD-rendered images
Product visualizations in 3D that are tailored to the customer’s needs, are powerful as early tools to create interest and understanding in an idea that does not yet exist in reality. They give the customer a good basis for making the right decisions about important choices regarding design, function, and the feeling that the product should convey.
Proof of concept
At the idea stage of a project, it can be difficult to know if it is worth a larger investment. Is the project technically feasible at all – and at a reasonable cost? At this stage it might be advisable to create a Proof-of-Concept, also called “PoC”. A PoC is kind of a simplified prototype or study that includes all important functions. The purpose is simply to prove that the chosen concept works. The differences between “PoC” and “prototype” is that a PoC is used to prove that the concept is technically and functionally feasible at an appropriate price point, whilst a prototype is also about design and user experience.
Development
In the development stage, the product itself is developed. There are many phases to go through before reaching the actual stage of development and it is first here the product takes a real shape. For many companies entering the development phase, the product only exists in, for example, a word, a drawing, a raw model, or a prototype. Some companies have dedicated departments to do research and develop prototypes for possible products. Sometimes it can take many spins and years to develop a successful prototype, it is an iterative process – where time also depends on how complicated the product is. For a product to succeed in a market, it is required that it comes with a design that convinces customers that it can be manufactured with a short lead time and within the limits of the budget.
During this stage, the real investments come in, the development phase occupies the majority of the cost for product development. In order for a company to be sure that a product is working and safe, most products undergo many tests before they reach the market. These tests are often about quality, safety, and effectiveness. During product development, important parameters are things as technical specifications, prototypes, production of test products, conducting tests, as well as testing to sell the product on the market. Central documents are manufacturing documentation and product test reports.
Test
Testing is usually done when you have passed a certain milestone in the project. It is also beneficial to do tests early in the process to eliminate any uncertainties. If possible, you also take out the things that are critical to the product and perform tests on the parts that are the documented risks. To shorten lead times and reduce the risk of late findings, calculation and simulation are also used. When a prototype has been developed, it is evaluated, so that you can compare the prototype with the specification and carry out calculations on what differs between them. After that, you can plan for how to reach any requirements that may not yet have been met by the prototype.
Validation
Validation is used to secure that the product we’ve developed meets the actual user needs on which the product requirement specifications are written. In principle, validation always takes place when the product is fully developed and should be based on the intended end user.
Validation can start by creating a number of questions that you want to be answered. Based on these questions, a test case is created. In order to answer the question, measurements may be needed, the measurement results must then be analysed. In some cases, it can be quite extensive to validate, and thus it is important that the questions are well thought out before starting the validation.
Production
Now the manufacturing of the product starts. We assemble, and deliver assembly instructions, drawings, and documentation to make sure to either deliver a finished product or ensure that you can manufacture your product in your own production. It is also very important to be able to ensure that each individual product and batch produced is of the same high quality. Therefore, routines such as arrival control and documented final tests are important elements during the production.
Want to know more?
You can reach us by phone at +46 40-13 13 69 or by filling out the form below.