Product Launch:
ACE Designers Services New Product Launch Program is a condensed version of a typical Fortune 500
New Product Launch Program. Over recent years the Fortune 500 companies have standardized a
method for simultaneously developing new product concepts and the manufacturing processes for
producing the new product. Because of demanding consumer requirements for quality and value coupled
with global competition, manufactures were faced with the need to launch quality products following a
structured format that could be executed repeatedly for any product in an expedited fashion. With the
mother of necessity driving companies to evolve and adapt or go out business, the companies worked
hard at restructuring, implementing and refining the way products were developed and launched. Hence,
across the industry similar launch programs were developed and it is these launch programs that ACE
Designers Services has used as a model and offers to Designers.
Ace Designers Services Fulfills the Third:
Designers are faced with several monumental challenges to get their new products to market. There
are three distinct functions that must be performed to successfully develop and launch a new product
to the market place. The first function being Business and Finance which involves accounting,
business planning, banking and other necessary business activities. The second function being
Marketing with Sales and Distribution which encompasses activities like sales campaigns,
advertising, retail packaging design, acquisition of retail and wholesale distribution networks and
much more. The third function is the actual product and manufacturing development that takes the
new product from a conceptual model to a viable mass-produced product. ACE Designers Services
does not provide Business and Finance or Marketing with Sales and Distribution. However,
ACE Designers Services does provide the new product and manufacturing development. These
developmental processes are embodied in the ACE Designers Services New Product Launch
Program which is available to the serious Designers that have the other two required functions
already engaged.
Serious Designers, please continue to read this page for a more in-depth discussion of the six Phases
contained in the ACE Designers Services New Product Launch Program.
New Product Launch Program:
Preliminary Phase:
The preliminary Phase of the ACE Designers Services New Product Launch Program defines the
functions and the requirements of the Designers new product. These requirements must be established
and documented so that all of the team members involved in the new product development and launch
program will have a cohesive understanding of the product. When the new product is defined and all
of the team members are assigned and they understand the requirements that they are responsible for,
specifications are then defined that will be the benchmark by which the requirements are tested to. Here
is a simple example that will help clarify functions, requirements and specifications. Assume that there is
a new product that must perform the function of timing (like a watch). Furthermore, assume that the
requirements define that the timing to be in military increments with an LCD readout in black numbers
with a gray background and a buzzer that sounds every hour on the hour. The specification for this new
product could read: 1. The LCD numbers must have 0.5 inches tall numbers with the illumination of the
numbers at 10 lumens per square inch. 2. The time readout must be divided into 0.01 seconds. 3. The
buzzer must ring for 1 second at 55 decibels at a frequency of 500 Hz. The functions of new product
are typically wide in scope, where as the requirements define the functions more specifically. But it is the
specifications of the requirements that the engineers use as the basis for testing the new product and
determine if it meets the actual defined units of measurement (inches, seconds, decibels, etc.). Defining
functions, requirements and specifications is essential because this lays out the groundwork for the entire
New Product Launch Program. (see Designers Services for the list of Phase services)
Phase I - Mockup Phase:
Phase I of the ACE Designers Services New Product Launch Program is the
mockup phase. The Designers new product is put together as a mockup with
the different features of the new product built separately and tried for feasibility.
Mockups are typically a lower level test platform that will not hold up to the
riggers of specification testing. However, mockups will demonstrate feasibility
and verify the Preliminary Phase feature and function definitions. During Phase I
the features and their functions are proven or disproved as viable. It is helpful that the functions meet
the requirements but it is not absolutely necessary. However, there is some risk when a function is
considered for feasibility and the requirements were not also considered. So, functions and requirements
should be built into the mockup and considered jointly when ever it is possible. Simultaneously, the
engineers are initiating the DFMEA (Design Failure Mode, Effects and Analysis - product) and PFMEA
(Process Failure Mode, Effects and Analysis) documents. These documents are a tool for anticipating
failures of the new product and manufacturing processes, predict their effects and then prevent them
from happening. The mockup build not only demonstrates feasibility of the functions defined in the
Preliminary Phase, but it also helps engineers to assess and predict potential failure modes. Also
simultaneously, the engineers are initiating the first 3d model, set of drawings, Bill of Materials and the
potential component vendor list that will likely supply the prototype build and possibly production. This
Phase is less quantifiable and early in the developmental process but it is necessary for verifying the
Preliminary Phase definitions, better defining the direction of the Preliminary Phase, aiding in the DFMEA
and PFMEA and preparing for the first new product review, Design Review I.
(see Designers Services for the list of Phase services)
Design Review I - Release for Phase II:
Design Reviews serve several functions within the ACE Designers Services New
Product Launch Program and typically follow a structured agenda and last as long
as eight hours. The review is an opportunity for the customer to participate with the
engineers in a critical review of the work that has been achieved in the Preliminary
Phase and Phase I. The mockups and findings are reviewed for compliance to the
Preliminary Phase definitions. If in the event any feature or function is out of
compliance, alternative solutions are discussed. The critical DFMEA and PFMEA issues are discussed
along with the excepted corrective action. The drawings are reviewed with particular attention given to
the drawings where the Preliminary Phase feature definition was not met as well as the drawings that
pertain to the critical issues of the DFMEA and PFMEA. Also, the initial vendor list of component
manufactures is reviewed with the pros and cons of each briefly discussed. During the meeting notes are
taken that will generate an Action Item list that will either require the corrective actions to be taken
before the program is released into the next Phase or the corrective actions will be integrated into the
next Phase. Concluding Design Review I, the customer and the senior engineer discuss and decide if
more work needs to be done in Phase I or that the new product development is ready to proceed
to Phase II. In the event that more work is required, another mini Design Review I will need to take
place before moving into Phase II. (see Designers Services for the list of Phase services)
Phase II - Prototype Phase:
With the Preliminary Phase establishing the features, functions, requirements and
specifications along with Phase I (mockup build) verifying the Designers new
product can meet the Preliminary Phase definitions and Design Review I has
released the program to continue, Phase II builds the prototypes and prepares
the new product for specification testing. During Phase II and when the
components are received from the various component manufactures, they are
evaluated for quality compliance. These same component vendors (from the Phase I list) and others
including the assembler vendors are visited and audited a second time with greater scrutiny whereby the
weaker and less desirable are eliminated. The vendor visits also contributes information that is inputted
into the second iteration of the PFMEA. With the components in hand the engineers build the prototypes
(with technician assistance) that will be delivered to the test labs in Phase III. While building the
prototypes the engineers verify form, fit and function of the components, the subassemblies and the
finished new product prototypes. These observation and lessons learned are inputted into the next
iteration of the DFMEA. If any of the components are a found to be out of spec, the build is placed on
hold until the components can be remade and assembled into the new product prototypes. Once the
prototype build is completed, the 3d model, set of drawings, Bill of Materials, DFMEA and PFMEA
are updated, the prototypes are boxed up and readied for testing in Phase III. In addition to the testing
samples being made, extra prototypes are assembled and made available to the Designer and the
Designer’s marketing department for limited retail trials.
(see Designers Services for the list of Phase services)
Phase III - Prototype Testing Phase:
The Preliminary Phase has defined the functions, requirements and specifications;
Phase I has verified the Preliminary Phase definitions; Design Review I has
released the program into Phase II; Phase II has assembled the new product
prototypes and shipped them to the Test Laboratory and the Designers marketing
department. In Phase I and II along with auditing the component vendors and
assembler vendors, the different Test Laboratories were also visited and audited.
From these visits the appropriate Laboratory was selected and issued the specifications defined in the
Preliminary Phase. Corresponding tests for the specifications and the needed test fixtures were
discussed during the Phase II visits assuring that the Test Laboratory would be prepared to receive
the prototype testing samples in Phase III. Once the Test Laboratory receives and executes the various
tests, an ACE engineer will visit the Laboratory to review the data, perform the autopsies and release
the test samples from the Laboratory. In the event that a specification is not met, a meeting with the
Designer would take place to establish if the nonconformance is severe enough to warrant the prototypes
samples to be rebuilt and re-tested. If the nonconformance is deemed severe enough, the program
will iterate back to Phase II and then back to Phase III again. If the nonconformance is deemed not
severe enough, then the 3d model, set of drawings, Bill of Materials, DFMEA and PFMEA are updated
and prepared for Design Review II. Simultaneous to testing the new product prototypes, final vendor
audits and determinations are performed to establish and prepare the vendors for the Phase IV design
and manufacturing verification build. (see Designers Services for the list of Phase services)
Design Review II - Release for Phase IV:
Similar to Design Review I, Design Review II follows an agenda that structures the review of the
Phase II and Phase III activities and results. The Phase II portion of the review focuses on the
prototype build with emphasis on the lessons learned from the component evaluation and the build
itself. The Phase III portion focuses on the test results with special emphasis on any test that did not
met specifications. In the event that a nonconformance occurred in Phase II or Phase III, the
corrective actions that were implemented that resolved the nonconformance will be discussed. With
the lessons learned and corrective actions already rolled into the 3d model, set of drawings, Bill of
Materials, DFMEA and PFMEA, these documents are reviewed. During the meeting an Action Item
list is generated that will either require the corrective actions to be taken before the program is released
into the next Phase or the corrective actions will be integrated into the next Phase. Concluding Design
Review II, the customer and the senior engineer will discuss and decide if more work needs to be
done in Phase II and Phase III or that the new product development is ready to proceed to
Phase IV. In the event that more work is required, another mini Design Review II will need to take
place before moving into Phase IV. (see Designers Services for the list of Phase services)
Phase IV - Validation Phase:
The Preliminary Phase has defined the functions, requirements and specifications;
Phase I has verified the Preliminary Phase definitions; Design Review I has released
the program into Phase II; Phase II has assembled the new product prototypes and
shipped them to the Test Laboratory and the Designers marketing department;
Phase III has tested the new product prototypes to verify compliance to the
specifications; Design Review II has reviewed the Phase II and Phase III results
and has released the program into Phase IV. Phase IV is the last of the core Phases and the Phase that
validates the new product design and the new product manufacturing processes at the production level
using production tooling. This build is called the DV-PV build. The DV (Design Validation – product)
aspect of the build requires that the components received from the component vendors and used in the
build to be approved production level components. If there are any nonconformance issues with the
components, discussions will occur between the Designers and the ACE senior engineer to either move
forward with the build or resolve the nonconformance before initiating the build. Similarly with the PV
(manufacturing Processes Validation) aspect of the build, any nonconformance issues with the
manufacturing processes, discussions will occur between the Designers and the ACE senior engineer
to either move forward with the build or resolve the nonconformance before initiating the build. When
all of the nonconformance issues are resolved to the satisfaction of the Designers, the build is executed
with supervision of the ACE engineers. The resulting assemblies are the first production level products
and must be tested once again by the Test Laboratory. Therefore, a specified number of samples are
boxed and shipped to the Test Laboratory where the specification tests will be re-verified for the
production level products. In the event that the production level samples do not pass all of the testing,
the DV-PV will be executed once again and then the production level samples will be re-tested for
compliance to the specifications. With the DV-PV build successfully completed, the 3d model, set of
drawings, Bill of Materials, DFMEA and PFMEA are updated for the last time and prepared for release.
(see Designers Services for the list of Phase services)
Release Phase:
The Preliminary Phase has defined the functions, requirements and specifications;
Phase I has verified the Preliminary Phase definitions; Design Review I has released
the program into Phase II; Phase II has assembled the new product prototypes and
shipped them to the Test Laboratory and the Designers marketing department;
Phase III has tested the new product prototypes to verify compliance to the
specifications; Design Review II has reviewed the Phase II and Phase III results
and has released the program into Phase IV; Phase IV has executed the DV-PV build and validated
(through specification testing) the production level product design and production manufacturing processes.
The ACE Designers Services New Product Launch Program has only to release the final set of drawings,
Bill of Materials, DFMEA and PFMEA to the Designers as well as release the component vendors and
production assembler to begin production. This concludes the ACE Designers Services New Product
Launch Program and the new product can begin to roll off the assemblers production floor and into the
trucks that will carry the new products to market.
ACE Designers Services are special services offered to Designers which are contained and executed
within the Texas Limited Liability Cooperation - ACE Manufacturing Services LLC.
Copyright © 2004 ACE Manufacturing Services LLC All rights reserved.
