You are developing an industrial product, so the production phase is an important step: how to approach it? Some stages are already completed: your POC has enabled you to test your market and find your funders. You have defined the use cases and produced prototypes. It’s time to get ready to produce significant quantities of your innovation. It is time to finalise your industrial strategy. 

To do this, several options are available to you and you must make choices. In this case, who better than an industrialist to help you?

Time to make choices!  

When developing an industrial product, questions about production are inevitable: should I keep production in-house or outsource it? Yes, but with which partners? All these questions have no predefined, standardised answers.

Let’s look at the main possible schemes:

• • Outsourcing production: in this case you do not manufacture anything yourself, you choose to be “fabless“. You entrust a third party with the manufacture of your product. However, you must structure yourself to manage this activity with your partner. The skills needed are mainly in the supply chain. To be able to talk to the chosen service provider, you will still need an industrial background. Don’t forget either that your product will “live“: it will undoubtedly undergo modifications (cost reduction, improvements, etc.). You will therefore need to manage these changes with your partner.  

• • In-house production: in this case you take care of everything. Of course you will need multiple skills but you are able to control the whole production process. However, you will need a structure, a building, equipment, etc. The necessary investments should be evaluated very early in your project: they can be significant, as you can imagine!  

Industrial strategy: make an informed choice!  

Several solutions are available to you. The difficulty lies not in the solutions but in the choice: how to make the right one?

You will have understood that everything depends on your project, your structure and your capacities… Starting with production at a third party and then planning the integration of the production into your structure may be a relevant alternative. Defining an industrial strategy therefore means thinking about and assessing all the possible paths and choosing the right one to take.

One last piece of advice on industrial strategy: think about it very early on, when designing your product. Certain choices in the design of the product can have serious consequences in industrial terms. From an investment point of view, here again, everything can be anticipated.

Axandus, through its support, offers to enlighten you and guide you in finding the path that suits you best.

To go further: we invite you to consult the latest ministerial report on the development of industrial start-ups. We are listed among the structures of interest for the support of industrial projects. 

So don’t hesitate any longer: contact us and let’s talk!  

L’article Industrial strategy: when should you worry about it? est apparu en premier sur Axandus.

Our Axandus team is made up of experts who all have significant experience within the Sercel or EFI Automotive Groups. Today we meet Hervé, who has been the industrialization project manager at Axandus Lyon for a few weeks.

CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO US AND TELL US ABOUT YOUR CAREER WITHIN THE EFI AUTOMOTIVE GROUP?

Hervé GAILLARD, 54 years old, married and father of two daughters.

I joined EFI (Electricfil Industrie) in January 1990 as a mechanical process designer for ignition cables. Then I took over responsibility for the “special machines” department. And yes, we were manufacturing a large part of our assembly machines at the time!

I had the opportunity to start a production line for ignition wire sets in the USA, thus starting the first production at Electricfil Corporation, the American subsidiary of EFI Automotive, based in Livonia, near Detroit.

Then I worked for a couple of years on the start-up of the Chinese subsidiary, Electricfil Engine Components, in Wuhan: fitting out the premises, workshops, offices and starting the first ignition wire assembly lines.

Then, I was a technology leader for temperature sensors. Development of new techno bricks, guaranteeing product design and industrialisation.

In 2009, I took responsibility for the “plastics moulds and tooling” division.

Finally, in 2013, I joined the industrial department as technical manager of the production site in Beynost, managing the industrialisation and methods teams.

CAN YOU TELL US WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO JOIN THE AXANDUS DEPARTMENT?

I went up to the Axandus platform several times, spending time in front of the showcase of many different products!

The diversity of the products and the different fields of application (from the sea bed to luxury products) really appealed to me. And I’ve been working on products that go under the bonnet of a car engine for 30 years now.

Joining a small, multidisciplinary team is also attractive!

CAN YOU EXPLAIN YOUR ROLE IN THE AXANDUS TEAM?

I’m joining the Axandus team as an industrialisation project manager, in anticipation of Jacques’ retirement in a few months.

For this position, I think you need to be able to propose and quote a process adapted to the need, with the level of automation necessary for the profitability of the product.

Of course, you also need to have the necessary field experience to set up these production lines.

Knowledge of different manufacturing processes and potential suppliers to make these machines is an asset.

My specialities are mechanics and automation. I am comfortable with calculating capacity and task time according to customer volumes and I have acquired a good understanding of lean manufacturing.

CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT THIS JOB?

I like starting from a blank page, imagining what the manufacturing process of a product could be. I enjoy spending time making a process that seems complicated at first glance simpler.
I also like to argue my choices when faced with several proposals.

WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT THING ABOUT YOUR JOB?

The automation professions and the various processes evolve very quickly. It is difficult to keep up to date. You often have to choose between a known, mastered technology and a more recent one. The same applies to automation and robotisation versus investment amounts.

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF THE AXANDUS SERVICE?

This is a difficult question because I’m still discovering the team, but the first exchanges lead me to believe that minds are open, that everyone is capable of working on a broad scope, beyond their speciality.

I also have the feeling that the network is considerable, and that the team is on the lookout for everything that is happening in the world of entrepreneurship and start-ups.

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT ARE THE KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL INDUSTRIALISATION PROJECT?

Participation in the design of the product, risk analysis, reasoned costing, simplification for better control, anti-error systems to avoid counting rejects at the end of the line…
From a methods point of view: clear flows, avoidance of unnecessary operations (stock, handling, etc.) flexibility of the workforce about the volumes to be produced.

IF YOU HAD TO DESCRIBE AXANDUS IN 3 WORDS WHAT WOULD THEY BE?

• Innovation
• Diversification
• Support

FINAL WORDS: WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD? AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FILM?

It’s not winter anymore, but never mind Morteaux sausages, potatoes, cancoillotte. Accompanied by a Savagnin of course!

I don’t know if I have a favourite kind of film. I like cinema, but I would say a road movie: Little Miss Sunshine.

L’article Expert interview: Hervé Gaillard, industrialization project manager est apparu en premier sur Axandus.

Often forgotten or leftout, product qualification is essential to the success of a product. Waterproofing, drops, extreme temperatures… These are constraints that your product will have to face. So go through the qualification process to ensure reliability and limit your costs! 

Product qualification is a catch-all term sometimes difficult to understand. In a nutshell, this step determines the level of reliability of the product. A product is considered reliable when it meets expectations depending on its conditions of use.

Minimise the risks

It is often said that entrepreneurship means taking risks. But it is possible to limit and control them. The aim is to market a reliable product in order to avoid a bad user experience.

Everyone has had a bad experience with a poorly reliable product. Have you ever bought a product that promised to be waterproof and drop-proof, but didn’t deliver? A bit disappointing, isn’t it? Then remember that your customers are likely to feel the same frustration. If your product promises to be waterproof, make sure it is. It is essential that you get your product qualified before its market release. This will avoid additional maintenance costs (after-sales service) or even undermine your image.

Product Qualification: prerequisites and key steps

The first piece of advice from any manufacturer: consider product qualification as soon as possible. If the product reliability knowledge is one of the last steps on paper, in reality it is a bit more complex.

Indeed, you will perform your product qualification once you have your product in hand. But if it is essential to think about reliability as soon as you draft specifications, it is because the latter must specify the constraints that your product will encounter. Will it be exposed to the sun for hours on end? Immersed in water? Underground? …? Think about duration of use, shock resistance, temperature, waterproofing, standards, etc. Clearly define your needs and product constraints in your specifications. This way, you will reduce your risks of redesigning, exceeding deadlines, etc.

And now? Qualify!

You have defined your needs at the specification stage, and you are at the prototype, pre-production or production stage. You now need to test and validate your choices according to the use and environment of your product. For this, several tests exist:

• • Climatic chamber: your product is used in a severe environment (desert, extreme cold zone, etc.)? Then make sure that it can withstand the various temperature variations.   

• • Thermal enclosure: if you want to estimate the life of your product, thermal enclosures allow you to simulate its ageing. 

• • Humid heat chamber: if your product is used in a humid area (condensation, etc.), test it and ensure its integrity.  

• • Water pressure chamber: if your product is to be immersed in water, perform a test to determine its level of waterproofing.  

• • UV test enclosure: your product is exposed to direct sunlight? Make sure it is UV resistant (discolouration of the plastic, etc.).  

• • Vibrating pot: will your product be subjected to vibrations? We offer tests to ensure that your product does not break, or become disrupted, at the first mechanical exposure. This allows us to validate the materials used.

Once the tests have been carried out, there is still a lot to do: the results must then be analysed. Think product qualificationright from the design stage! The experience of the Axandus staff will save you valuable time in this phase. They are able to assist you in solving any problems you may encounter.

L’article Product Qualification : a key step in determining the reliability of your product est apparu en premier sur Axandus.

Our manufacturing accelerator has already been providing industrial support to start-ups and innovative companies for 7 years. This has been made possible thanks to the work of our teams and a very specific way of working that allows us to offer you the best possible support.

We’ll tell you a little more about it.

The accelerator within large groups

To better understand our activity, it is important to give a brief history of Axandus.

Our accelerator was created in 2014 in Lyon, more precisely in Beynost, by the EFI Automotive group, a partner in tomorrow’s sustainable and intelligent mobility, and an automotive equipment manufacturer (sensors, actuators, intelligent modules and embedded systems) with a view to diversifying and supporting start-ups and innovative companies in their product development, sourcing and industrialization issues.

The company Sercel, a leader in seismic acquisition equipment (instrumentation in harsh environments, monitoring instruments, etc.) of the CGG group joined the adventure in 2017. We have therefore also set up our accelerator in Nantes, in Carquefou, within Sercel’s headquarters.

So, our two sites give Axandus a significant geographical reach. This national coverage allows us to be as close as possible to our customers.

Two sites to provide you quality industrial support  

Our two entities now share a single name and also apply the same methods of support to our clients. This is essential in order to ensure a consistent level of service within our respective offices.

In addition to a working method, we share common values such as: 

• Caring with an industrial eye,
• The desire to offer support focused on solving challenges,  
• Agility and pragmatism in proposing solutions.

Indeed, our teams offer personalized support depending on the issues or the stage the project is at. Find out about our different possibilities on our “manufacturing acceleration” page.

In addition, our Axandus teams can count on the experience and pro-activity of their respective industrial groups to bring your projects to fruition!

Both groups, EFI Automotive and Sercel, have gathered years of experience in their fields and strong skills. Our Axandus teams can take advantage of this know-how any time for you!

“The power of an industrial group, the agility of a start-up”

A strong complementarity between the teams for a successful industrial support!

On the other hand, coming from two large industrial groups with different expertise, our teams at Axandus Nantes and Lyon have learned to complement each other. We combine our strengths and put them to work for your projects. This complementarity gives our clients the opportunity to benefit from the skills of each team, regardless of their geographical location. To make this possible, we exchange information daily via videoconference. These regular meetings allow us to discuss new projects and, sometimes, to direct our clients to the best suited team that in order to meet their needs.

Our skills enable us to cover many fields of application, the main ones being: 

• Automotive,
• Smart agriculture,
• Energy and the environment,
• Connected objects,
• Mobility/transportation,
• Drones and robotics,
• Monitoring of structures and infrastructures,

And many more!

Communication teams working hand in hand  

In addition to our decision-making and technical teams, our communication teams also work in symbiosis. Indeed, regular updates are made in order to disseminate information internally, but also to keep the website and social networks of the accelerator alive, so that you are always aware of the latest news and the type of support we are able to provide.

To sum up, Axandus is a manufacturing accelerator specializing in mechatronics, with two teams, each with their own experience and supported by a major industrial group. The entities work hand in hand to offer you the support you need!

Click here to discover the face of our teams and to contact us.

L’article Industrial support: Axandus structured to help you est apparu en premier sur Axandus.

Our Axandus team is composed of experts who all have significant experience within the Sercel or EFI group. Today let’s meet Denis, start-up project manager. After 32 years with EFI Automotive, he joined Axandus’ Lyon office. Discover with us a rich and complex job.

Can you introduce yourself and present your career path within the EFI group?

My name is Denis Faure, I am 61 years old and I have been working for EFI Automotive since 1989. As an expert in industrial design, I originally specialized in the design of mechatronic objects for the automotive market. During these 32 years within the EFI Group, I had the opportunity to hold different positions such as :

• Project Manager for the development of new generation sensors in our design office.
• I was also the head of a production workshop where I had the opportunity to manage a small team of operators and technicians.
• Project Manager ” Creation of the full production procedure ” now generalized to the whole EFI Automotive Group.
• Then I joined the tooling team (mold makers, die cutting, industrialization).
• Then I joined the RFQ team for the realization of costing and the development of new technological bricks.

After this succession of activities I joined Axandus in 2016. My first major project within this manufactoring accelerator was the development and implementation of a production line for the company Primo1D.

Since then, I am a start-up project manager and I manage the industrialization of many projects.

As a start-up project manager, can you explain your role within the Axandus team?

My role at Axandus is to accompany start-ups in their development phase, in order to obtain a reliable and industrializable product. Indeed, I have a coordinator role between the various participants on a project: designer, buyers, suppliers, customers…

My experience in product design and industrialization allows me to integrate the constraints in these two fields.

Can you tell us what motivated you to join the Axandus service?

The diversity of the activities and the subjects approached, with many different projects heach more interesting than the last.

What is the most difficult thing about being a start-up project manager?

The most difficult thing to manage is to adapt to the specificities of each project and the technologies involved, because the development time is very short. We have to aim right from the start to respect the schedules.

In your point of view, what are the strengths of the Axandus service?

For me, the strength of our service is our flexibility, with complementary experiences and skills.

How does the support with the start-ups work?

To carry out the industrialization of the start-ups that entrust us with their projects, we rely on the 85 years of industrial know-how of the EFI Automotive Group. Our knowledge of manufacturing processes allows us to quickly set up their industrial production targets and thus accelerate their Time to Market.

We work with agile methods, in project mode!

We organise launch kick-offs, weekly meetings: we closely follow the schedules we have set. So we move forward step by step with GO/NO GO milestones.

The first step of the industrialisation process usually starts with a functional analysis of the solution. From this, we deduce a validation and improvement plan and then carry out the industrial design of this version 2.0. At the same time, we carry out a quotation and costing exercise with our book of suppliers in order to optimise the cost of the deployed solution. Once this stage has been validated, we move on to prototyping and validation.

Once the product has been tested and validated, it is launched into production. Depending on the wishes of the start-up and the Axandus management, the industrialization and complete manufacturing plan can be set up in our Diversification factory based in the Haute Marne region of France, or at a third party.

In your opinion, what are the keys to a successful industrialization project?

First and foremost, the end customer’s needs must be clearly perceived. Feel and measure the market potential and put in place means adapted to the identified issues.

L’article Start-up project manager – Expert interview with Denis Faure est apparu en premier sur Axandus.

As a start-upper, every day is a new challenge. You have a new product, new suppliers, new clients – everything is new. If you want to keep your head above water, you need an efficient way of managing your project. But what can you do to make sure your project is a success?

Are you considering the benefits of project management for your start-up? Is it really efficient? Or is it actually just a fad? And how can you apply it to your organisation?

Project management is an organisational method which aims to save time and reduce costs through the use of milestones, helping you to limit risk and to boost your chances of success.

Project management in a start-up context

You can’t do everything on your own. You need to surround yourself with incubators, suppliers and other service providers. However, the more parties there are involved, the harder it becomes to track what everyone is doing while staying on top of deadlines.

This is where project management comes in, helping to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Project management is even more important in a start-up context, where you have to be ultra-responsive on all fronts. You have to schedule and anticipate upcoming milestones in order to handle any unforeseen events.

But rather than reducing your timeframes, the goal is more to optimise them. When will you be at your busiest? Could you spread a task out over several weeks? … ? The success of your project depends on it.

When it comes to project management, there are two main aspects: the organisational aspect and methodology. The first involves identifying the team that will run the project and what their roles will be, while the second involves working out which route to take in order for your project to succeed.

A well-organised team: the cornerstone of efficiency

Everyone knows that good organisation can help you to become more efficient, which means everyone having a clearly-defined role. There are three main entities within a typical project structure: the project manager, the project team and the steering committee.

The project manager: this is your team’s maestro, responsible for planning and coordinating your project and ensuring everything runs smoothly. If anything goes wrong, it is their job to flag this up and to determine how to get things back on track.

The project team: The project team is made up of experts from each field, focusing on the product and day-to-day running of the project. They must report back to the project manager at each milestone and ensure the relevant deliverables are produced.

The steering committee: The job of the steering committee is to take a wider look at the project, stepping back from the operational and technical side of things and focusing on business and clients.

In start-ups with smaller staff numbers, it might be tempting to forego these 3 roles. However, bear in mind that the aim isn’t to rigidify decision-making, but rather to be more responsive through a better division of strengths.

You should also identify those tasks that your team will not be able to execute and who the relevant stakeholders are, as well as what their roles will be.

Project management methods

Now that your organisational structure is in place, let’s talk about the methods you’re going to use. There are a number of project management approaches available to you (agile, waterfall, etc.), all of which have been well-documented. Whatever approach or method you choose to use, it is vital to keep a handle on the fundamentals: time, risk and costs. Let’s talk now about scope.

Neither your budget nor your timeframes are infinite. You have to determine what the limits are for your project. What can you not do without? And what could possibly wait until a later version?

Projects have to be broken down into phases, and then into tasks or work packages, each of which will have a deliverable. Keeping to such a structure will ensure you continue to move forward and enable you to remain on schedule. There are 4 phases to a project: initiation, planning, execution and closure. You must identify the actions for each phase, which you will then break down into mini-projects, each with an expected deliverable.

Deliverables will be something tangible (documents, a product, the results of a test, etc.) that the team must come up with by a date agreed upon in advance. Regularly reviewing your deliverables will help to ensure you keep project risk in-check.

Risk is an ever-present in any project. But with project management, you will have a more comprehensive view of the phases to come and the potential risks linked to each milestone. This will reduce unpredictability, leaving you better prepared for the unexpected if it does arrive.

Far from costing you time, structuring your project is the only way to effectively coordinate activities and to ensure your project is a success.

See also: Start-ups: eliminating risk through pre-productions

L’article Start-ups: Boost your efficiency through project management est apparu en premier sur Axandus.

You’ve come up with a POC (Proof Of Concept) and then a prototype. You’ve done your market research and you’ve produced your first prototypes with a view towards series production.

As you go through the different stages (POC, prototyping, pre-production), you should be able to eliminate risk by moving forward in an organised and methodical way. The POC and prototyping stages are when you should be starting to think about processes. Pre-production gives you the opportunity to properly put your production hypotheses to the test.

What is pre-production?

As its name would suggest, pre-production is the stage that comes before series production. The aim is to produce your innovation in real-life conditions. Pre-production gives you the opportunity to iron out any wrinkles before launching series production. Think of it as your dress rehearsal before opening night.

What pre-production actually involves is producing a substantial number of products in order to confirm that the logistics chain, the equipment and the production framework are all in place and operational. Like a stage director, it is your job to make sure that the backdrops are ready, that the lighting is as it should be and that the actors all know their lines.

As you may have understood, the focus of pre-production is not so much on manufacturing itself as it is on the organisation required in order for manufacturing to take place.

Pre-production – it’s all about organisation

There are two main stages to pre-production: technology readiness et la manufacturing readiness.

Readiness is the stage at which your product is ready to go to market.

You will have validated the functions of your prototypes and made a final decision on design during the prototyping stage. Your product is ready, having reached technology readiness.

However, what we want to focus on during the pre-production stage is manufacturing readiness. This is when you validate and test out your manufacturing processes (tools, specialist processes, etc.). You should also be thinking about components. You should have reached a final decision on your nomenclature (your list of components) and identified and qualified your suppliers.

Let’s take a look at what’s involved in assessing manufacturing readiness.

Assessing manufacturing readiness and limiting risk

Like many start-ups, you are going to be working with different manufacturers, all of whom have to be factored in when assessing your manufacturing readiness. Make sure that your suppliers are able to meet your requirements, both from a qualitative point of view (e.g. that checkpoints are in place) and a quantitative point of view (e.g. that they are able to meet the demand forecast). Similarly, you will have determined the incoming goods checks for components (e.g. critical measurements) and will have in stock components that meet the purchase specification.

All manufacturing equipment (for assembly, testing, etc.) will have been developed and qualified and will be ready to go, allowing you to use it with confidence.

Pre-production also gives you the opportunity to test your organisation of production.. Have the teams who will be assembling and testing the product been given the appropriate training? Is the necessary documentation available? These are all things you must take care of prior to launching pre-production.

Finally, make sure your product is still in keeping with your technical specifications and with your requirements. 

So, what’s after pre-production?

The big day is here: it’s time to launch your pre-production. Fine-tuning your manufacturing readiness will help to ensure your pre-production is a success. However, bear in mind that you will have one or two adjustments to make.

You will also need to pay close attention to the time spent to produce parts (labour costs), the quality yield of the production line (the cost of poor quality), and your organisation of production (skillsets, versatility). To do so, you need to be at the heart of the action, enabling you (or your industrial partner) to identify any areas for improvement or fine-tuning in order to ensure the smooth running of the next phase: series production.

See also: Production: From Minimum Viable Product to Minimum Viable Processs

L’article Start-ups: eliminating risk through pre-production est apparu en premier sur Axandus.

During the POC or Proof of concept phase you will have validated your concept, how your product will be used and its market. A prototype – or, rather, prototypes – will enable you to develop something that is close to your final product in terms of its design, how it will be used, the technology, etc. But prototyping goes further than that.

Technical specifications: a key stage for moving from POC to prototype

The market research you carried out during the POC (Proof Of Concept), phase will have helped you to develop an understanding of client needs. What you now have to do is to translate these needs and apply them to your product through a functional analysis. One method of doing this is the horned beast method. This involves taking the critical needs expressed within your market and pairing each of them up with a function, resulting in a product comprised of just its main functions.
Once you have this product you can outline your conclusions and your needs in a functional specification. This will contain a detailed description of all of the characteristics of the future product, as well as needs, features and constraints the product will be subject to (size, temperature, environment, etc.). This allows you to prepare for the design phase while thinking ahead to production.

Thinking product AND process

Developing prototypes is an important part of your project. The aim of prototypes is twofold: to validate the features of the product (design choices) and to develop the production process. This stage is iterative: the design of a product will often have to be changed depending on the production equipment available. At the same time, you may have to develop specialist tools or equipment in order to conform to design requirements.

In any case, there are choices to be made and risks to be assessed. This phase is crucial for your project, and should not be overlooked. It will help you to tackle subsequent stages, including pre-production, with confidence.

Packaged up and ready to go

As we have seen, there are two benefits to producing prototypes. Let’s now take a look at the validation of features.
You will previously have looked into all of the different possibilities and selected those that best meet the needs of your market. Your market may have expressed a desire for a product that is capable of withstanding falls or being submerged in water for more than 30 minutes. Let’s use this second one as an example. You will start by taking the prototype that is closest to your final product and testing how hard-wearing it is, identifying any possible improvements or validating its ability to withstand being submerged. If any changes need to be made, then you will repeat and improve or modify any defective components. For this example, you will only be able to conclude the test phase once you have validated that your prototype is watertight.
Although often forgotten about or dismissed, testing is essential. You will find it all stages (Proof Of Concept, Prototyping, Pre-production, Production). Making sure your product is reliable will prevent you from investing in a defective product, or having to retrace your steps just a few weeks before launching your product.

À lire : Production: from Minimum Viable Product to Minimum Viable Process

L’article Prototypes: essential for start-ups with big ambitions est apparu en premier sur Axandus.

Now that you are familiar with the MVP concept (Minimum Viable Product or Minimum Viable Process), let’s turn our attention to what is known as a POC.

POC, which stands for Proof Of Concept, is the first stage in the process of creating an innovative product. It is often seen as a way of proving the feasibility of a technological solution, but it goes way beyond that. A POC can be used to validate the suitability of your market in that it allows you to determine whether or not the service or product in question meets an actual need and whether or not the business model is viable..

There are 4 main stages:

Stage 1: develop your product hypotheses

You’ve just had the idea of the century.

You now have to write down all of the hypotheses you believe in, in terms of the market, the technology itself and how it could be used. The aim of this is to get you to see the bigger picture eand to consider all possibilities, even those that might seem unlikely.

Let’s consider the example of a new type of autonomous drone. Making sure your product is waterproof will be every bit as important as looking into ways of making it more environmentally-friendly.

Once you have written out all of your hypotheses, you then have to prioritise them by identifying those which you believe to be critical. These are the hypotheses you will have to test out on your target market.

Stage 2: Analyse your market

Before moving to the development phase, you must first validate your technical, economic and commercial hypotheses by testing them out on your market.

All tests have to be verified using precise metrics. For instance, you can validate a hypothesis if 70% of the target market responds favourably. The aim is to ensure that your product meets market expectations, helping to avoid a “no market need” situation.

Too many entrepreneurs are overly product-centric – nearly half of all start-up failures occur as a result of poor market research.

Coming up with a solution that meets specific market needs will save you from ending up with a product that might well do everything, but which the market has no need for.

Stage 3: Develop a real-life POC

Now that you’ve collected your data, it’s time to create a pretotype (a sketch or model of the concept) for your target client. This is what is known as the pretotyping phase.

Once your client has this pretotype they will then be able to analyse its performance.
This stage gives you the opportunity to validate your initial hypotheses.

More advanced than a pretotype, you can create an initial product comprising existing technology. It may not be the finished article, but it will meet a number of needs expressed by your target client. Although more expensive than a pretotype, it will enable you to delve deeper and to go beyond usage, looking at things from a technical perspective.

Stage 4: Taking it to the next level

You are ready to finish with a POC and move onto the prototyping stage once all of the critical hypotheses have been validated. This may also involve your target showing a keen interest in your concept or you receiving support from a financial backer.

You can now work on the technical specifications for your product.

On the flipside, if market research shows there is no interest, we would recommend that you call it a day or make changes to your product. Remember that this is the goal of a POC – to test and validate your ideas.

Read more: Incubator, accelerator or industrialization accelerator?

L’article POC: A must for industrial start-ups est apparu en premier sur Axandus.

MVP involves prioritising the speed at which your product is developed, helping to reduce your time to market. For this, forget all about a perfect, fully-finished product and focus instead on a simplified version. Leave out everything other than its essential features, those which are central to your product. This will reduce both your time to market and your development costs.

Start-ups are now aware of the benefits of bringing out an initial product with limited features, but they don’t always think of applying this same concept to the process itself.

Think streamlined, think process

Can the MVP concept be extended into the industrial sphere? Imagine we were to implement a minimum viable process (MVPc), i.e. a streamlined process capable of performing the task. This approach, which involves beginning with a minimum process and developing it over the course of the project, is actually quite common in the business world. The first people involved in the project will be highly-qualified and will be given little in the way of assistance. As production volumes increase and with a need to reduce costs, operators will be given more assistance from robots.

Follow your market and repeat!

Early production must be completely overhauled as the project progresses and volumes and costs change.

This iterative approach is the only way to limit the tricky investments that start-ups have to make. There are many examples of this involving mechatronic products. In mechanics, for instance, plastic parts can be made using 3D printing, followed by machining, moulding, etc. But it isn’t enough simply to list these solutions. You need to be aware of the relevant costs and constraints for each of them. A given solution might be the best option for one stage, only to be found to be unsuitable as quantities increase.
In electronics there is a wide range of iterations for cable bundles: manual/automatic brazing, manual/automatic crimping, etc. An in-depth knowledge of the technical and economic differences between these solutions will help to engage the next iteration.

Designing processes means making compromises

The design and development of processes has a significant impact on timeframes and costs, meaning these have to be factored in when choosing solutions in order to strike the best possible balance at each stage of the project. If a process is expensive but necessary for a product, could the product be redesigned? If a process takes long to design and execute, could a suitable alternative be found for a limited period of time? You have to weigh up the pros and cons in terms of client value and profitability. You can, of course, decide to opt for voluntarily negative profitability, when you know that your manufacturing process is too costly for the quantity you are looking to produce, but you also know that, in the medium to long term, the volume effect will offset any losses.

Now that you have decided on a strategy, it’s time to move onto your POC: POC: Essential for industrial start-ups

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L’article Production: From Minimum Viable Product to Minimum Viable Process est apparu en premier sur Axandus.