Part 1 Ubiquitous Products
Ubiquitous Products serve as an orientation for the novice and provides a review for those with substantial experience in the industry. This first part offers an insight into the secretive world of new product development and introductions by providing a map of the process and a few additional helpful hints for the practitioner.
Chapter 1 Introduction
Most companies realize the importance of a thorough introduction. Yet, companies are either mechanically or electrically focused. This state-of-affairs leaves the enclosure engineering community in an unenviable position. Important elements such as industrial design, integration across several engineering domains and complete fulfilment of user requirement specifications are at stake.
Chapter 2 Innovation
Understanding the fundamental innovation waves and how subsequent waves reshape the innovation landscape is paramount to implementing a successful NPD program. The current global trend is to get ever more power into an ever-smaller space in electronics. There is also a remarkable long-term trend to integrate. Emerging technologies need to be monitored periodically and a technology review must be based on real information rather than hype.
Chapter 3 Market Segments
Development of a balanced portfolio of enclosure customers is an imperative that not many suppliers can afford to ignore. It is therefore, helpful to review various enclosure markets. Segments such as the chemicals, explosive environments, energy & off shore, food, beverage, tobacco, material handling, off road, and pharmaceuticals require very specialized expertise. It was found that automotive, the built environment, consumer electronics, electrical, instruments, medical device, and robotics offer the highest growth market segments at present.
Chapter 4 Requirements
Enclosure requirements are important to understand to design proper NPD programs. Elements of the functional requirement specification (FRS) creation were reviewed. Practical examples were furnished to supplement core concepts. There are many requirements that drive development of any new products. Some are unique but there are many general criteria that most development projects will encounter. However, the most important three aspects are emphasized here: URS to FRS conversion must be done efficiently and in a way as to motivate the NPD team, every strategic design criteria must be incorporated into the FRS, and design compliance must be achieved if the product is to be successful.
Chapter 5 Types
There are many types of enclosures each needing a slightly different balance of engineering skill sets. Thus, an introduction to the standard types of packages, housings and enclosures was furnished. First the seven levels were defined to provide clarity. Some of these levels were grouped together to form the three final levels providing an easy to remember classification exactly coinciding with the title of this handbook series: enclosures, housings, and packages.
Chapter 6 New Product Development
New product development closes the first part of this handbook. Understanding the process of new product development commonly referred to by its acronym NPD, is critical. Following a well-described new product development (NPD) and introduction (NPI) process is a critical factor to create a long term competitive advantage for the host organization. This process is a conceptual model for creating a viable idea and developing it into an enclosure, housing or packaging product in the minimum amount of time. This general mental model sub-divides the overall NPD effort into eight distinct phases. Each phase is subdivided into manageable steps that are assigned to a function within the new product development cross-functional team. All 161 steps are described to present a complete map of the Electronic Enclosure Product Development (EEPD) process.
