business growth unlimited gateway to npd 2015.pdf final

Business support from the experts

Gateway to New Product Development

Gateway to New Product Development 3

Introduction

Whether you are discovering your

concept, building your business

case, in development, testing the

market or ready to launch there

are key pitfalls at each stage that

we can help you avoid.

We understand the commercial

risks of bringing a new product to

market and depending on where

you are in your journey we can

help you build your business case,

put you in touch with reliable suppliers, work with you

to test the idea, assess the market value and bring the product

to commercialisation.

Our team of highly-trained specialists will not only coach you

through the rigorous process of bringing the product concept to

fruition, they will conduct continued evaluations of your product

proposition, perform a full industry review and tap into

an extensive knowledge base of expertise and skills.

Our well-developed evaluation tools and metrics have helped

scores of businesses introduce new products to market and

improved their internal capabilities since its launch in 2007

and now we want to help your business.

I myself ran a company for more than 25 years with around

160 employees and I know all the pitfalls waiting for businesses,

because unfortunately I have fallen into some of them myself

whilst at the same time enjoying great successes.

So whilst the Gateway programme has a proven record of

guiding companies to incredible success as they launch new

products, it can also stop you making a terrible mistake with

a panel of experts on hand to advise you every step of the way.

This booklet shows some of those success stories and the many

ways in which Gateway can help a business. We hope it will

encourage you to ask us how best we can help you as you look

to the future growth and success of your business.

Roy Pulley New Product Development Specialist

Gateway to New Product Development is a unique business support offering, created to help guide you through the obstacles to successfully launch a new product.

“The process is designed to progressively assess the

Return on Investment (ROI) against Risk, so that ongoing

investment decisions can be made wisely based on credible

management information.”

Roy Pulley

––– – – – – – – – ––– – – –––

– – – – – – – – ––– – – – – – – – – –––

DISCOVERY

BUSINESS CASE D E V ELOPMEN

T

T

ESTING

LAUNCH

DISCOVERY

BUSINESS CASE D E V ELOPMEN

T

T

ESTING

LAUNCH

Gateway to New Product Development 5Gateway to New Product Development4

Designing for ‘Desirability’

Return on Investment (ROI)

Protecting the Sexy Bits

Getting your ducks in a row

Customers are human too

Because money doesn’t grow on trees

Making it Makeable to Make Money

If you don’t know where you are going… all roads lead there

Keep it safe, sustainable and legal

Reach the right people

A clear vision for success It’s a chain reaction

EconoveyCase Study

A pioneering new chain belt technology is set to revolutionise the way products, including bulk materials, are transported.

The ground-breaking Econovey 2D chain belt will provide an

alternative and far more cost effective solution to the traditional

chain belt. It will enable material handling businesses, such as

food and aggregate industries, across the world to move their

products more efficiently.

Engineer Jeff Gough was the brains behind the design, but

at 82-years-old, he decided he’d rather enjoy his retirement

so passed his invention on to someone who had the time

and expertise to take the idea forward.

With a background in the food technologies business, Simon

Wheatley, MD at Econovey Technologies, was the right man for

the job. He said: “Myself and Jeff were introduced through the

MAS comprehensive network. Without them, this pioneering

new chain would never have seen the light of day.”

Whilst keeping its strength, durability and the ability to be

maintained, the new Econovey chain belt is also lighter and uses

less energy.

With the help of the Gateway to NPD process, the Econovey

chain belt has now commercialised by securing international

licence agreements.

Simon added: “We knew we had a revolutionary new product

on our hands right from the beginning and the panel of experts

saw this potential and they were able to guide and advise

throughout. In particular the panel of experts was vital in the

development of the belt.

“I found the panel to be very enthusiastic as well as challenging

about our new technology. They asked us the questions we

hadn’t yet asked ourselves and this third party expertise was vital

to keep us on-track and gave us the confidence to keep moving

forward.”

Cipher SurgicalCase Study

Gateway to New Product Development Gateway to New Product Development6 7

Advances in medical research have to be matched by advances in technology and one company leading its field is Cipher Surgical which has developed a unique system that aims to make laparoscopic surgery less risky.

The medical device company was established to design, patent

and globally market a device which maintains a clear distal

window of the laparoscope during an operation.

Andrew Newell, managing director of Cipher Surgical, said;

“In laparoscopy, a laparoscope is introduced into the abdomen

for minimum invasive surgery. However, there are problems

when the end of the laparoscope, which houses the camera lens,

becomes covered in contaminants such as condensation, fluids,

tissue, blood and that sort of thing.

“The current gold standard to clean this is to remove the

laparoscope for washing. However, this often happens at a time

of extreme risk, for example if there is a bleed, and it can cause

great concern for theatre staff.

“What we have done is develop OpClear™, which is a technology

which clears the scope without removing it from the abdomen.

It is unique and is a combination of technologies. A polymer

sheath clips onto the laparoscope and a control unit blows CO2

gas up the sheath which clears everything in its path. It is a very

simple, elegant design.”

Cipher Surgical decided to enlist the help of the NPD Gateway

from a very early stage, and found it instrumental in its research

and development process.

Andrew added: “We had a lot of development to do and we were

very fortunate to receive a grant from MAS with regard to this.

“We went through the Gateway Panel process which we thought

was very rewarding. They made us think really hard, under

questioning, about what it was we were trying to achieve and

how we were going to achieve it.

“I think for a company such as ours, particularly where the team

has limited expertise, by working with the Gateway programme

we have been able to beef up our knowledge by challenging

what we are trying to do. The panel also made sure we were

delivering best practice in all areas of the business.

“Gateway has proved extremely helpful especially as the panel

brought other elements to the equation that we had not really

thought about. The whole experience has been invaluable.”

CommercialisationTesting and validation

Turning bike design on its head

As an ex-elite triathlon athlete, Martin Meir knows that hi-tech equipment is one way of shaving off those vital minutes from your overall time. He also knows that the triathlon world is ready for a revolution, and has created a new style of Time Trial bike that aims to cut race times dramatically by considering all aspects of the bicycle offering.

Kamm DesignCase Study

Kamm Design is a spin-off company of Kamm Projects,

a specialist advanced composite manufacturer. It aims to

create a new cycle brand and is one of only a handful of cycle

manufacturers in the UK.

Its first product is aimed squarely at the triathlon market as the

sport is unregulated and open to innovation.

Martin said: “All other cycle sports are heavily regulated and this

has hampered development. But we had a clean sheet of paper

for triathlons, and we wanted to create a cycle that was lighter,

faster and more user friendly. We are breaking the paradigm

and challenging the traditional bicycle design.

“We want to offer people a way of optimising their performance

on the bike leg, so they are fresher for the run and we carried out

a lot of research into the aerodynamic relationship between the

body and the machine,” added Martin.

“We decided to approach the Gateway programme not only

for funding advice but also because we could see the benefit

of an external body looking in on our proposal. The panel went

through our business plan to make sure we had covered all

aspects and they assured us it was a correct and robust plan

with the right market analysis.

“To have an external body watching over you that is objective

is extremely worthwhile and they gave us the assurance that we

had come up with a good proposal. It also gave us an external

audit process which helped when applying for funding and also

gave due diligence for investors.

“It gives us confidence to have an advisor there who has

experience and understands our project both commercially and

engineering wise. You cannot be an island of information and

do it by yourself, you need some external people who can be

thought-provoking and who can provide a sounding board.

“We aim to create a brand image and then market other designs

of cycle. The future is very exciting.”


New Product Development Gateway

We can offer you a structured, rigorous process that helps you on the road to bringing your new product to market. No matter what stage of development you have reached, there is a Gateway for you!

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY

Project Selection

Stage 1 Discovery

Stage 0 Enquiry

Stage 2 Building the

Business Case

Stage 3 Design and

Development

Stage 4 Testing and Validation

Stage 5 Business Ramp-up

Stage 6 Launch and

Review

G0 G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6

Business Feasibility

Risk mitigation

Go to Development

Go to Validation

Investment Approval

Pre-Launch Review

Post-Launch Review

Product development


New Product Development Diagnostic

Return on Investment (ROI) versus Risk

A regular, multi-question assessment of the value proposition throughout the Gateway journey and based on the five critical success factors for NPD.

• Product/technology

• Market

• Manufacture

• Business

• Finance

Depicted graphically on a radar chart, the tool shows progress and concurrency throughout

the development process; valuable to the client, the coach and the assessment panel.

Gate 1 to Gate 5 Project Position – Risk vs Reward vs ‘Cost to Do’

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it!”

This tool quantifies risk at any stage of the journey, by factoring progress against three readiness levels:

• Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs)

• Manufacturing Readiness Levels (MRLs)

• Commercialisation Levels (CRLs)

– the output from which is a level of ‘un-readiness’, which relates directly to the remaining level

of risk in the journey

By establishing the Return on Investment (ROI) from both the predicted commercial benefit

and the non-recurring cost of investment, then the relationship between all three can be

portrayed on a ‘time based’ bubble chart.

This tool provides assurance to all stakeholders that risk is being progressively mitigated.

Gateway 1

Gateway 2

Gateway 3

Gateway 4

Gateway 5

Market

Business Manufacturing

Finance Product

Like

lihoo

d of

Suc

cess

Risk

Red

uctio

n

Commercial Benefit

G5

G4

G3

G2

G1

Mentor• Coaching to a structured process

• Journey based diagnostics

• Evaluation tools and metrics

• Connectivity to UK knowledge base

• Connectivity to manufacturing capabilities

& capacity

• Leverage of available grant funding

Product expert• Design and development

• Branding

• Engineering

• Technology

• Product Compliance

• Testing and validation

Marketing nous• Market analysis

• Market segmentation

• Competitor analysis

• Voice of Customer (VoC)

• Routes to Market

• Strategy

Business guru• Business modelling

• Business planning

• Company structure

• Investment readiness

• Intellectual property

• Legal and professionals

Manufacturing advisor• Make/Buy analysis

• Design for Manufacture

• Manufacturing 4Ms

(materials/machinery/manpower/methodology)

• Advanced Product Quality Planning

• Quality/Cost/Delivery (QCD) management

• Supply Chain management

Finance specialist• Financial modelling

• Return on Investment (ROI)

• Risk Analysis

• Due diligence

• Access to finance (grant/debt/equity)

• R&D tax credits and Patent Box

1

2

3

4

5

6

Your panel provides a wealth of expertise and knowledge at your fingertips. Made up of up to six professionals, the panel members have a deep understanding of product development which, together with the programme’s evaluation tools and metrics, means they can guide you through your journey.

1

2 6

3 5

4


Meet your panel

Most households start to feel like Widow Twankey has moved in on wash day as wet clothes are hung to dry over every available surface. But for Lucie Savidge and Julia Adams such horrors are a thing of the past after they invented their easy-to-use Laundry Ladder. The product, designed by Lucie, has so revolutionised their homes that they have now formed their own company Julu and are about to launch their product onto the market.

Wash day will never be the same again

It has taken the childhood friends several years to create and

perfect their Laundry Ladder as neither of them had a great

deal of business experience. They both agree that without the

guidance of the Gateway to NPD they would not have had the

confidence to get this far.

The Laundry Ladder, which is British-made out of ash, has been

developed as an eco-friendly way of drying large quantities of

washing.

Lucie, a designer who also works as a teaching assistant, said:

“I originally designed the Laundry Ladder because I cannot

stand washing all around the house but I wanted something

that was easy to use and could be stored away. It sits on the wall

making it suitable for houses, flats and cottages, large or small.

It could also be used in a garage, on a balcony or on a

garden wall.

“The ladder hangs on brackets and can be used inside or taken

outside. Using a pulley system, half the ladder can be lowered

down to 90 degrees to hang your washing on but it can be

raised, still with your washing in place, so that it is not in

your way.”

Julia, a holistic therapist, added: “We were struggling to find

a manufacturer and were put in touch with the Gateway to

New Product Development Programme. It is great to have access

to somebody who has a wealth of experience and at every stage

they have been at the end of the phone.

“They have kept us going once or twice when we have had a

bit of a wobble, but they have kept the faith in our product and

helped us find a manufacturer, carry out market research,

find a reliable patent advisor, web designer and key individuals

to give us the confidence that we are doing everything right.

“They have an effective risk mitigating process and the right

methodology to keep everything moving in the right direction.

It is so exciting, as we are about to launch our Laundry Ladder

and our website. We are confident in our beautiful product and

the future is looking great.”

Julu LtdCase Study

“We were struggling to find a manufacturer and were put

in touch with the Gateway to New Product Development

Programme. It is great to have access to somebody who has

a wealth of experience and at every stage they have been at

the end of the phone.”

Julia Adams


Launch

Smart Innovations GridCase Study

“ We’re incredibly proud of our achievements so far and are now

looking at doing a post-launch assessment with the panel with

a view to developing a strategy for future products.”

Sean Elliott

Gateway to New Product Development16 17

Commercialisation

For schools, hotels, and even village halls, it is absolutely vital to manage energy consumption efficiently to be as cost effective as possible and minimise harm to the environment. And with organisations in the UK having to adhere to strict energy management guidelines under the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, minimising energy waste is a top priority.

Energy management experts, Smart Innovations Grid, based

in Tamworth, is a company in the know - developing state-of-

the-art micro telemetry systems that can manage all utilities

remotely, including electricity, gas and water.

In 2010, the company developed the new SIGg, an advanced

low-cost energy management system; ideal for the commercial,

industrial and residential sectors.

The system has already been put through its paces by the

Ramada Hotel in Coventry, which has boasted significant

savings of £32 per day by simply installing SIGg.

After working with the panel of experts for four years and reaping

the benefits of the Gateway programme, as well as financial

support, the company is now on the brink of launching this low

cost, innovative technology on a global scale.

Power to the people

Sean Elliott, commercial director at Smart Innovations, said:

“Taking our new product to the Gateway panel was absolutely

vital for us at the beginning of our journey with SIGg.

“Made up of professionals, the panel members have a vast

knowledge of product development, and it was very interesting

at the initial stages to see whether our product was viable.

“They showed a genuine interest in SIGg and this gave us the

motivation and confidence that our idea was worth taking

forward.

“Although the financial help provided was beneficial, I really

do believe it was the feedback of the panel that really added

value to our product’s development.”

The Gateway programme ensured that Smart Innovations was

given support and guidance, from initial concepts through to

manufacturing and marketing, and they were able to develop

the product in a relatively short amount of time.

Sean added: “We’re incredibly proud of our achievements so far

and are now looking at doing a post-launch assessment with the

panel with a view to developing a strategy for future products.”


With 225 years’ experience in the equestrian market, horse grooming experts Vale Brothers are leaders in their field when it comes to horse accessories. Manufacturing a range of grooming brushes, whips, saddles and horse rugs, the Walsall-based business is the largest horse brush manufacturing company in the world.

Galloping ahead with pioneering technology

However, when a joint venture with Coventry University led to

a ground-breaking new grooming brush with medical qualities,

they needed a little extra help to launch the product to market.

The brush, called KBF 99 (Kills Bacteria and Fungus 99 per cent

of the time), has just been unveiled to consumer and trade

markets, and with the support of the Gateway to NPD, it is

proving a resounding success.

Peter Wilkes, managing director at Vale Brothers, explains the

technology: “Our KBF 99 brush uses patented technology, which

kills bacteria and fungus microbes found in the horse’s living

environment, to help prevent the spread of fatal diseases such

as strangles and skin infections like mud fever and ringworm.

“Our patented system allows polymer additives to be inserted

into the plastic bristles of the brush enabling a layer of tiny

spikes to form on each bristle which break the surface of

a microbe, including bacteria.”

The brush has been through several stages of vigorous testing

at the University of Coventry, and with the help of the Gateway

programme, Peter was introduced to a local product designer.

Peter added: “We knew we’d created an innovative new

technology that would be extremely important to the equestrian

world, but we needed the expertise of the Gateway programme

when it came to the design and price-point of the new product.

“Introducing us to the right product designer, who was able

to realise the potential of the technology and create an

ergonomically slick and visually appealing grooming brush, was

vital to the success of our product and we relied on the panel’s

contacts to enable us to do this.”

Peter also advocates the use of the diagnostic chart created

for this Gateway programme which had guided his business

through the process of development and market acceptance

research.

He said: “It allows us to cover all key aspects of the NPD process

in a logical and effective way, giving structure to enable us

to stay focused. It really was a vital tool for our business and

encouraged us to ask questions that you don’t necessarily want

to ask yourself.

“We’re extremely proud of KBF 99. We could not have taken this

product to market without the valuable advice and support we

have been given from the NPD programme.”

Vale BrothersCase Study

“ We knew we’d created an innovative new technology that

would be extremely important to the equestrian world, but

needed the expertise of the Gateway programme when it came

to the design and price-point of the new product.”

Peter Wilkes


Commercialisation

GrillstreamCase Study

“ They make sure you are on the right track and the panel can

give you a real sanity check and make valuable suggestions

before you take your next step.”

Peter Neath

Gateway to New Product Development20 21

The inventors of the Grillstream have worked closely with the Gateway to NPD for more than five years as they not only convert households to a new way of barbecuing and grilling but now the commercial world as well. Grillstream Technology is a patented system of open bar grilling and cooking that stops fats or oil dripping onto the heat which can cause smoke and flames to flare up. All the fat is streamed away and collected in a separate compartment which can be easily cleaned after cooking.

When the company launched Grillstream, which is manufactured

in China and the West Midlands, it was known for appearing on

the BBC’s Dragons’ Den. Despite being rejected, it has built up

a successful business linking up with LeisureGrow, John Lewis,

Homebase and Tesco.

The company is now using the support of Gateway to launch

a new product into the world of commercial cooking, which it

says will not only save time but will cut gas bills and reduce the

amount of smoke created in a restaurant or commercial kitchen.

Recipe for success

Peter Neath, spokesman for Grillstream Technology, said:

“We have greatly valued the help of Gateway to NPD throughout

the entire process of launching Grillstream, and especially now

as we move into the competitive commercial market.

“You learn as you go along and there is a lot of hand holding

involved but this can be a relationship throughout the life of

your business. They can give you such a lot of advice from

making a prototype, to getting a patent, intellectual property

rights, funding avenues and helping you network to find the

right supplier for you.

“Gateway is one of the few programmes where they really

work to understand your company and what you are doing.

You are given your own advisor, in our case Roy Pulley, who

over the years has become a valued friend as much as a means

of support.

“They make sure you are on the right track and the panel can

give you a real sanity check and make valuable suggestions

before you take your next step.

“With Gateway, if you do not know something they will know

somebody who does and they are a great conduit for referrals

and I would say to any company launching a new product –

do not do it on your own; get great help and advice from

a programme such as Gateway.”

Testing and validation



A G InstrumentsCase Study

It’s a gas, gas, gas

When the opportunity arose for Dr Hany Agaiby to take voluntary redundancy it was just what he needed to take the plunge and form his own business creating portable gas monitors. But whilst his dream of running his own company was about to come true, it was also a daunting decision to plough his redundancy money into the project as failure was not an option with his family savings also on the line.

Dr Agaiby had 23 years’ experience designing products and

had worked for a leading company for more than 10 years.

However, he had always thought of developing his own product

and had carried out market research and testing at home.

When he decided to take voluntary redundancy, the time

seemed right to launch his own portable gas monitor.

Dr Agaiby quickly realised that expert support from

a programme such as Gateway to NPD would help guide him

through the process of creating firm foundations for his new

business, A G Instruments, whilst also providing avenues

for extra funding.

He said: “I saw a gap in the market and developed a range

of high-end gas analysers designed to be easily customised

for a large number of applications including industrial, medical,

refrigeration, waste, emissions monitoring, environmental

monitoring and others.

“Typically, up to 15 gases are measured simultaneously using

infra-red absorption technology out of a library of more than

430 gases.

“However, whilst I had every confidence in my product,

I was aware that I had never run a business before as I have

always been a technical person. With my savings on the line,

I could not afford to make a mistake.

“I received incredible support to take my idea to the market

through the Gateway to NPD, which also helped with funding

and finding suppliers, and I went to them several times.

I had a pot of money, but if I did not have 100% of the product

by the end of it, I would have been in trouble.

“It can be a lonely place developing a product as an

entrepreneur. It is difficult for people to appreciate the pressures

and difficulties launching a new product – the technical and

commercial risks with limited resources and limited time.

“It is very challenging and I greatly valued the support of the

Gateway programme throughout this process as we were able to

tap into the experience of the panel, and people like Roy Pulley.

It gave us a bit of a safety net with someone to bounce ideas off.

There is no reason not to use the Gateway programme and the

vast experience that it available to you. It is a no-brainer.”

01

04

03

02

Opening your mind to success

It’s not just your company that needs to grow in order for you to succeed – you too will go on a journey through four stages of learning.

Unconscious Incompetence“I don’t actually know what it is I don’t know”

Conscious incompetence “I now realise what I don’t know so it’s time for action”

Conscious Competence “Great! I can now use my newly-acquired knowledge and put it to good use”

Unconscious competence“I am becoming a bit of an expert because this really is second nature now!”

01

02

03

04

Commercialisation

Business Growth Unlimited Business Solutions Centre

Wolverhampton Science Park

Glaisher Drive

Wolverhampton

WV10 9RT

T +44 (0) 1902 838321

E [email protected]

W businessgrowthunlimited.com

Contact us to speak to a specialist today!

Telephone: +44 (0) 1902 838321

Email: [email protected]

business growth unlimited gateway to npd 2015.pdf final

Documents