Title: In search of a product innovation work process for non-assembled products

Authors: Thomas Lager; Christopher Don Simms

Addresses: School of Innovation, Design and Engineering, Mälardalen University, P.O. Box 325, SE-63105 Eskilstuna, Sweden ' Faculty of Business and Law, University of Portsmouth, Portland Street, Portsmouth, PO13DE, UK

Abstract: The family of process industries embodies multiple industrial sectors and make up an important part of the entire manufacturing industries of particular importance for late-industrialising countries. In a review of the extant literature on product innovation work processes and best practice innovation of non-assembled products, an integrated conceptual framework has been developed. The novel framework is proposed to guide and invigorate company development and design of 'individualised' product innovation work processes more adapted to process-industrial contextual and innovation conditions. Due to the coupling between products and the production systems in the process industries, it is concluded that development of new products must be better integrated with the development of necessary production capabilities in an end-to-end work process perspective. Research on fuzzy front-end of process-industrial product innovation has been amalgamated but it is demonstrated that more attention should be paid to industrialisation and market launch; here denominated the bumpy back-end.

Keywords: process industries; manufacturing industries; product innovation; process innovation; work process; industrialisation; fuzzy front-end; bumpy back-end; late-industrialising countries.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTLID.2020.112230

International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, 2020 Vol.12 No.3, pp.224 - 250

Received: 25 Jun 2020
Accepted: 14 Jul 2020
Published online: 05 Jan 2021 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article