What Full Development and Design Ownership Looks Like
New product development is considered a turnkey service when a single team manages the work from concept to manufacturing-ready documentation.
Throughout the process, the team should own the complete set of tasks and approaches that prepare a product for production without forcing their client to coordinate multiple engineering handoffs.
Turnkey New Product Development Requires Technical Expertise
Concepting, drafting, and production. On its face, the process seems simple. Yet much of the critical engineering work is performed between these phases. This “middle period” of the product development process is essential, as this is where risk most likely exists.
A more realistic engineering process often includes material selection, 3-D modeling, digital prototyping, hand calculations, finite element analysis (FEA), design refinement, compliance review, technical drafting, and final documentation. This is the work that determines whether a concept can move cleanly into production. When that work is not high quality, projects absorb the cost in redesign and downtime.
A new product development company that offers turnkey services can effortlessly move a product through design, validation, refinement, and documentation to deliver a safe, effective, working product.
Finite Element Analysis Should Be Central To New Product Development Services
Finite Element Analysis is often the difference between a design that merely looks effective and one that addresses real operating conditions. A simplified development process can miss the expertise required to turn an idea into a product that performs for users.
FEA allows engineers to simulate how a structure will respond to loading conditions before physical parts are built. This work can include:
- Fatigue analysis
- Linear and nonlinear analysis
- Explicit analysis
- Buckling analysis
- Dynamic analysis
- Vibration analysis
However, FEA is not a final check at the end of a project. Analysis can be applied throughout the new product development process: at the concept stage, during initial design, near project completion, or at any point where a professional engineer identifies a need.
An experienced engineer knows when analysis will add the most value, whether that means speeding up development, optimizing or strengthening materials, or challenging early design assumptions.
When a product moves too far through development without proper analysis, errors become embedded in the design and come to light during real-world use. Strategically applied FEA helps companies limit equipment damage, costly redesigns, schedule setbacks, and safety concerns.
Why Project Management Is Part of Turnkey Product Design and Development Engineering
In and of itself, technical capability does not define a development effort as turnkey. The work of product development engineers must also be managed in a way that ensures scope, schedule, and deliverables are visible to the client and are running on time.
Excellent project management is a critical part of engineering services. A well-run development process provides a transparent view of the engineering team’s progress. A client expecting wrapped new product development support can expect:
- An intuitive, easy-to-use dashboard that clients can check at their convenience.
- Weekly updates to show what tasks are active, what milestones have been reached, and what open items still need to be discussed.
- Clearly communicated scope changes, so they don’t disappear among a client’s sea of emails.
- Schedules that reveal the engineering team’s process and expected delivery dates.
A high level of organization allows clients to plan accordingly and understand how their investment in these services has been handled. This structure also anticipates the natural shifts that occur during the product development process as engineers refine the product for optimal use or account for additional requests from their client.
Projects remain controlled and laser-focused on outcomes during a turnkey process. A client can feel confident in taking a hands-off approach without wondering whether an engineering team’s work is still aligned with the schedule.
When to Bring in a New Product Development Team
Manufacturers usually bring in product design and development services in a variety of situations, but these tend to be the most common:
- A custom request requires specialized engineering support.
- Internal engineering resources are already committed elsewhere.
- Existing equipment may need redesign and optimization.
- You need engineering services on a rolling basis for fast, continuous support.
In these situations and more, ensure you’ve chosen product design engineering services that offer a comprehensive solution. There’s no need to put your success at risk by selecting a team that lacks experience in certain parts of the design process. Instead, trust your business goals to a proven, turnkey new product development company.
