Consumer Products Engineering

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Consumer Products Engineering

• Note This engineering instructional material
  was created by Boise State University with
  support from the William and Flora Hewlett
  Foundation's Engineering Schools of the West
  Initiative. Educators may use or copy this
  document free of charge on the condition that
  they credit Boise State University and the
  William and Flora Hewlett Foundation as creators.

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Engineers improve our world!

• Engineers apply the principles of science and
  mathematics to develop economical solutions to
  technical problems.
• (US Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
  Occupational Outlook Handbook, http//www.bls.gov/
  oco/ocos027.htm )

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Consumer Products Engineering

• Engineers developing consumer products
• They solve customer problems
• AND

• make money for their company

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What Constitutes a Consumer Product?

• Tend to be high volume and mass produced (not
  one-off or limited run)
• Cost-effective solution based on market demands
  (quality vs. price tradeoff)
• Often low cost of manufacture is chosen over
  repair-ability by manufacturer

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Developing a consumer product
Numerous engineering tasks required

• Design Products
• Manufacture products
• Test products
• Distribute products
• Sell products
• Support products

• The best design is useless if it cant be
  manufactured, distributed and purchased in a cost
  effective manner!

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Engineering Design Process

• Define the problem or need

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Engineering Design Process

• Define the problem or need
• Gather information
• Shortcomings of existing solutions
• Competitive Analysis
• Environment for use
• Economic factors
• Brainstorm multiple solutions
• Select one solution
• Prototype and test the solution

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Product Design Engineers

• Start with an idea or problem to solve
• Most successful when the customer needs are well
  understood
• Develop a set of product specifications
• Develop a solution
• Iterative process
• Invention - Intellectual Property
• Intuitive and Ergonomic Use - Human Factors
  Engineers
• Material selection development Material
  Science Engineers
• Component sourcing Procurement Engineers

Also known as Research Development (RD)
Engineers
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Product Design Engineering Examples
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Product Development Models

• Internal Development
• Original Equipment Manufacture (OEM)
• Sub-assemblies are sourced from another vendor
• Personal computers - disk drives, fans,
  motherboards
• Outsourced development
• Subassemblies or entire product developed by a
  3rd party per customers specifications
• LaserJet printer engines developed by Canon with
  design input from HP
• Re-branding 3rd party products
• Near identical products sold as different options
  
• Automotive industry Oldsmobile vs. Buick, Ford
  vs. Mercury

Engineering tasks become progressively more
project management oriented!
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Accessory Product Engineering

• Companies share interface specifications with 3rd
  parties to allow them to develop accessory
  products
• Why?
• Provide greater capabilities for the base
  product more sales
• Allows company to focus on core competencies

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Accessory Products - iPOD

• the market for iPod accessories is so huge that
  our offices can barely handle the periodic influx
  of new products ...
• Broad Range of Choicestransform the iPod into a
  fully functional stereo or just want to wrap it
  in a cool, scratch-resistant casing

http//reviews.cnet.com/4520-6450_7-1025145-1.html

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Just a few examples iPOD
Apple iPod Hi-Fi
DLO HomeDock Deluxe
Rain Design iWoofer for iPod

• Klipsch iGroove
• Logic 3 i-Station8 (white)
• Logitech Wireless Music System for iPod
• Logitech mm50 Portable Speakers for iPod (white)
• Monitor Audio i-Deck
• Onkyo DS-A1
• Oregon Scientific iBall
• Radian iBlast (black)
• SDI iHome iH5
• Sonance iPort
• Soundcast iCast
• Targus RemoteTunes digital player accessory kit
• Tivoli Audio iSongBook

• Belkin TuneStage
• Bose SoundDock
• CMO America ZipKord iPod USB Synch Charge
• Creative i-Trigue i3350
• DLO HomeDock for iPod
• FireJuice 4 (for iPod w/ Dock Connector)
• FireJuice 6 (for iPod w/ Dock Connector)
• Harmon JBL Creature
• iCleaner iPod Scratch Remover Pro
• iPodSoft Pod Player 1.4.0
• Kensington Entertainment Dock 500
• Kensington StereoDock for iPod
• Klipsch iFi

http//reviews.cnet.com/4520-6450_7-6419673-1.html
?taglnav
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Manufacturing Engineering

• Manufacturing Process
• Process design
• Process support maintenance
• Continuous process improvement
• Product
• Testing quality control

• The next unit will provide you with first-hand
  experience!

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Product Test Engineering

• Incoming raw materials to finished product
• Design appropriate tests
• Meet product specification
• Robust to survive use environment
• Meet regulatory requirements
• Conduct testing analyze results
• During design phase
• Monitor finished product quality

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Product Distribution

• Supply-chain management improvements
• Opportunities for inventory management from
  production to purchase
• Requires significant Information Technology
  collaboration

• Technology improves efficiency
• Barcodes
• Radio Frequency ID (RFID) mircochips

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Sales Engineering

• Used mainly for complex system sales
• Specify system for customer environment
• Technology - Customer Relationship Manager (CRM)
  - institutionalize customer knowledge to provide
  better customer service

These are people-oriented jobs requiring
excellent communication skills often frequent
travel.
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Product Support Engineering

• Problem solvers
• Assist customer when problems arise
• Determine class problems to be fixed with next
  revision
• Must balance customer satisfaction while
  controlling warranty costs

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Product Cost Contributors
Raw Materials
Margin
Material Processing Manufacturing
Final Purchase Price
Packaging
Can you create a viable business where the
purchase price 0.00?
Marketing
Overhead
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Razors and Blades Business Model

• Pioneered by the King C. Gillette who used model
  to see razors and blades
• Base product sold at a substantial discount (or
  given away)
• Essential consumable or disposable parts are sold
  at a high profit margin

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Examples - Razors and Blades businesses

• Electric toothbrushes and their brush heads
• Computer printers and their ink cartridges
• Game consoles and the games peripherals
• Cell phones and air time costs
• Satellite television dishes/installation and
  subscription costs
• Blood glucose meters and costly single-use test
  strips

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References

• US Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
  Occupational Outlook Handbook, http//www.bls.gov/
  oco/ocos027.htm
• The Engineering Student Survival Guide, Third
  edition, Krista Donaldson. McGraw-Hills Basic
  Engineering Series and Tools
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razor_and_blades_busi
  ness_model
• http//reviews.cnet.com/4520-6450_7-1025145-1.html
  CNET Reviews Ultimate iPOD Accessories
• The World is Flat, A Brief History of the
  Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman.
• http//www.cio.com/research/crm/edit/crmabc.html
  Customer Relationship Management Research Center,
  The ABCs of CRM
• Engineers Toolkit, A First Course in
  Engineering, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company,
  Inc.