Collaborative and lean new product development approach: a case study in the automotive product design

Collaboration between buyer and the supplier has been widely studied in the contemporary research to enhance the efficiency of the product development process. Early involvement of stakeholders in development leads to reduced development time and cost and enhanced quality. The current study presents an approach termed as ‘collaborative and lean’ (C&L) approach to new product development (NPD). It involves application of lean principles in a collaborative environment between an automotive component supplier and the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). The study compares the deployment of two methodologies of development – generic process and the C&L process for developing the same part by a supplier for two different OEMs. Development with one OEM was done using generic process and the other using the C&L process. The study uses value stream mapping of the various phases of the development and attempts to understand the application of the proposed approach in the automotive domain. It highlights the potential of a combined C&L approach in reducing non-value-adding activities, cycle time and effort during NPD. The study attempts to enhance the understanding of NPD in a collaborative environment and explores the possible merits of the proposed approach.