Product Realization
Going from One to a Million
1. Edition March 2021
480 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
ISBN:
978-1-119-64953-3
John Wiley & Sons
Further versions
PRAISE FOR PRODUCT REALIZATION: GOING FROM ONE TO A MILLION
"A must-read reference for anyone who intends to successfully build a product and bring it to market." ?Desh Deshpande, Entrepreneur & Life Member of MIT Corporation
"This book is a go-to resource for new and experienced hardware teams to help them plan for and execute a new hardware startup successfully and avoid common pitfalls. Highly recommended." ?Bill Aulet, Managing Director, The Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship & Professor of the Practice, MIT Sloan School and Author of Disciplined Entrepreneurship
"An excellent, practical guide for first time entrepreneurs building physical world products." ?Laila Partridge, Managing Director, STANLEY+Techstars Accelerator
"Product Realization picks up where so many product design books end. Here is the book that explains it all ? chock full of shop-floor wisdom, fascinating stories and compelling examples." ?Steven Eppinger, Professor of Management Science and Engineering Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
"Product Realization contains the critical information and roadmap hardware entrepreneurs need as they take their concepts from prototype to production." ?Ken Rother, Managing Director eLab and Visiting Lecturer of Management, Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University
Product Realization: Going from One to a Million delivers a comprehensive treatment of the entire product launch process from beginning to end. Drawing upon the author's extensive first-hand experience with dozens of successful product launches, the book explores the process of bringing a design from prototype to product. It illustrates the complicated and interdisciplinary process with vignettes and examples, provides checklists and templates to help teams, and points out common challenges teams will face.
Perfect for both students, start-ups, and engineers in the field, Product Realization: Going from One to a Million will be the go-to reference for engineers seeking practical advice and concrete strategies to launch higher quality products, at the right cost and on time.
Acknowledgements xiii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Examples 2
1.2 Building Ten Thousand is Very Different from Building One 6
1.3 Product Realization is a Marathon 8
1.4 The Factory is Not a Giant 3D Printer 9
1.5 Three Rules 9
1.6 Why Learn about Product Realization? 10
1.7 Book Structure 12
Summary and Key Takeaways 15
2 Are You Ready to Start? 16
2.1 Is Your Concept Ready? 17
2.2 Is the Technology Mature Enough? 20
2.3 Is the Prototype Mature Enough? 21
2.4 Is the Product Definition Mature Enough? 22
2.5 Is Manufacturing Mature Enough? 24
2.6 Is there Enough Cash and Is there Enough Time? 25
2.7 How Ready is Ready? 27
Summary and Key Takeaways 28
3 Product Realization Process 29
3.1 Product Development Processes 30
3.2 Industry Standards 33
3.3 The Pilot Process 36
Summary and Key Takeaways 52
4 Project Management 53
4.1 Roles and Responsibilities 56
4.2 Critical Path 63
4.3 Risk Management 69
4.4 Managing Your Enterprise Data 74
Summary and Key Takeaways 79
5 Specifications 80
5.1 Integrating with the Product Development Process 83
5.2 Parts of the Specification Document 84
5.3 Gathering Information 89
5.4 Managing a Specifications Document 98
Summary and Key Takeaways 101
6 Product Definition 102
6.1 Types of Parts 105
6.2 Bill of Materials 114
6.3 Color, Material, and Finish (CMF) 123
6.4 Mechanical Drawing Package 126
6.5 Electronics Design Package 130
6.6 Packaging 131
Summary and Key Takeaways 137
7 Pilot-phase Quality Testing 138
7.1 Definition of Quality 140
7.2 Quality Testing 145
7.3 Pilot Quality Test Plan 149
Summary and Key Takeaways 176
8 Costs and Cash Flow 177
8.1 Terminology 179
8.2 Non-recurring Engineering Costs 183
8.3 Recurring Costs 188
8.4 Revenue and Order Fulfillment 203
8.5 Cash Flow 205
Summary and Key Takeaways 210
9 Manufacturing Systems 211
9.1 Production System Types 214
9.2 Dedicated Manufacturing Facilities 215
9.3 Areas in a Manufacturing Facility 220
9.4 Lean Principles 223
Summary and Key Takeaways 227
10 Design for Manufacturability and Design for X 228
10.1 Selecting Manufacturing Processes 230
10.2 Design for Manufacture 234
10.3 Design for Assembly 238
10.4 Design for Sustainability 240
10.5 Design for Maintenance 242
10.6 Design for Testing 244
10.7 Design for SKU Complexity 244
10.8 Eleven Basic Rules of DFX 245
Summary and Key Takeaways 251
11 Process Design 252
11.1 Process Flow 255
11.2 Manual vs. Automation 257
11.3 Work Allocation to Stations 258
11.4 Process Plans 259
11.5 Standard Operating Procedures 262
11.6 Material Handling 266
Summary and Key Takeaways 267
12 Tooling 268
12.1 Types and Their Uses 270
12.2 Tooling Strategy 277
12.3 Tooling Life-cycle 282
12.4 Tooling Plan 284
Summary and Key Takeaways 286
13 Production Quality 287
13.1 Measuring Quality 289
13.2 Tracking Quality 292
13.3 Production Quality Test Plan 296
13.4 Control Plans 303
Summary and Key Takeaways 306
14 Supply Chain 307
14.1 Make vs. Buy 309
14.2 Types of Supplier Relationships 310
14.3 Owning Manufacturing or Using a CM 314
14.4 Supplier Selection 319
14.5 Documents 322
14.6 Managing Your Supply Base 329
14.7 Single vs. Dual Sourcing 330
14.8 Touring a Factory 331
Summary and Key Takeaways 334
15 Production Planning 335
15.1 Production Planning Concepts 336
15.2 Forecast to Order Timeline 343
15.3 Complicating Factors 344
15.4 Shorter Lead Times are Better 349
Summary and Key Takeaways 350
16 Distribution 351
16.1 Distribution Process 353
16.2 Outsourcing Distribution 358
16.3 Distribution System Design 359
Summary and Key Takeaways 362
17 Certification and Labeling 363
17.1 Certifications 364
17.2 Labeling and Documentation 371
Summary and Key Takeaways 377
18 Customer Support 378
18.1 Warranty 381
18.2 Recall 383
18.3 Customer Support 385
18.4 Customer Support Data 393
Summary and Key Takeaways 399
19 Mass Production 400
19.1 Manufacturing Scalability 401
19.2 Continual Improvement 403
19.3 Cost Down 405
19.4 Auditing 408
19.5 Equipment Maintenance 409
19.6 Launching the Next Product 410
19.7 Conclusions 410
Summary and Key Takeaways 411
Glossary 412
Acronyms 428
References 431
Index 438
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Examples 2
1.2 Building Ten Thousand is Very Different from Building One 6
1.3 Product Realization is a Marathon 8
1.4 The Factory is Not a Giant 3D Printer 9
1.5 Three Rules 9
1.6 Why Learn about Product Realization? 10
1.7 Book Structure 12
Summary and Key Takeaways 15
2 Are You Ready to Start? 16
2.1 Is Your Concept Ready? 17
2.2 Is the Technology Mature Enough? 20
2.3 Is the Prototype Mature Enough? 21
2.4 Is the Product Definition Mature Enough? 22
2.5 Is Manufacturing Mature Enough? 24
2.6 Is there Enough Cash and Is there Enough Time? 25
2.7 How Ready is Ready? 27
Summary and Key Takeaways 28
3 Product Realization Process 29
3.1 Product Development Processes 30
3.2 Industry Standards 33
3.3 The Pilot Process 36
Summary and Key Takeaways 52
4 Project Management 53
4.1 Roles and Responsibilities 56
4.2 Critical Path 63
4.3 Risk Management 69
4.4 Managing Your Enterprise Data 74
Summary and Key Takeaways 79
5 Specifications 80
5.1 Integrating with the Product Development Process 83
5.2 Parts of the Specification Document 84
5.3 Gathering Information 89
5.4 Managing a Specifications Document 98
Summary and Key Takeaways 101
6 Product Definition 102
6.1 Types of Parts 105
6.2 Bill of Materials 114
6.3 Color, Material, and Finish (CMF) 123
6.4 Mechanical Drawing Package 126
6.5 Electronics Design Package 130
6.6 Packaging 131
Summary and Key Takeaways 137
7 Pilot-phase Quality Testing 138
7.1 Definition of Quality 140
7.2 Quality Testing 145
7.3 Pilot Quality Test Plan 149
Summary and Key Takeaways 176
8 Costs and Cash Flow 177
8.1 Terminology 179
8.2 Non-recurring Engineering Costs 183
8.3 Recurring Costs 188
8.4 Revenue and Order Fulfillment 203
8.5 Cash Flow 205
Summary and Key Takeaways 210
9 Manufacturing Systems 211
9.1 Production System Types 214
9.2 Dedicated Manufacturing Facilities 215
9.3 Areas in a Manufacturing Facility 220
9.4 Lean Principles 223
Summary and Key Takeaways 227
10 Design for Manufacturability and Design for X 228
10.1 Selecting Manufacturing Processes 230
10.2 Design for Manufacture 234
10.3 Design for Assembly 238
10.4 Design for Sustainability 240
10.5 Design for Maintenance 242
10.6 Design for Testing 244
10.7 Design for SKU Complexity 244
10.8 Eleven Basic Rules of DFX 245
Summary and Key Takeaways 251
11 Process Design 252
11.1 Process Flow 255
11.2 Manual vs. Automation 257
11.3 Work Allocation to Stations 258
11.4 Process Plans 259
11.5 Standard Operating Procedures 262
11.6 Material Handling 266
Summary and Key Takeaways 267
12 Tooling 268
12.1 Types and Their Uses 270
12.2 Tooling Strategy 277
12.3 Tooling Life-cycle 282
12.4 Tooling Plan 284
Summary and Key Takeaways 286
13 Production Quality 287
13.1 Measuring Quality 289
13.2 Tracking Quality 292
13.3 Production Quality Test Plan 296
13.4 Control Plans 303
Summary and Key Takeaways 306
14 Supply Chain 307
14.1 Make vs. Buy 309
14.2 Types of Supplier Relationships 310
14.3 Owning Manufacturing or Using a CM 314
14.4 Supplier Selection 319
14.5 Documents 322
14.6 Managing Your Supply Base 329
14.7 Single vs. Dual Sourcing 330
14.8 Touring a Factory 331
Summary and Key Takeaways 334
15 Production Planning 335
15.1 Production Planning Concepts 336
15.2 Forecast to Order Timeline 343
15.3 Complicating Factors 344
15.4 Shorter Lead Times are Better 349
Summary and Key Takeaways 350
16 Distribution 351
16.1 Distribution Process 353
16.2 Outsourcing Distribution 358
16.3 Distribution System Design 359
Summary and Key Takeaways 362
17 Certification and Labeling 363
17.1 Certifications 364
17.2 Labeling and Documentation 371
Summary and Key Takeaways 377
18 Customer Support 378
18.1 Warranty 381
18.2 Recall 383
18.3 Customer Support 385
18.4 Customer Support Data 393
Summary and Key Takeaways 399
19 Mass Production 400
19.1 Manufacturing Scalability 401
19.2 Continual Improvement 403
19.3 Cost Down 405
19.4 Auditing 408
19.5 Equipment Maintenance 409
19.6 Launching the Next Product 410
19.7 Conclusions 410
Summary and Key Takeaways 411
Glossary 412
Acronyms 428
References 431
Index 438
"Anna Thornton's book is the book we have always wanted for our hardware entrepreneurs. Most books about launching new products focus on the software and services side. A lot of the advice in those books does not translate directly to hardware entrepreneurship. Hardware is hard and teams need to learn how to work around the unique challenges of managing the transition from prototyping to mass production, and managing hardware operations with its unique cash flow challenges and impact on unit and overall economics. This book is a go-to resource for new and experienced hardware teams to help them plan for and execute a new hardware startup successfully and avoid common pitfalls. Highly recommended." --Bill Aulet, Managing Director, The Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, Professor of the Practice, MIT Sloan School, and Author of Disciplined Entrepreneurship
"Prof. Thornton does an excellent job demystifying the process required to take a working prototype all the way through high-volume manufacturing. In her book, she sheds light on the 'unknown unknowns' of manufacturing and clearly explains each step of the journey based on her extensive first-hand experience. All companies building high-volume products should read this book." --Scott Miller, CEO Dragon Innovation
"Dr. Thornton has put together nothing short of a masterpiece in Product Realization. Nearly every hardware startup founding team I've worked with is lost when moving from a prototype to full scale production. Thornton provides a tactical roadmap for how to get from here to there, profitably. Do yourself a favor and keep this book within an arm's reach as you scale!" --Erica Iannotti, Growth Strategist, Tech to Market Advisor, Serial Entrepreneur, and Founder, Manufacturing Corps & Hardware Scaleup
"Product Realization picks up where so many product design books end. Prof. Thornton clearly explains what it takes to bring a product from completion of the concept development stage through the necessary steps of pilot testing, manufacturing planning, tooling design, quality management, supply chain ramp-up, and full-scale production. Here is the book that explains it all -- chock full of shop-floor wisdom, fascinating stories and compelling examples." --Steven Eppinger, Professor of Management Science and Engineering Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
"Taking a new product from idea to full scale production when it involves manufacturing a piece of hardware or tangible product is a complex undertaking. The advent of 3D printing and online fundraising sites, like Kickstarter, have made it easier for folks to build realistic prototypes and raise significant capital for interesting product ideas. However, as many failed startups can attest, taking those prototypes to scale and delivering it to customers are a greater challenge than most imagine. Anna Thornton's book "Product Realization: going from One to a Million," is exactly what those startups needed. She covers the process from concept to production, breaking it into key steps and provides detailed checklists, practical examples, and documents that illuminate the way to successful implementation. In reality, a product needs to not only address the user's needs but also be easy to manufacture, assemble, ship and support. This book outlines the planning processes from product design and planning to manufacturing and production planning and eventual distribution and support. It should be a must-read reference for anyone who intends to successfully build a product and bring it to market." --Desh Deshpande, Entrepreneur & Life Member of MIT Corporation
"Design courses help students design and develop a great prototype. Business classes help the student to consider how the design can be profit making. And manufacturing classes help the student understand the many ways a product can be mass produced. However, there is a critical gap that a designer/entrepreneur must know that to make the leap from a single prototype to something that is actually mass producible using modern global strategies. This book fills this gap in an engaging and concrete way based on Prof. Thornton's deep experience in industry." --Maria Yang, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Systems, MIT
"Anna Thornton's Product Realization: Going from One to a Million contains the critical information and roadmap hardware entrepreneurs need as they take their concepts from prototype to production. The emergence of new prototyping tools such as 3D printers, desktop mills, and laser cutters as well as electronics such as the Arduino and Raspberry Pi has spurred on a renaissance in product entrepreneurship. Prototyping product concepts and gathering customer feedback has never been easier. Yet the knowledge required for transitioning an idea from prototype to production is scattered and rarely covered in sufficient depth. This book finally addresses that gap and is the resource product developers have been desperately lacking. I look forward to recommending Anna's book for my Product Entrepreneurship courses at Cornell and Hardware Programs at Rev: Ithaca Startup Works." --Ken Rother, Managing Director eLab and Visiting Lecturer of Management, Johnson Graduate School of Management
"An excellent, practical guide for first time entrepreneurs building physical world products. Anna draws from a variety of real world situations to provide advice in a format that is easily digested and applied to a wide range of industries." --Laila Partridge, Managing Director, STANLEY+Techstars Accelerator
"Prof. Thornton does an excellent job demystifying the process required to take a working prototype all the way through high-volume manufacturing. In her book, she sheds light on the 'unknown unknowns' of manufacturing and clearly explains each step of the journey based on her extensive first-hand experience. All companies building high-volume products should read this book." --Scott Miller, CEO Dragon Innovation
"Dr. Thornton has put together nothing short of a masterpiece in Product Realization. Nearly every hardware startup founding team I've worked with is lost when moving from a prototype to full scale production. Thornton provides a tactical roadmap for how to get from here to there, profitably. Do yourself a favor and keep this book within an arm's reach as you scale!" --Erica Iannotti, Growth Strategist, Tech to Market Advisor, Serial Entrepreneur, and Founder, Manufacturing Corps & Hardware Scaleup
"Product Realization picks up where so many product design books end. Prof. Thornton clearly explains what it takes to bring a product from completion of the concept development stage through the necessary steps of pilot testing, manufacturing planning, tooling design, quality management, supply chain ramp-up, and full-scale production. Here is the book that explains it all -- chock full of shop-floor wisdom, fascinating stories and compelling examples." --Steven Eppinger, Professor of Management Science and Engineering Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
"Taking a new product from idea to full scale production when it involves manufacturing a piece of hardware or tangible product is a complex undertaking. The advent of 3D printing and online fundraising sites, like Kickstarter, have made it easier for folks to build realistic prototypes and raise significant capital for interesting product ideas. However, as many failed startups can attest, taking those prototypes to scale and delivering it to customers are a greater challenge than most imagine. Anna Thornton's book "Product Realization: going from One to a Million," is exactly what those startups needed. She covers the process from concept to production, breaking it into key steps and provides detailed checklists, practical examples, and documents that illuminate the way to successful implementation. In reality, a product needs to not only address the user's needs but also be easy to manufacture, assemble, ship and support. This book outlines the planning processes from product design and planning to manufacturing and production planning and eventual distribution and support. It should be a must-read reference for anyone who intends to successfully build a product and bring it to market." --Desh Deshpande, Entrepreneur & Life Member of MIT Corporation
"Design courses help students design and develop a great prototype. Business classes help the student to consider how the design can be profit making. And manufacturing classes help the student understand the many ways a product can be mass produced. However, there is a critical gap that a designer/entrepreneur must know that to make the leap from a single prototype to something that is actually mass producible using modern global strategies. This book fills this gap in an engaging and concrete way based on Prof. Thornton's deep experience in industry." --Maria Yang, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Systems, MIT
"Anna Thornton's Product Realization: Going from One to a Million contains the critical information and roadmap hardware entrepreneurs need as they take their concepts from prototype to production. The emergence of new prototyping tools such as 3D printers, desktop mills, and laser cutters as well as electronics such as the Arduino and Raspberry Pi has spurred on a renaissance in product entrepreneurship. Prototyping product concepts and gathering customer feedback has never been easier. Yet the knowledge required for transitioning an idea from prototype to production is scattered and rarely covered in sufficient depth. This book finally addresses that gap and is the resource product developers have been desperately lacking. I look forward to recommending Anna's book for my Product Entrepreneurship courses at Cornell and Hardware Programs at Rev: Ithaca Startup Works." --Ken Rother, Managing Director eLab and Visiting Lecturer of Management, Johnson Graduate School of Management
"An excellent, practical guide for first time entrepreneurs building physical world products. Anna draws from a variety of real world situations to provide advice in a format that is easily digested and applied to a wide range of industries." --Laila Partridge, Managing Director, STANLEY+Techstars Accelerator
ANNA C. THORNTON, PhD, started her career in academia as a faculty member at MIT and then transitioned to industry for 17 years. She works with large and small companies in a wide variety of industries to transform their ideas into reality. She is now a Professor of the Practice in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Boston University where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in manufacturing and product realization.
