Title: Training of new product development for industrial engineering students: a case from the Kanazawa Institute of Technology

Authors: Kazuo Yanagishita, Kazuyoshi Ishii

Addresses: Venture Business Course, Global Management, Graduate School of Business, Nihon University, 4-8-24 Kudan-minami, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8275, Japan. Managerial Engineering Department, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, 7-1 Ohgigaoka, Nonoichi, Ishikawa 921-8501, Japan

Abstract: There are two types of new product development, i.e. technological seed oriented and market need oriented. The former is difficult to instil in a limited time scale of several weeks; therefore, we tried the latter one. A class of 60 senior students are divided into ten groups with six students each. First step: each group must find 100 problems to be solved by a new product, and choose the most appropriate. Second step: each group must generate 100 ideas to solve the most appropriate, and choose the best idea. Third step: each group must study technological feasibility. Fourth step: each group must study market feasibility. Fifth step: each group must complete a new product planning format and make a mock-up using paper, boxes, cans and bottles. Sixth step: presentation by each group where the other nine groups ask questions and the group responds and finally each student votes on a 5 point scale for each new product and selects the best new product out of ten. Each step is 90 minutes x 3 classes a day for six weeks. One example of the output and the students| impressions in the class are shown.

Keywords: new product development; industrial engineering students; creativity development.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2003.003130

International Journal of Technology Management, 2003 Vol.25 No.6/7, pp.659-665

Published online: 12 Jul 2003 *

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