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Manufacturing companies characterized by high-mix and low-volume production exhibit distinct features that exert a significant influence on the product introduction process. The quality of information exchange between product design and production interfaces becomes paramount in low-volume manufacturing. Consequently, there exists a pressing need to explore various methods for adapting and customizing management strategies to align with the unique characteristics of low-volume manufacturing and its associated product introduction processes. While this knowledge is critical in low-volume manufacturing, most existing studies focus on the management aspects of high-volume manufacturing. Therefore, this study investigates the customization of management strategies for product introduction in low-volume manufacturing to enhance the quality of information content. Drawing upon a longitudinal analysis of new product introductions within a low-volume manufacturing company, this study identified four management strategies, namely securing a production test and verification plan, revising the role of product introduction management, formal design and production coordination plan, and lessons learned management plan. The paper explains how the examined company adapted and implemented product introduction management strategies to facilitate the enhancement of information content quality across three key stages: pre-implementation, post-implementation, and subsequent modification and refinement of strategies following the initial round of implementation. By shedding light on these strategies, this study offers a comprehensive understanding of management approaches for product introduction in low-volume manufacturing. The study makes a valuable contribution to the discourse on information quality management and design-production interface in low-volume manufacturing and low-volume product introduction literature.

Manufacturing companies must continually innovate and introduce new products to compete globally, relying on a well-executed product introduction process for success. This involves a successful transition from design to production, ensuring alignment between product and production systems. A successful product introduction process results in a shorter time-to-market and fewer production disruptions. Collaboration and information sharing between design and production are pivotal, with the content quality of shared information crucial to the product introduction process.

Low-volume manufacturing companies are integral to the European manufacturing sector but face unique challenges with regard to new product introduction due to their specific characteristics. Existing studies often overlook low-volume manufacturing, leading to a lack of comprehensive understanding, particularly regarding the role of information quality in the process.

This research project aims to examine the product introduction process in low-volume manufacturing by focusing on the role of information content quality. To fulfil this aim, seven case studies were conducted in two manufacturing companies to investigate the influences of the characteristics of products and production systems in low-volume manufacturing on the product introduction process, the role of information content quality in the process, and the management strategies that enhance information content quality.

The findings of this thesis map the characteristics of products and production systems in low-volume manufacturing and their influences on the product introduction process. The characteristics, activities, and phases of the product introduction process for low-volume products are thus defined. Moreover, the types and sources of disturbances during product introduction in low-volume manufacturing are identified. Furthermore, the role of information content quality in the low-volume product introduction process and the identified disturbances are investigated. Information correctness, completeness, accuracy, clarity, consistency and timeliness are identified as dimensions of information content quality affected by the characteristics of product introduction in low-volume manufacturing. Additionally, adapting product introduction management strategies to suit the requirements and characteristics of low-volume manufacturing is investigated, with a focus on enhancing the quality of information in the design–production interface. In total, the study identifies four main product introduction management strategies that are well suited to companies in low-volume manufacturing. Finally, the study explores the integration of advanced digital technology practices – such as interactive digital design reviews, digital test assemblies, virtual builds and digital clinics – into various product introduction management strategies to improve information content quality.

This research contributes to the product introduction research area by delving into aspects of the process in low-volume manufacturing. It specifically addresses the role of information content quality and management strategies for improving information quality. The findings will benefit practitioners in low-volume manufacturing by providing insights into process characteristics and challenges in their industry.

Företag inom tillverkningsindustrin måste kontinuerligt innovera och introducera nya produkter för att förbli konkurrenskraftiga på den globala marknaden. Följaktligen beror deras framgång på en välutförd produktintroduktionsprocess som innefattar övergången från design till produktion och produkts- och produktionssystems anpassning. En framgångsrik produktintroduktionsprocess leder till kortare time-to-market och färre störningar i produktionen. En viktig del av produktintroduktionsprocessen är samarbete och interaktion mellan design och produktion som i hög grad är beroende av utveckling och delning av information. Därför spelar innehållskvaliteten i den utvecklade och delade informationen i design-produktionsgränssnittet en avgörande roll i produktintroduktionsprocessen.

Företag med lågvolymtillverkning, en viktig del i den europeiska och globala tillverkningssektorn, som producerar olika och komplexa produkter, står inför unika utmaningar när det gäller att introducera nya produkter som orsakas av deras egenskaper och krav. Befintliga studier bygger främst på insikter från högvolymtillverkning och bortser ofta från egenskaperna och kraven hos lågvolymtillverkning. Begränsade studier om produktintroduktionsprocessen inom lågvolymtillverkningsindustrin saknar en heltäckande förståelse för olika aspekter av produktintroduktion inom sådana industrier, särskilt när det gäller rollen av informationskvalitet. Detta forskningsprojekt syftar till att undersöka produktintroduktionsprocessen inom lågvolymtillverkning och rollen av informationsinnehållskvalitet i processen.

För att uppfylla forskningsmålet har empiriska data från sju fallstudier genomförda i två tillverkningsföretag samlats in och analyserats för att undersöka påverkan av produkters och produktionssystemens egenskaper inom lågvolymtillverkning på produktintroduktionsprocessen, rollen av informationsinnehållskvalitet i processen och de förvaltningsstrategier som kan förbättra informationsinnehållskvaliteten.

Avhandlingens resultat kartlägger egenskaperna hos produkter och produktionssystem inom lågvolymtillverkning, deras ömsesidiga relationer och deras påverkan på produktintroduktionsprocessen. Baserat på dessa egenskaper har produktintroduktionsprocessens aktiviteter och faser för lågvolymprodukter definierats. Dessutom har typerna och källorna till störningar under produktintroduktion inom lågvolymtillverkning undersökts. Vidare har rollen av informationsinnehållskvalitet i produktintroduktionsprocessen för lågvolym och de identifierade störningarna undersökts. informationens korrekthet, fullständighet, noggrannhet, klarhet, konsekvens och aktualitet har identifierats som de dimensioner av informationsinnehållskvalitet som påverkas av egenskaperna i produktintroduktion inom lågvolymtillverkning.

Slutligen har anpassningen av förvaltningsstrategier för produktintroduktion till lågvolymtillverknings krav och egenskaper för att förbättra informationsinnehållskvaliteten som utvecklas och delas i gränssnittet mellan design och produktion studerats. Särskilt har rollen av avancerade digitala teknik som en integrerad del av olika förvaltningsstrategier för produktintroduktion diskuterats för att förbättra informationsinnehållskvaliteten.

This study aims to examine the potential of advanced digital technology practices to enhance information quality during low-volume product introduction and manufacturing. The successful introduction of products is vital for the competitiveness and prosperity of manufacturing companies. However, low-volume products have distinct characteristics that affect the introduction process, and one significant challenge is the presence of poor information quality. This adversely impacts the introduction process and can lead to disruptions in new product production. Consequently, it is crucial to identify alternative approaches that align with the specific characteristics of such industries to enhance information quality. This research conducted a longitudinal study within a large manufacturing company specializing in heavy commercial vehicles. Two product introduction projects were examined to investigate how the adoption of advanced digital technology practices, including interactive digital design reviews, digital test assemblies, virtual builds, and digital clinics, has influenced the quality of information exchanged between the research and development (R&D) department and the production team throughout the product introduction process. The study begins by highlighting the primary challenges associated with the product introduction process within the case company. Subsequently, it explores the impacts of implementing digital technology practices on various criteria related to information content quality, such as completeness, accuracy, clarity, consistency, correctness, and timeliness. These criteria are discussed in detail, and their impact is supported by examples from the two studied product introduction projects.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand how the characteristics of low-volume manufacturing industries influence the product introduction process and factors which can facilitate that process in low-volume manufacturing industries.

Design/methodology/approach: A literature review in combination with a multiple-case study were used to achieve the purpose of the paper. The multiple-case study was based on two product development projects in a low-volume manufacturing company.

Findings: The main identified characteristics of the product introduction process in low-volume manufacturing industries were a low number of prototypes, absence of conventional production ramp-up, reduced complexity of the process, failure to consider the manufacturability of the products due to an extensive focus on their functionality, and increased complexity of resource allocation. It was determined that knowledge and experiences from prior production of similar products could serve as a facilitator of the manufacturing process.

Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of this study is that the identified characteristics and facilitating factors are confined to the internal variables of the studied company. A study of the role of external variables during the product introduction process such as suppliers and customers could be the subject of future studies.

Practical implications: This research will provide practitioners in low-volume manufacturing industries with general insight about the characteristics of the product introduction process and the aspects that should be considered during the process.

Efficiently transitioning from product design to production is crucial in ensuring thesuccessful introduction of new products. This paper delves into the often-understudiedrealm of information content quality within the interface between product design andproduction, particularly in the context of low-volume manufacturing industries. It seeksto bridge the knowledge gap by exploring how the distinctive characteristics of lowvolumemanufacturing affect the quality of shared information, encompassing criteriasuch as completeness, accuracy, clarity, and correctness. Drawing from a comprehensivecase study conducted at a low-volume manufacturing firm specializing in earthmovingand construction equipment, this research sheds light on the intricate relationship betweeninformation content quality and the specific attributes of low-volume manufacturing. Ithighlights the profound impact of these characteristics on information content quality andelucidates how subpar information content quality can disrupt the product introductionprocess, potentially leading to cost overruns, production delays, and quality issues. Thisstudy contributes to the existing body of knowledge on information quality within theproduct design and production interface and extends its focus to the often-neglected lowvolumemanufacturing sector. By emphasizing completeness, accuracy, clarity, andcorrectness as pivotal information content quality criteria and their implications for theproduct introduction process, this paper advances the understanding of informationquality management in low-volume manufacturing companies.

The product introduction process plays an important role in development of new products and launching them to the market on-time with a high quality. The product introduction process has been studied primarily in highvolume manufacturing industries and therefore, the influences of the characteristics of low-volume manufacturing industries on the product introduction process has not been investigated. The aim of this paper is to study challenges and potentials of information management during the product introduction process in low-volume manufacturing industries by a multiple-case study in two Scandinavian low-volume manufacturing companies. The paper contributes in covering the knowledge gap about the information management during the product introduction process in low-volume manufacturing industries.

Product development process has a considerable effect on factors such as time to market and quality of product which are vital for manufacturing companies to remain competitive. Therefore, study of the factors which influence the product development process such as characteristics of products and production systems is necessary to support and improve the product development process. Since most of the studies have been conducted in the context of high-volume manufacturing industries, the influences of characteristics of low-volume products and production systems on the product development process in such industries have not been considered sufficiently. In this paper, characteristics of low-volume products and production systems, their inter-relations and their influences on the product development process have been studied through a multiple case study. A general map of characteristics of low-volume products and production systems and their inter-relations was presented in this paper. Moreover, the influences of these characteristics on product development process including the reduced complexity of the process and lack of opportunities for test and refinement were discussed.

Reducing disturbances during start of production of new products is of high importance to assure that products reach the market on-time with the intended quality and volume. Therefore, identification and elimination of sources of such disturbances is necessary. Since the literature about such disturbances in low-volume manufacturing industries are limited, this paper is aimed to identify the common sources of such disturbances and the possible solutions to mitigate them in low-volume manufacturing industries. A multiple-case study has been conducted to achieve this aim. The results show that main sources of disturbances are lack of opportunities to test and refine products, considering the production system “as is” and putting extensive focus on product functionality rather than its manufacturability. Moreover, using the knowledge and experiences from production of previous similar products is identified as a source of learning and compensation for lack of opportunities for test and refinement.

As the closing phase of product development projects, the product introduction process significantly influences the time to market and product quality. The rapid launching of new products to market aids manufacturing companies in avoiding crucial consequences, such as a loss of market share and revenue and the early obsolescence of products in a globalized market. Therefore, the characteristics and influential factors of the product introduction process must be identified to facilitate the management of new product development projects and to maintain competitiveness for manufacturing companies.

The management and support of product introduction processes in low-volume manufacturing industries require solutions that are tailored to the characteristics and requirements of these industries. However, studies on the characteristics of low-volume manufacturing industries and their influence on the product introduction process are limited. Therefore, the objective of the research presented in this thesis is to develop knowledge about product introduction process and its facilitators in low-volume manufacturing industries by focusing on characteristics of products and production systems in these industries. To fulfil this objective, the characteristics of low-volume manufacturing industries and their influence on the product introduction process were investigated via literature reviews and a multiple-case study. In addition, the facilitators of the product introduction process in low-volume manufacturing industries were examined. A case study was performed, comprising two longitudinal real-time cases and two retrospective cases, all within one Swedish company.

The characteristics of low-volume products and production systems are studied in this research. The identified influences of these characteristics on the product introduction process include few engineering prototypes, limited and uncertain numbers of pre-series productions and the infeasibility of conventional production ramp-up. Other identified influences include the modification of existing products instead of the development of entirely new products, the use of existing production systems with slight modifications for new products, a high frequency of introducing new products, and an extensive focus on the functionality of products instead of their manufacturability.

Finally, the utilization of knowledge and experiences from the development and production of prior similar products was identified as a potential facilitator of the product introduction process in low-volume manufacturing industries. A process was suggested to support the product introduction process in low-volume manufacturing industries in gathering, sharing and using knowledge and experiences from the production of prior similar products. This process can compensate for the lack of opportunities to test and refine products and production systems during the product introduction process in low-volume manufacturing industries. 

A critical part of new product development projects is the industrialization process of new products which affects both time and the cost. The industrialization of new products or variants in low-volume production systems has some specific challenges which are caused by characteristics of low-volume products and production systems. Therefore, an exploratory case study is made within two Swedish manufacturing companies to understand these challenges and compare the industrialization process in high and low volume production systems. The results of the multiple case studies indicate four challenges including knowledge transfer from the projects into production, development of the work instructions, the need for a higher level of training of the operators and production system design and the obligatory tailoring of the new products to the existing production systems.