Manufacturing role in simple product development at a multi-project environment

The paper is about the manufacturing role within the innovation process of companies in a multiproject and simple product development environment. The aim is to understand the management practices used by manufacturing in the product and process development. It is a multiple case study, conducted in Brazil, wherein three companies from different business sectors - cosmetics, candies and shoes - were studied. Derivative projects are the main concern of the innovation process in these companies. But there are also some platform and breakthrough projects in each company at every period. As the result of the research, it is shown that, in these companies, manufacturing plays an important role in the innovation process, at the strategic and implementation levels. An important finding is that co-location of R&D, marketing, and manufacturing staffs may substitute for co-location of project teams. Another is that manufacturing may have a leading role in project selection and management whenever it has been a dominant function at the company, defining the common language concerning products. When production is not the leading function in company parlance, R&D may take the role of translator, facilitating the required communication between manufacturing and other areas in the innovation process.