Guest Editorial: Open Innovation and Social Product Development

The papers in this special section focus on open innovation and social product development. In today’s competitive marketplace, the ability to create new products and introduce innovative enhancements to existing ranges is seen as one of the strongest driving forces responsible for sustained sales of manufactured goods. In recent years, customers have become far more demanding in their selection of products and are nowseeking greater satisfaction and more value for money than ever before. Consequently, markets have become more aggressive and more challenging for manufacturers. When introducing new products to marketplaces, manufacturers have incorporated innovative product development (IPD) in their operational strategies, with the aim of offering new or enhanced concepts more effectively and efficiently. IPD requires increased understanding of customer needs to design solutions that meet market requirements and gain market acceptance. Furthermore, it necessitates the integration of multidisciplinary design knowledge from distributed design teams either within or outside manufacturing organisations. This integrated knowledge, relating to design, engineering, and process know-how, combined with a solid understanding of customer requirements, leads to the innovative development of successful product solutions.