CASE STUDY
INDUSTRY: EFFICIENCY OF RESEARCH,
DEVELOPMENT AND INDUSTRIALIZATION
(RDI)
Time-to-market reduction of 50% and
increased power of innovation
CASE STUDY
CONTEXT AND CHALLENGES
T
his world-leading tier-one equipment manufacturer, which operates mainly in the automotive and
aeronautics sectors, was coming up against increasingly strong competition in all its markets. Its
well-established and widely-recognized technological and premium leadership was being threatened by
market new-comers and historical customers.
A major service/activity OSI-level efficiency program was launched to improve the efficiency of the
Research, Development and Industrialization (RDI), and innovation process. For that purpose, the group’s
senior Research, Development and Industrialization (RDI) managers around the world were mobilized to
define the ad hoc transformation plan, working in several areas:
•Being able to change the pace of Research, Development and Industrialization (RDI), in terms of
both speed and technical performance
•Harnessing innovative power through customer and industry value
•Cutting development and industrialization lead times by 50%
METHOD AND APPROACH
The project was sequenced in two stages:
• An initial diagnosis phase, to develop the three-year roadmap and ensure the adoption of a Research,
Development and Industrialization (RDI) Business Case by stakeholders
• A second implementation phase, which initially involved defining the objectives of the 12 projects
identified and on-boarding the operational teams, and subsequently implementing and securing the
achievement of those objectives.
The approach was organized according to various areas of work:
• Reduction of waiting times and acceleration of cycles: analysis of RDI activities through Gantt types,
for each product line with the simulation of optimization hypotheses (reduction of cycles, elimination of
activities, re-scheduling/milestones, implementation of highlights/rites, management of supply chain
RDI, etc.)
• Reduction of the number of cycles and “reworks”: anticipation through developments in larger,
more robust product/process technologies, structuring based on strategic segments and worldwide
management of a bank of parts
• Control of demand vs. available resources: allocation of experts to higher-value projects, reduction
of number of tests/approvals
• Working method changes: management in project mode, time-boxing logic, implementation of an
RDI back office.
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CASE STUDY
RESULTS
• Time-to-market cycles reduced by more than 50% according to product range
• A project portfolio that was structured from the research phase, to prioritize and focus critical
expert and material resources
• Number of projects cut by more than 20%, by concentrating resources on more ambitious and
robust concepts, harnessed through customer value
• A new repository of good practices for Research, Development and Industrialization (RDI) was
deployed, across all Business Units (BUs) and locations
• More fluid, flexible and reactive operational modes.
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