Product Life Cycle
The product life cycle, like in human beings deals with the life of product from birth to death or depletion. This process comprises of four different stages namely: birth, growth, maturity, decline and death. All this phases requires different expertise to create and design the desired product into a finished good that satisfies the customers. Such a process is embraced by a leading boat manufacturing company named Regal Marine Company, in the development of its boats. In this company, the product life cycle starts with the birth of a new boat design. The design can be obtained from clients, consultants, or even the dealers. This design must differentiate the expected product in within the global market competition as this will help cover up loses, associated with the development of a new model, in case of successful acceptance.
After the attainment of the information on new design, the ideas find their way into Regal’s styling studio, from where computer aided design software is used to accelerate the design process. The design engineer begins with a rough sketch or an idea of the expected product brand, and uses the graphic display ability of the CAD software to put up the new product on the drafting board-CAD. The designer also uses the CAD system to determine engineering parameters like dimension, mass, and power to facilitate the alignment of parts to be sure parts fit. The factors influencing the designs of boats are the need to remain competitive and stylish and the fact that the life cycle of boats is about 3-5 years.
The first stage in product development is the construction of plug which is a foam-based figure for making the molds for fiber glass hulls and decks (Regalmarine 2011). The carving process is driven by CAD specifications, after which the carved plug is used to form the permanent molds for the new deck and hull designs. Through a hand making process, the moulds are made and are ready by 4-8 weeks. This process happens for all other features of the intended new boat after which the finished molds are joined and utilized to make thousands of new boats.
To remain competitive and stylish, the Regal Marine company ensures that the continuous introduction of innovative and high quality new boats. There is also a differentiation strategy adapted in product development and up to this far, there company has 22 models of boat products and there is still constant worry about the design of new boats with details being obtained from clients, dealers and consultants. In addition, the company must ensure that the design in progress has expected high rates of returns to cover up the negative flow of cash associated with product development.
The embracing of the Computer Aided Design, CAD as a drafting board for engineering the design has contributed to the development process by speeding up the process (Smith and Ramirez 2010). The ideas on design soon find their way into the CAD laboratories in the Regal Company and find the design engineer who uses it to draft the rough sketch and use the graphic display capability of CAD to display. Compared to the traditional techniques of drafting, the CAD eliminates the need to use different pencils to define different parts of the boats, or erasers and drawing papers which end up getting dirty due to constant erasing (engineering 2011). On the other hand apart from being less expensive, the traditional drafting methods are reliable as one has not to depend on software and internet to update them.
References
Engineering, (2011). Basic Drafting Techniques. Integrated Publishing. Retrieved on 16-05-2011 from http://www.tpub.com/content/engineering/14069/css/14069_87.htm last updated on 2011
Regalmarine, (2011). New Boats. Retrieved on 16-05-2011 from http://www.regalmarine.com.au/boatpoint-quality-used-boats.html last updated 2011.
Smith, D., and Ramirez, A., (2011).Technical Drawing. AutoCAD Design Institute Press. New York: NY
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