Production machinery specialists, such as ITCM, face this issue on an almost daily basis, as they deal with manufacturing operations across an incredibly broad range of industries. A new pro­cess or machine that can shave a few percenta­ge points off the manufacturing costs of a device become an immediate competitive advantage. Diplomacy and process/procedure “ownership” play a huge role here. It is for this reason that any IP developed specifically for one customer stays with that customer. Concepts and ideas are certainly cross industry, otherwise advances in one industry would simply stay there, but the actual realisation and embodiment of a concept within a specific company project will stay there and only there. Once the IP is generated, it stays with the customer – they maintain the compe­titive edge they were searching for in the first place.

As well as specific technical expertise, compa­nies like ITCM can also deliver – due to their immersion in a wide array of applications and industries – knowledge of new technologies, new trends and new materials. The introduction of this new technology in both the product and the manufacturing processes is not only neces­sary, it is vital, because only through the use of the latest technology can genuinely new levels of innovation be achieved; giving companies the ability to create new IP, ensuring they maintain a competitive edge for longer.

Physical and theoretical barriers

In conclusion, there are obviously many physi­cal and theoretical barriers to overcome when it comes to the adoption of new technology – some of them are cultural and some of them technical. But when you compare the gains that can be created through the use of flexible and agile contemporary technology, then these bar­riers must simply be sidestepped or removed from any of the critical paths related to new product development or the refreshing of existing market leading offerings. If technical personnel convince themselves that everything must remain in house, then there is very little scope for process and procedure advancement above and beyond the technical capabilities they can currently call upon.

Those that make the decision to involve an external third party are more often than not very quickly convinced that it was the right path to take. A fresh injec­tion of ideas, concepts, knowledge and techno­logy transfer can bring immediate results, even if it is only in the very early initial stages – crea­ting an even greater foundation of ideas upon which they can expand upon.

With IP and patent protection so high on the agenda in the pharmaceutical industry, cau­tiousness comes as standard – with perceived risks often being rejected out of hand before the benefits can be expanded upon. As menti­oned earlier in the article, a holistic approach to the whole process is vital. It is only by looking at the complete picture – a picture that includes everything related to the success of a product – that companies can expect to create any sig­nificant advances. And, with the introduction of external experts who will leave all the IP with the client, the picture has the opportunity to expand by an order of magnitude, offering even greater choices and even more opportunities to not only save money and time, but also create additional revenue streams that may not have existed in the first place.

February 2009
Written by Mark Fletcher

Mark Fletcher is a freelance journalist with many years’ experience in manufacturing systems engineering and engineering management. He went onto work for Matra Marconi Space (now Astrium) where he oversaw the production of modules for civil and military satellites, be­fore one of the UK’s leading engineering design magazines convinced him to take a major career change. Following a successful career in public relations, Mark recently set up his own company, Technical Lucidity, which specialises in creating technical content.