Linking product development to applied research: transfer experiences from an automotive company

Abstract Manufacturing companies are to an increasing extent depending on the ability to develop, transfer, and integrate new technologies into the product portfolio in a strategic and operationally effective manner. This has become even more apparent in recent years, for example following the rapid progress of electronics and informatics and their introduction into products that previously were mainly mechanical. When viewing the ability to sustain a successful flow of new technology into commercially successful products, several studies have pointed to the potential barriers between different stages as a key issue and a managerially troublesome one. In this study, the link between applied research and product development is analyzed using three main dimensions. First, the ability to strategically align the technology and the product strategy, and to operationally accelerate or otherwise redirect applied research tasks towards product development, leads to the dimension termed strategic and operational synchronization. The second dimension deals with the issue of a proper technology scope, answering the question of “what to transfer” (i.e. blueprints, alternative concepts, prototypes). The third dimension consists of the methods and procedures for managing transfer of new technology from applied research to product development, i.e. transfer management. These dimensions are used to examine opposing statements in prior research, where technology transfer is seen either as an event in time or merely as a continuous process. The predicted differences between applied researchers and product developers are also explored in order to identify potential gaps indicating issues of importance when managing internal technology transfer. The results strengthen the conception of technology transfer as a continuous process in order to be successful, indicate areas of importance for managing this process, and highlight the importance of starting a successful commercialization of new technologies already at the strategic planning level. For example, it was clear from the study that applied research tasks are often de-staffed and prolonged, and the primary reason for not being able to utilize their outcome is that the delivery is not timely. These findings imply an area for improvement—the resource management of applied research tasks aligned with the overall portfolio strategy. Further, a detailed context for applied research and product development is described and analyzed, potentially functioning as a benchmarking case for analyzing other companies’ ways of managing the link between applied research and product development.