Company takes design efforts to new level - product development firm Design Concepts Inc

Diesel Progress North American Edition, March, 1998 by Mike Brezonick

In the modern era of equipment and component manufacturing, the outsourcing of product design and engineering is nothing new.

But how about having a company bring a finished product, a powered pallet lift truck, to you and commission you to find $200 to take out of it? Or shave 20 percent from the cost of manufacture of a vehicular gen-set? Or redesign an excavator cab so that not only does it offer new functions, but uses all domestic components?

While that might not be the classic niche for most design companies, projects such as those have fueled the growth of Design Concepts, Inc., a Madison, Wis., product development firm.

"We don't specialize," said Oliver Julien, vice president of product design for the 27-year-old company. "What we're familiar with are effective product development processes and we custom design each project plan.

"I think one of the things that sets us apart is we started as an engineering firm. A lot of our competitors were more likely to have started in industrial design, where they produce concepts. What we try to do is produce money for the client."

"Firms like ours fill a particular need," added Bradley D. Wendt, company president. "The dynamics of the global market require moving quickly on opportunity - after all, he who gets there first stakes out the high ground. At the same time, downsizing has left many organizations without the resources to produce creative, realistic design work, or even to manage the development process, and fixed-cost restraints preclude staffing up."

DCI has built some strong credentials in industrial design and engineering, particularly in engine-driven machinery and power equipment. "Our approach is the classic 'all-or-any-part' response," said Wendt. "We do what the client needs when they need it.

"For example, we've taken chain saws and snow throwers that were already mechanically acceptable and added the ergonomic considerations and eye-appeal, to make them comfortable to use and attractive to the market.

"At the other extreme, some of our projects, such as tractor axles and diesel engine controls, are never seen by the public. On some projects, we've designed a single product element; on others, we've managed the entire development process, including pilot production."

Design Concepts has handled a variety of projects within the engine-powered equipment industry, from the aforementioned pallet lift truck to seating systems for Class 6, 7 and 8 trucks, to gas control valves for methane-fueled stationary engines, to emissions testing systems to flywheel balance and stress analysis. "The engine manufacturer wanted a smoother engine," said Julien. "Using Working Model and Cosmos software, we were able to do force modeling and finite element analysis. Tools like that allow us to contribute to a solution rapidly and accurately."

Companies retain Design Concepts for any number of reasons, Julien said. Scheduling problems might arise when a company's own staff is committed, he explained, and Design Concepts can relieve a stoppage on the timetable by managing a project from start to completion. "We worked closely with a prominent utility tractor manufacturer who was having scheduling problems with a new model," Julien said. "We took over development of the operator controls, using a seating buck and Working Model software to perfect the ergonomics and the linkages. After we had installed one set of prototype systems for the customer to evaluate, we delivered 10 complete sets, or about 500 parts, for pilot production."

Companies also have short-term needs for specialized expertise in engineering or creative design, Julien said. "Another manufacturer asked us for some new concepts in lawn mowers. This is a highly competitive market, in which many of the products are remarkable for their similarity. Our concepts were unique, and the manufacturer's own R&D team is at work right now, engineering them into new products."

In cost reduction, Julien noted, Design Concepts has a rule of thumb that if a product is more than five years old, production cost can be squeezed enough to give a 12- to 18-month payback.

"We have a project underway with a diesel engine control manufacturer to reduce system cost, with simultaneous improvements in hysteresis. This is a four-month project, and even though it's not finished, we're already projecting at least a 15 percent cost reduction."

Finally, a manufacturer might need specialized guidance in introducing a new technology to an established market or product line. "We had completed several projects with an air-cooled engine manufacturer, when the client asked us to design a rocker arm cover using reinforced resin as an alternative to the customary aluminum casting," he said. "This application was new to our client, who used our experience to lessen their design risk."

As time is generally a critical factor in their projects, Design Concepts puts a premium on being able to deliver faster than the average company's design department. "Product development is our sole concentration," Julien said. '"We have everything under one roof."