Event Summary

The Product Development and Management Association of New Zealand (PDMA-NZ) hosted an event focused on project management for innovation. The session aimed to explore the concept of hybrid project management, which involves integrating different project management approaches and tools to create a customized approach. The event aimed to spark conversations and discussions among participants about their experiences with hybrid project management.

The event featured two experienced presenters. Jason Low, an Innovation Consultant at Solid Consulting, shared his expertise as a Product Development Expert, Innovation Leader, and Designer. He emphasized the importance of developing meaningful products and services that have a lasting impact on customers. William Fisher, the Product Development Team Leader at Oasis Engineering Ltd and president of PDMA-NZ, discussed the need for individually tailored project management approaches that suit specific projects and teams.

The event was held at Clark Bardsely Design, an award-winning design studio known for its unique and cross-disciplinary approach.

Greig Brebner is a Kiwi product designer who is fascinated by the human relationship with everyday products. By strengthening this relationship through innovative design he believes we can reduce our impact on the world around us. Best known as the inventor of the BLUNT Umbrella, Greig trained as a Mechanical Engineer at the University of Auckland and was inspired to 're-invent' the humble umbrella while living in London in 1999. His journey with BLUNT has seen the transformation of an everyday, ordinary, and throwaway product to a globally loved asset to be cherished.

Envisioned in London, designed in New Zealand, BLUNT Umbrellas are an innovative solution in a world where mass production of products has lowered consumer expectations to unacceptable levels. With its unique patented and trademarked shape, the BLUNT is the only umbrella with a fully tensioned canopy for unparalleled performance in all elements. Blunt™ build their products so that this performance can be enjoyed over many years while offering the service to repair any BLUNT Umbrella should the unexpected happen.

It was a fascinating evening hearing Greig share his story of humble beginnings with a great desire to design something world class, and the long and winding journey to get Blunt to where it is now. Applying the 80/20 principle to design innovation, Greig was able to re-invent the umbrella, in a way that was still easy to understand and use by everyone. As an added bonus, we even got to see a sneak peek of the new design Blunt has for a premium and timeless umbrella that is built to last a lifetime.

PDMA-NZ was pleased to bring you this event in partnership with the Newmarket Innovation Precinct. We’d like to thank Greig and the team from Blunt for their time and making our last event of the year one to remember! For those who missed it and would like to see Greig’s presentation and Q&A click the link below to view the recording. Passcode for the video is: g4V^!QH0

Our first site visit post COVID!

Event summary

Zenith Tecnica is a contract manufacturer specialising in Titanium 3D Printing - Enabling organisations across the globe to unlock new supply chain pathways using advanced manufacturing methods.

They operate not just as a manufacturer but as a partner. Their customers make the most out of their Additive Manufacturing (AM) journey through access to expert advice to improve manufacturability, fast and reliable turnaround of parts and an agile supply chain ready to adapt to their production needs.

Zenith Tecnica has eight years of experience producing critical structural components for communications satellites, life-changing customised medical implants, and highly efficient and lightweight performance-sports parts for global syndicates such as Formula 1 and America's Cup teams. Their Electron Beam Melting (EBM) machines allow rapid layer movement, much faster than that of laser beam melting technology, which gives greater flexibility in how parts are positioned and produced inside the build volume. It was fascinating to learn about Zenith Tecnica and their additive manufacturing processes.

PDMA-NZ would like to thank Kurt, Luke, Logan and Morgan from Zenith Tecnica for taking the time to show us around and for hosting such a great evening. We look forward to more site visits in future for all things relating to product development!

We had another great Rapid Learning Cycles (RLC) introductory session, this time in Auckland with Jason Low from Solid Consulting. Jason has had many years of experience using the Rapid Learning Cycles framework and now shares his knowledge with other innovative companies. Over the course of the evening, attendees learned the foundations of the RLC framework and got hands-on experience building core hypotheses, key decisions and knowledge gaps as a project team. Our president William Fisher, having recently started using Rapid Learning Cycles at Oasis Engineering, helped run the event and share his experiences using the new approach. It was a fun, interactive night with good pizza, drinks and conversation to top it all off. A big thanks to Claire Bennett and NIP for allowing us the use of the conference room to run the event!

This event is proudly brought to you in partnership with:

Solid Consulting

The Rapid Learning Cycles Insititute

PDMA-NZ

Newmarket Innovation Precinct (NIP)

We had another great Rapid Learning Cycles (RLC) introductory session with Jason Low from Solid Consulting. Jason has had many years of experience using the Rapid Learning Cycles framework and now shares his knowledge with other innovative companies. Over the course of the evening, attendees learned the foundations of the RLC framework and got hands-on experience building core hypotheses, key decisions and knowledge gaps as a project team. Our president William Fisher, having recently started using Rapid Learning Cycles at Oasis Engineering, helped run the event and share his experiences using the new approach. It was a fun, interactive night with good pizza, drinks and conversation to top it all off. A big thanks to Nick Langstone and Cucumber for allowing us the use of their amazing office space to run the event!

This event is proudly brought to you in partnership with:

Solid Consulting

The Rapid Learning Cycles Insititute

PDMA-NZ

Yet another online free event, this time hosting Storm Harpham. Storm took us through her experience as a Sales Engineer representing ventilation and daylight saving products at Hometech in an exciting online presentation. Storm explored the relationship between sales and product development and how they are interconnected.

It was an awesome event, Storm gave us all a perspective about what a role as a Sales Engineer entails which was followed by the Q&A session from the attendees.

View Storm's LinkedIn profile here.

We held another free online event during the Covid-19 lockdown with Akshay Kumar, product owner at Spidertracks.

Akshay presented how Spidertracks is making the aviation community a safer place to live and operate in, through innovative tracking systems. Spidertracks revolutionised the general aviation industry tracking in 2006 with the launch of the Spider device which enabled real-time tracking of an aircraft around the globe. Leveraging over 14 years of expertise and more than 10 million tracked flight hours, Spidertracks’ latest hardware not only allows operators to know where their aircraft are flying but more importantly how they are flying. Spidertracks have reduced the barrier to entry with their cost effective and simple to install solution which traditionally required bulky, $20,000 boxes and 30+ hours to install.

It was a great event, Akshay was very engaging and information and their were good questions from attendees leading to thoughtful discussions. We look forward to having more online events like this in future!

PDMA-NZ held our second event in Tauranga!

This time we headed to Oasis Engineering, a small company doing big things around the world. For many years, Oasis has been at the forefront of alternative fueling technology, developing and producing world class products for the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) industry. Being high precision CNC experts, they pride themselves on being able to develop and produce innovative products that provide real solutions to their customers.

The product development team at Oasis are responsible for introducing all new products to the company, alongside maintaining and improving current offerings. They use an in depth, cross-functional and constantly evolving development process which spans all the way from gaining empathy with customers about current or future opportunities, to production handover of final product.

PDMA-NZ Board Member and Oasis Product Development Engineer, William Fisher, gave us a detailed run-through of their development process focussing on one of the latest products to come off the machines at Oasis. The presentation was interesting and insightful with many good questions coming from the guests on the night. Following the talk, we went on a tour around the factory looking at some of the latest industry 4.0 and lean initiatives getting used such as robotic automation, assembly cell design. Good food and drinks were enjoyed by everyone throughout the night and overall it was a very successful event.

PDMA-NZ would like to get more events happening outside of Auckland to give others the opportunity to attend, if you have an event idea or would like to host something in the future get in touch!

We really enjoyed hearing Jordan Kimpton’s presentation on how his team at Fisher and Paykel Healthcare developed the Evora Nasal Mask to improve patient experiences with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) interfaces, used to treat obstructive sleep apneoa (OSA). Jordan told us about the aim for the product - to create a unique, non-obtrusive mask with a minimalist aesthetic and superior ergonomics - and how the team got there using in-depth patient consultation and an iterative design process.

Jordan explained to us how frustrating it can be to suffer from OSA and how important it is to patients that their CPAP devices are comfortable and easy to use. Using innovative technologies like 3D scanning, the team was able to characterise key dimensions around the nose and gain an understanding of just how varied facial geometry is. Variation in facial geometry is just one aspect making this problem particularly tricky, but over 70 iterations in design and 7 clinical trials the team managed to work through problems with usability, comfort, and seal stability to make a truly innovative product.

The Evora Nasal Mask is Fisher and Paykel’s latest offering in the Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) interface space. The compact nasal mask design offers OSA patients the performance benefits of a nasal mask, while also providing a streamlined and minimal design. The F&P Evora has incorporated a range of key technologies to address patient frustrations. If you are interested in learning more about the Evora Nasal Mask, more information is available here.

Since 2004, PDMA has undertaken the Best Practices survey 4 times: 1990, 1995, 2004, and 2012. In 2012, there were 453 completed surveys- 149 from Asia, 61 from Europe, 198 from North America

Each survey gives valuable insights into how companies perform in different areas relating to product development.

Questions that are included in the 2021 Study cover the following subjects:

• The processes by which your business unit develops products

• Aspects of innovation strategy

• Portfolio management

• Technology tool and artificial intelligence use

• Product and firm new product success

• COVID-19 changes to new product development

• Questions about your business unit and company

The target respondants to the survey include lower to middle-management NPD professionals with titles such as Product Manager, Product Lead, Product Director, Innovation Manager, Marketing Manager, R&D Manager, Head of New Product Development, VP of Product or similar.

Respondents from both physical goods and services businesses of any size as well as from across multiple industries are welcome.

The survey takes about 25 minutes to complete and it is important that you complete all sections to make the results useful for comparisons to best in class companies.

You can take part in the survey here.

Join Jason Low at EMEX for a free session on Rapid Learning Cycles

Towards the end of last year we were lucky to have Jason Low of Solid Consulting come and talk to us about Rapid Learning Cycles and how it can be used to drive innovation in a business. The events were a great success and now Jason is doing a similar session this year at EMEX. If you missed out on the events last year or were planning on heading to EMEX this year then check out the event details here.

Kerry Reeves, Head of Airline Programs is sharing the latest Air NZ innovations and how they are re-inventing themselves post COVID-19.

We know many people have been experiencing some highs and lows this year, and it's no secret that Air NZ have been having an extremely tough time. In the wake of COVID-19, Air NZ have had to completely reinvent themselves and make new plans on how best to serve their customers now that international travel seems like a thing of the past.

We are honoured to have Kerry Reeves, Head of Airline Programs, along with Industrial Designers Zoe Wenn and Kate Cameron-Donald give us an insight into Air New Zealand innovation efforts and how they are overcoming the challenge in front of them.

The main topics for the night will be:

• Skycouch development, certification, commercial model, marketing and licencing royalties

• Skynest concept

• Next new product development process

Join us as we explore the ins and outs of developing new products in an industry leading company amidst the current business environment. This is a great opportunity to learn and gain new, relevant perspectives which could be put straight to use in your own companies or commercial interests.

The event will be a mixture of presentations and the chance to try out some actual Air NZ products in a simulated aeroplane environment! Following this we will have some nibbles and light refreshments with the opportunity to network with fellow attendees.

Numbers for this event are strictly limited so sign up now!

We really enjoyed the interactive Rapid Learning Cycles (RLC) workshops held down in Tauranga and Wellington by Jason Low, who is a Certified Affiliate. The sessions were informative and interactive, and we left with some of the basic tools of RLC, so we could start applying them to projects.

It was also great to hear about Zespri's experience with Rapid Learning Cycles from Dr Juliet Ansell who is their Head of Global Science & Innovation and spoke at the Tauranga workshop.

Here is a list of Jason's Rapid Learning Cycles services, Solid Consulting also cover a lot of other services too outside of RLC. Their focus is helping clients develop meaningful products and services that transform their customers experience. If you would like to connect with Jason, you can do so via his website or on Linkedin.

In-Person Rapid Learning Cycles Services that Jason offers:

• ½ Day Rapid Learning Cycles Workshop (introducing the basics - up to 12 people)

• 1 Day Practitioner Training (up to 12 people)

• 1 Day RLC Project Kick-Off Facilitation

• RLC Pilot Project Support

The best book to get your hands on for learning more about Rapid Learning Cycles is - The Shortest Distance Between You and Your New Product. You can also sign up to the Rapid Learning Cycles Institutes newsletter, and there are free webinars as well.

On the 28th of July Rinnai NZ hosted the first PDMA-NZ event since lockdown in Auckland.

Rinnai were kind enough to welcome everyone into their lovely, warm showroom filled with their latest and greatest fireplaces and gas heating systems. Mark McCutcheon, GM of Sales and
Marketing for Rinnai NZ, gave an insightful presentation on the history of Rinnai NZ and presented their development process, highlighting the key stages where design thinking was a critical approach to ensure success.

Following a short Q+A with Mark, Technical & R&D Manager Greg Brinsden gave a fascinating site tour covering the development, testing and manufacturing stages of Rinnai’s products. It was great to see lean manufacturing getting utilised so well in the production and assembly lines and to see how the products get put through their paces!

The night was wrapped up perfectly with drinks, nibbles and lots of conversations between guests and Rinnai staff alike. It was great to see so many new and familiar faces at the event.

PDMA-NZ would like to thank Rinnai NZ for hosting such a great event and for everyone who came along to make it such a success. We can’t wait to hold the next one!

Get involved in an amazing competition for all univesity students. Run by the PDMA, this Global Student Innovation Challenge gives students the opportunity to showcase new product, service or software ideas with cash prizes up for grabs and a chance to attend the PDMA annual conference and present your idea!

Check out a video summary of the event here

To sign up for the event, head to the PDMA Global event page

Ms Sam Ramlu is Managing Director of the company METHOD, which offer augmented reality products and experiences - “blending art and tech with smart thinking to create unique digital experiences”

Sam is a proven thought leader, storyteller and creative technology innovator. She has spent over 20 years finding awe-inspiring ways to bring stories and experiences to life, starting with digital and extending into exhibitions, and augmented and virtual reality. Sam is co-founder of award-winning creative innovations agency Method and AR/VR studio M Theory.

This was a great event with many interesting topics covered by Sam, you can watch the video below!

Rui Peng from CRITICAL. joined us digitally to share the company's inspiring story of helping both local community and the whole of New Zealand through turning plastic waste into functional and aesthetic products. With an innovative business model, CRITICAL has its sights set on using their upcycling technology to benefit all businesses wanting to re-use their waste and drop costs at the same time. To find out more about CRITICAL you can visit their website here: http://www.criticaldesign.nz/

We held our first digital event!

In the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown here in New Zealand, PDMA-NZ along with NIP hosted a free online event with Ira Munn of Ierospace Industries.

Ira Munn shared an inspiring presentation with us about the future of waste recycling and energy consumption. The Drop, Ira's 3D printed electric vehicle, uses up-cycled plastic as the material.

You can watch the recording of the event below.