New Product Development Process Contributing de-maturation: A case study of innovation in a special steel manufacturer

Abstract

In this paper, from the 2 cases of Aichi Steel Co., Ltd., we propose the hypothesis of innovation process by clarifying the evolution of two products and related technologies. Prior research on the steel industry in Japan, often discusses improvement and innovation in manufacturing methods and production control. Most studies are directed to major steelmakers, and there is a lack of research on special steel manufacturers which develop new products.

Our research question is how special steel manufactures develop technologies and products that contribute to de-maturation. Our cases show they made a pursuit of core business when it leaps to a different field. At the same time, it incorporated the needs of new markets and successfully explored technologies from outside the organization to new product development. As a result, they have developed a mechanism to leap to different fields by proactively searching outside the company. This mechanism based on the trend of electronicization of the automobile industry.