2024 Volume 31 Issue 1 Pages 7-17
In B2B business, in case that a manufacturer develops a product to solve a customer's problem, it is necessary for the manufacturer to accurately grasp the customer's requirements. In this research, we focus on the business of robot system integrators (hereinafter “robot SIers”), and from questionnaires and interviews targeting those companies, we found that not only the knowledge about the products of both the customer and the manufacturer, but also the degree of understanding of the product and the difference in the technical information possessed by both companies are issues in product development. In addition, we investigated the characteristics and causes of difficulties for robot SIer companies to respond to customers, such as the fact that the level of information and expertise that customers can provide, affects the sales and business progress of robot SIers. Then, we presented a countermeasure to facilitate product development between the customer and the robot SIer company by using the "conceptual design", which is a deliverable that integrates the technical information of the customer and the robot SIer company.
