Developing a new product development and launch process : Case: Company X

This study is a product-oriented thesis which is focused in developing a new product development and launch process for Company X , a company which offers innovative Roll handling equipment for the paper industry. The objective of the thesis is to find and develop a framework which would clarify the entire product development and launch process and increase the success rate on the new product launches.\n\nThe reviews of the literature, business cases, journals and data analysis are the foundation of the new product launch model. Even the thesis is product oriented, a qualitative research, in form of in-depth interviews is conducted. The qualitative research helps, in connecting the theoretical part with the actual process followed in the business. The product outcome of this thesis is a concrete structured process, including each step from the product conceptualization to the stage of launching the product into the market. \n\nThis thesis proposes elaborated guidelines which Company X could follow in its product development and launch process. The launch plan was developed based on the Stage-Gate™ process, which is a reliable and successful method used in different successful launch cases. The Stage-Gate™ process was adopted according to the industry and company´s strategy. The author hopes that the final results could help the company to have a clear understanding of each stage in the product launching process and implement each of these stages in accordance with the type of the project or launching strategy.