The case describes the growth strategy of an Italian furniture manufacturer and its experience in developing new products for the home furnishing market and for turnkey projects (i.e. contract). The company operates in two strategic business areas that are structurally different each other. This is the reason why the company decided to keep the management and the organizational structure for the two areas separated. Few synergies exist. The case is set in 2009 when B&B Italia is a leading high end company. In the past decades B&B has introduced many successful products (e.g. Coronado and Up Series) designed by external designers. Despite this dominating position in the Italian market and the global recognition, the methods the company adopts to design and develop new product models make it rigid and slow. In consequence, the CR&S (i.e. the Centre of Research and Development) is reanalyzing the overall process to understand if some inefficiencies could be avoided in the future and if the flow of activities could be restructured. However, every possible intervention on the process must not sacrifice the historical core values: high innovation content (differentiation strategy), exploitation of international creativity, product for a global market, industrial product.
B&B Italia. Managing Product Development in a Design Factory
LOJACONO, GABRIELLA
2010
Abstract
The case describes the growth strategy of an Italian furniture manufacturer and its experience in developing new products for the home furnishing market and for turnkey projects (i.e. contract). The company operates in two strategic business areas that are structurally different each other. This is the reason why the company decided to keep the management and the organizational structure for the two areas separated. Few synergies exist. The case is set in 2009 when B&B Italia is a leading high end company. In the past decades B&B has introduced many successful products (e.g. Coronado and Up Series) designed by external designers. Despite this dominating position in the Italian market and the global recognition, the methods the company adopts to design and develop new product models make it rigid and slow. In consequence, the CR&S (i.e. the Centre of Research and Development) is reanalyzing the overall process to understand if some inefficiencies could be avoided in the future and if the flow of activities could be restructured. However, every possible intervention on the process must not sacrifice the historical core values: high innovation content (differentiation strategy), exploitation of international creativity, product for a global market, industrial product.
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
