’DESIGNED TO LAST’ – extending the product lifetime in small and mid-size companies

Today many products are designed to have a life of just 1-3 years. This means that each day we throw products away which have cost precious materials and resources to produce. This way of developing and using products go completely against the 12th UN global sustainable development goal of ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns.
The aim of the project ’ Designed to last’ is to give small and mid-size companies some insight into what it would mean for their company, if they were to extend the lifetime of their products. This with regard to both the design of the products and their position on the market, but also in relation to the company’s ability to compete and its business model etc. In order to give them this insight, the small and mid-size companies design new product and business concepts, which are ‘designed to last.’ The product and business concepts make it possible for the company to establish what it takes to make the extended lifetime of a product a viable business.
In order to support this process, the small and mid-size companies will gain insight into how products with a long lifetime such as Hydrema’s engineering machines, VIPP’s pedal bin or Nilfisk’s GAD vacuum cleaner are designed and how the companies behind these products act strategically in these matters. Furthermore, a process model is developed which can provide support in the development of a product and business concept which is ‘designed to last.’
The project will give the small and mid-size companies a solid foundation for working with extending the lifetime of their products and for implementing the 12th global goal of ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns.

The research question of the project is:

How are small and mid-size companies supported when extending the lifetime of their products so that they are able to contribute to the 12th global goal of ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns?

The project is divided into three parts:
• A best-practice study of companies who develop long-life products today;
• An implementation study that will develop a process model to support the development of a long-life product and business concept.
The process model will be tested in four small and mid-size companies;
• A network group of small and mid-size companies to whom the activities and the conclusions of the project will be continuously
communicated.

The best-practice study:
In the best-practice study, the following research question will be investigated: How does companies with long-life products create cohesion between the development of a long-life product, a strategic placement on the market and a sustainable business?
An in-depth case study of 20 specifically selected long-life products and their companies is performed. This study will focus on both the design and production of the products, but also on the value proposition for the customer, the competitiveness, the market position, the business model etc.

The implementation study:
In the implementation study, the following research question will be investigated: How is a process model developed which will support small and mid-size companies’ development of product and business concepts that will extend the lifetime of their products?
Firstly, a process model, which will support the development of long-life product and business concept in small and mid-size companies, is developed. The process model will show, for instance, how knowhow about other long-life products are integrated into the development of the product and business concept.
Subsequently, the process model will be tested in four small or mid-sized companies, who are interested in developing a product and business concept, which will extend the lifetime of their products.
The testing of the process model involves a number of workshops with the development teams of the small and mid-sized companies, where the process model and the obtained knowhow, about companies who currently develop long-life products, will be introduced. Then the development teams will be facilitated in a number of activities where they apply the knowhow from the case studies directly in relation to the development of a product and business concept.

Following the implementation sessions, interviews with the staff of the small and mid-size companies are conducted with the purpose of evaluating the process model and discovering potential for improvements.


The Network group
In order to make the knowhow accessible to as many small and mid-size companies as possible, an online network group is set up (e.g. on Linked-in), where the activities and conclusions of the project is communicated continuously.

At the closing of the project the following will be developed:
A case-study catalogue, which collects the 20 case studies of long-life products. This reference work will be directly applicable for small and mid-size companies who wish to develop a product and business concept to extend the lifetime of their products.
A good practice guide, which describes the process model for developing a long-life product and business concept. In addition to phase descriptions, workshop descriptions, templates etc. the good practice guide will show how the small and mid-size companies can use the case catalogue when developing a long-life product and business concept. The case catalogue and the good practice guide will be introduced on a seminar for small and mid-size companies.