How Would You Characterize the Various Projects Mtc Has Undertaken, in the Framework Proposed by Wheelwright and Clark?

1. How would you characterize the various projects MTC has undertaken, in the framework proposed by Wheelwright and Clark?

The Wheelwright and Clark Aggregate Product Planning framework provides a guideline for companies to follow so that they can potentially evenly distribute their product portfolio and pipeline to achieve better firm wide results.  The framework is broken down into two phases; Impact on Market and Nature of Technological Change. Impact on Market classifies projects as new market, new benefit or new customer, improved benefit and maintaining current product or brand support. Technology change is described as no technological change, slight modification or improvement, next generation of technology or product and radical innovative technology change. Break though products create new markets and typically require an elevated level of new or radical technological change, this heavy research and development. Existing products and brand support, fall on the low end of the spectrum and require no or little technological change and simply maintain the existing market. Platform and Derivative products fall in the middle.  Derivative products provide an added benefit to the market and only require slight technological advancements while platform products require more next generation technology development. Both will reach new and existing markets; however, platform products tend to attract more new customers while derivative products tend to attract existing markets.

MTC product portfolio cover each aspect of the Aggregate Product Planning framework. The slurry problem, where the firm needed to find a way to evenly disperse the fine steel particles, was heavily reliant on new research and development. It took a few weeks to get it correct but it also led to new process development for firm, which it then incorporated into other Breakthrough projects. Examples of these types of projects for the firm would be the Tape Casting and the Quickset Molding. Using knowledge from the R&D of the slurry dispersion, the firm was able to breakthrough development of its Quickset molding by eliminating or at least reducing the void space in the microstructure and preventing the formation of ice crystals.

Platform projects, like the sensor package that is being considered did not require a lot of technological change. For the most part MTC has the technology to produce the product, it just needs to be developed a little more. This might be a good example of the Edison Method, where they just need a few ore tries to get it right but once they do they can continue to produce for slightly developing markets by adding new and improved benefits.

The Superconducting ceramic wire developed for the Department of Defense is a good example of a derivative project for MTC. It required a little technology and it would provide added benefit to an existing market, that just thought the process would take too long.

1. Is this the right set of projects for MTC?

MTC has a wide array of project that it takes on. It can do this for two reasons. First, its focus is on the technological process. Second, it really focuses on the projects that the customers absolutely need. When viewing the projects that MTC needs is about to take on through the lens of the Aggregate Product Planning framework, you could make the argument for and against the projects being a good fit. However, there is more reasons why the projects are a good fit.

One might argue that Sundback’s concern with employee workload or Quinn’s aversion to missing deadlines would mean that the company needs to refocus on the projects it takes on. But these issues can be solved with better planning. Staffing projects with different people, slightly adjusting the lead time of a deliverable, or choosing viable process’ are all adjustments that can be made in practice.  Work smarter to alleviate pressures.  

MTC’s corporate strategy, however, is focused on developing the process for making a product and not the actual product. The physical product is what the customer needs, but the MTC product is the process by which that physical product is developed.  Thus, the process can be consistently refined and made better for future uses. This allows for the planning matrix to be fully utilized and the three projects that they are about to take on diversify the planning matrix.

The microelectronic circuit, would be a slight improvement in the process technology requiring minimal technological change and would be a derivative on existing an existing product. Its potential sales would be to a few new customers and some already existing customers. The rotor on the other hand would be a breakthrough project because the firm would have to develop a new composite. It would require, not brand-new technology, but meaningful change in current technology.  With the development of the new composite it would also serve to focus on a new market with added new benefits to the customer.   The electronic sensor would fall in the middle somewhere, the company has what it needs to develop the sensor, it just needs to spend more time getting the process right. It’s not quite new, but it also doesn’t have any major impact on the markets.