New product development in brazilian technology-based small and medium enterprises

Abstract

This article examines new product development (NPD) in small and medium-sized Brazilian enterprises (SMEs) in two technology-based industries: medical devices and process control automation devices. A conceptual model that categorizes factors that contribute to the success of a new product was established. The data were collected from a sample of 62 Brazilian SMEs. The conceptual model was tested to examine the relationships between NPD practices and new product success. Data analysis reveals that new product success in medical device companies is related to organizational characteristics such as NPD proficiency and marketing skills; while in process control automation device companies, they deal in a large degree with product differentiation, innovation and capability to analyze the targeted market. Due to the relatively small sample size, caution should be exercised when interpreting the results.Keywords: new product development, success critical factors, small and medium enterprises, medical device industry, process control automation device industry.

<b>New product development in small and medium-sized technology based companies: a multiple case study

“…SMEs are a major driver of employment growth. Most of the NPD literature focuses on the activities of large well-known companies or within the context of well-developed economies, but the literature within SMEs located in developing countries is more limited (Toledo, Mendes, Jugend, & Silva, 2013;Mendes & Toledo, 2015). For Siu, Lin, Fang, and Liu (2006), various researches on NPD were conducted in large firms and the results do not necessarily apply in the context of SMEs.…”