A gestão do desenvolvimento de produtos em pequenas e médias empresas de base tecnológica do setor de equipamentos médico-hospitalares.

Abstract

The subject of this work is the product development management in small and medium sized technology-based firms in the sector of health care equipment production. The product development is critical for these firms and the management of this process affect the performance of it and consequently the competitiveness of these firms. The work has for objective to identify and to analyze the practices adopted by those firms and the main problems in the management of product development in small and medium sized technology-based firms of the State of São Paulo in the sector of health care equipment production, as well as the critical success factors in the management of the projects ahead developed. The diagnosis encloses the identification and analysis of practices of organization and the management adopted by the firms for this process and the main problems faced in the management of it, as well as the performance gotten for the firms in the product development. The field research enclosed a sample of 30 firms distributed among the cities of Campinas, Ribeirão Preto, Rio Claro, São Carlos, São José do Rio Preto and the metropolitan region of São Paulo. This work was developed by means of: 1. bibliographical research on the subject (Product Development Management and Management in small and medium sized technology-based firms); 2. Field research of the type survey (data-collecting) in small and medium sized technology-based firms through questionnaires applied in visit to the firms; 3. compilation and analysis of the data. In general, it was observed that the firms searched in its majority exports to other markets, the most use the platform concept, in general, the firms invest between 5 and 10% of invoicing in R&D, most of firms developed 5 new products in the last 5 years. For the considered products of success for the firms, joined the critical success factors had been: the activities of pre-product development well had been carried through, focus on the requirements of the consumers; integration among firms departments for creation and selection of new ideas and the head of the project was able to motivate the team.