The Power of Product Platforms

By Marc H. Meyer and Alvin P. Lehnerd

Book Overview

Most companies know that long-term success does not hinge on any single product but on a continuous stream of value-rich products that target growth markets. Yet many firms inexplicably develop one product at a time, and by doing so fail to embrace commonality, compatibility, standardization, or modularization among different products and product lines. At last, in this timely book, Marc H. Meyer and Alvin P. Lehnerd provide a formula for turning products into profits, enabling companies to design technologically superior products more easily. Their solution is, in two words, PRODUCT PLATFORMS. They argue that firms must focus their energies on developing families of products simultaneously which share common components and technology.

The authors describe how the champions of product development separate themselves from less sophisticated companies by building entire families of strong products from a single "platform" of common product structures, technologies, and automated product processes. These successful companies recognize and respond to new market opportunities by integrating core skills and technology in the form of new products. In this easy-to-read and practical book, the authors masterfully elucidate this dynamic and forward-thinking strategy which enables companies to develop innovative products faster, more cheaply, and with less effort.

Drawing on in-depth case studies and personal experience with successful companies such as Hewlett-Packard, EMC, Black & Decker, and Boeing, Meyer and Lehnerd show managers how to create extraordinary products and thereby set the standard for combined value and cost leadership in their products. They argue that when a company's products are robust--highly functional, elegant in their design, reasonably priced, and a pleasure to use--the corporation will be equally robust. More importantly, The Power of Product Platforms reveals the methodology and organizational approach for designing, developing, and revitalizing strong products that enable the firm to make the transition from one generation of technology to the next. The authors also explain how well-designed product platforms can generate streams of derivative products through a continuous systematic process of renewal.

Meyer and Lehnerd apply this methodology to a broad range of industries; manufacturing in both consumer and industrial markets, software firms, and Internet information services providers.

This clear prescription for transforming the bottom line by aggressively managing product development and innovation will become required reading for large and small corporations alike, including entrepreneurs, all of whom depend on the excellence of their new products for growth.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1451655304
• ISBN13: 9781451655308
• Release Date: May 2011
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

must read for product architect

If you are senior RD, then it's the book for you, especially in hardware system industry. I personally appreciate the section of composite design and the concept of product platform. It provide general guide to learn from competitor and way to surpass them.Software portion is not recommended since the example it provide is not solid enough to work out the argument to apply the same concept to software. However, you may workout your ideas from original platform concept in software planning. Maybe. It remain as a question to me until now.

A must read

This book changed how I approach product design. It focuses on designs that will succeed in the market place. It's not a book specifically on designing for a market, but how a set of systems built on a common platform will allow you to compete in multiple markets at the same time. Meyer and Lehnerd combine marketing, manufacturing, design and strategy. It's loaded with great examples from companies like Black and Decker and EMC. Also impressive is that the authors show how apply platform principles in software and service markets as well as traditional manufacturing

Position a product line for sustained success.

This terrific book explains how to plan and execute a product platform which leads to a series of continuously improved products. We have used the system at our company to plan and evolve both software products and services. We have been able to spin out many different services that seem very different, but were really variations on the basic platform we had previously built. We can provide tailored solutions for clients with less than 10% of the effort that went into the initial platform development.

A new follow up to the Power of Product Platforms coming....

As the co-author of this book,using this text in teaching at 3 universities, Northeastern, Boston Univ. and U. Of Penn. in their graduate programs, I have come to realize the power of this book's teachings, its rules and tools for robust product platforms and derivative products, goods and services as well as software platforms.We are now in the 4th edition and have published it in Spanish with a Barcelona publisher.Companies that Marc Meyer and I consult with have found it extremely informative and useful.Our follow up book will be an extension of this book, filled with rich examples of applications to goods, services, software and processes.Included will be workshop materials for easy application to the users' unique products and business services.Keep looking.......Al Lehnerd

Fantastic book, easy to read, to the point, insightful

After taking a course at Northeastern University taught by Marc Meyers I decided to read his books. He is very forward thinking and offers ideas coupled with real-world experiences. This book is a must read, right up there with The Goal. As a supply-chain consultant, I give this book to my clients to read.