Struggling to bridge the gap between R&D and production teams?

The best the way to close the gap between R&D and production team is through communication. Communication is the key to understanding the nuances between departments. As CSM, I have standing monthly meetings with the Services Director, KNA Director, Project Management Director and a couple others departments to check in. The check in 30 min max, sometimes not even that long. It allows each side to see what they can do for each other to improve upon operations. It starts as simple as, how are things going? what can we do to assist you? My recommendation would be for the R&D and Production department to schedule monthly check in meetings.

On our innovation teams, we have representatives on the team to align activities and timing. This can only move a project forward if the operations upper management team sees the value of the project to their future and invests their people and time. Getting a project to be prioritized alongside the plant initiatives is critical.

Since the top management knows the directions of new product development, new process development, or exploratory projects, it is vital for key managers to align goals between the two functions. There is of course a time component, which R&D should be alert & sensitive as to when to bring Manufacturing into the picture. Depending on the type of business, it is essential that this should be embrace in a systems approach manner.

An example I have seen is that the production manager/supervisor covers up for their team by following the instructions of the CEO or Director and replacing some raw materials to other ones that are less expensive and not communicating that with R&D when the production batches do not match the R&D standard or when they make a mistake in compounding.

In more experienced & highly technical organizations, it is likely that the R&D team possesses working knowledge of the Manufacturing systems, and vice versa. Hence, it is easier to implement systems that will guide the processes that move the integration of processes of both R&D and Manufacturing. The system should dictate when Manufacturing comes in, and this is very important. In an organization where technical people have working knowledge of both functions, alignment is faster & even very complimentary. For example, in bringing new products to market, R & D aligns its new processes with current Manufacturing capabilities so that the limiting step of acquiring new equipment (or just customizing current machines) is managed well.

Cross-training is a key component of bridging the gap between the R&D laboratory with the commercial Plants of Manufacturing. Also, regular coordination meetings will help in ensuring everyone is onboard as far as implementation of launch plans are concerned. The more new equipment is needed in a new product, the earlier in the process that Manufacturing should be involved. Mutual trust & respect is important in ensuring that both functions help each other in coming out with the Company’s best performance in its latest product offerings.

Knowledge sharing between the R&D and production teams creates a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Regular brainstorming, communication, and exchange of insights help both teams stay updated on the latest technological advancements, process improvements, and consumer feedback. This collaborative environment promotes the implementation of best practices and innovative solutions, leading to the development of higher quality products and more efficient production methods. Additionally, this synergy aligns the goals of both departments, ensuring that every member is working towards a common objective of delivering superior products to the market.

Communication between R&D and production teams is critical during introduction of new product manufacturing. As the production team implements manufacturing of a product transitioning from R&D it is important to collect, share and evaluate data at all steps of the production process. Data collection may be more extensive during the transition period than later on when manufacturing has been shown to be successful and consistent. As data is collected, R&D experts must review the data to highlight potential issues and assist in adjusting processes as needed to ensure a successful transfer.

Change management is critical to successful implementation of new product manufacturing processes. Many processes do not transfer directly from R&D to manufacturing, so evaluation of workflows and production data will provide insights as to where design tweaks may be required. Successful implementation of changes should be done in a controlled manner, with changes made as well as their outcomes being thoroughly documented. When the decision to revise a manufacturing workflow is made, the new workflow must be documented in Standard Operating Procedures and manufacturing personnel trained on the new workflow to increase the chance for success.

Often, the people on the production floor quickly become experts in the process and can recommend ways to improve efficiency or yield of the process. Should changes be recommended, communication between the production floor and R&D becomes critical so that methods intended to make improvements can do so without jeopardizing product quality. Formalizing communication through periodic team meetings and data review can be helpful in making sure that data sharing and evaluation is an ongoing process, which is key to Continuous Improvement activities.

By combining product development and process engineering into one organization, you accelerate scale up of new products, avoid sloppy handoffs, and finger-pointing when production issues arise. The biggest issue that prevents transitioning to this improved structure is the incumbent manufacturing manager who sees this as a loss of turf. In my career, we once moved process engineering into R&D to avert a prolonged quality crisis, and two years later with a new Operations leader and a boundary-less culture, we happily and smoothly moved process engineering back to Operations.