Hedley Purvis, based in Morpeth, manufacture bolt working equipment, primarily for the oil, petrochemical and power generation industries.
As a company who constantly listen to their marketplace, they became aware of the demand for a 'package' of products to undertake particular offshore procedures. Having reviewed their current product portfolio following requests from customers, it became obvious that a new product was required to fulfil market demands. The new product was a sub-sea bolt tensioning system.
Having decided that a new product was required, a thorough process of new product development was undertaken.
The first stage of development was one of 'Problem Appreciation', an important process used to fully evaluate the needs of the customer and become fully conversant with the demands on the new product. The customer in this instance was seen to be everyone who would come into contact with the product during it's use. This included the construction company, operation supervisors, project planners and the divers who would ultimately be using the product.
Not only were many questions asked of the customer, but all departments within Hedley Purvis were included in the evaluation and review process to ensure that all internal issues were addressed early enough to be applicable. Once a thorough list of 'problems', or in this instance opportunities, had been developed, these were then checked with customers during a process of 'Problem Confirmation'.
The process of problem appreciation took 6 months and was vital to the success of the final product.
The thorough list of agreed product criteria developed during problem appreciation, was then reviewed. For each problem, one or more solutions were developed. As before, all members of the multi-discipline team within Hedley Purvis were involved.
These solutions were then evaluated with regard to a number of criteria, and once a preferred solution had been reached, working prototypes were made to evaluate the product both technically and commercially. These prototypes went through a number of development and review stages to ensure the integrity of the final solution.
A video was made of the prototypes in action, to demonstrate and market the product to potential customers. This was a critical point in the development process after which competitors would have knowledge of the Hedley Purvis system. The product was protected via a patent, and further development to production was undertaken as quickly as possible. Due to the involvement of all departments during the 'Problem Appreciation' and concept design processes, development was smooth and quick, potential problems being reviewed and overcome much earlier in the process of product development.
Two years after the Aqua Jack bolt tensioning system was released on to the market, Hedley Purvis had achieved a 70% market share in this product sector. Competitors have made applications for licenses to sell the Hedley Purvis system.
Although now enjoying the fruits of successful product development, the company is still listening to market feedback, and searching for new product opportunities.
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