R&D Project Management & Governance
Tailored solutions for your product development
We specialise in end-to-end embedded and mechanical product development through customised solutions adapted to your needs. Our seasoned teams of engineers and designers collaborate closely with you to transform innovative ideas into tangible, market-ready solutions. We support you in the whole process from idea to research, design, product development and production.
We meet the market’s increasing demand for managed outsourced assignments
Whether you need a single consultant with a certain competence, a product development team, or your entire project to be scoped and executed, AFRY has the experience, processes and know-how to deliver with excellence. At AFRY, we have over 25 years of experience in delivering tailored solutions through a highly efficient methodology, adaptable to any client’s requirements and in a broad range of sectors: Automotive, Telecom, Defence, Med-Tech, Energy, Mining, and Manufacturing.
One of the keys to success is careful management and continuous improvement of our intellectual and structural capital. Our established processes with integrated governance structures enable us to take on full responsibility for an entire project or product lifecycle while keeping the client continuously involved in the assignment’s execution.
AFRY can assist you at every step of the R&D process:
- Conceptualisation and Ideation:
- Idea Refinement: We work closely with you to refine your product concept, ensuring it aligns with your business goals and user needs.
- Market Research: Our experts analyse market trends, competitor offerings, and user pain points to create a robust product vision.
- Technical Specifications and Planning:
- Detailed Requirements: We meticulously document technical specifications, covering both software and hardware aspects.
- Budget Estimation: Our team provides transparent cost estimates, considering features, complexity, and scalability.
- Prototyping and Design:
- Proof of Concept (PoC): We swiftly create PoCs to validate feasibility and identify potential challenges.
- Hardware and PCB Design: Our engineers design efficient PCB layouts, considering e.g. signal integrity and power management.
- Software Architecture: We architect reliable and optimised firmware, drivers, and middleware.
- Software Development:
- Embedded Firmware: Our skilled developers write efficient, bug-free firmware tailored to your product’s requirements.
- RTOS Integration: For real-time responsiveness, we integrate robust real-time operating systems.
- Connectivity Solutions: We implement seamless communication protocols (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.).
- Hardware Implementation:
- Component Selection: We carefully choose components for reliability, performance, and cost-effectiveness.
- Prototyping and Testing: Our team builds physical prototypes for rigorous testing and validation.
- Testing and Quality Assurance:
- Unit and Integration Testing: We ensure each module functions flawlessly.
- Field Testing: Real-world testing validates performance, stability, and user experience.
- Production and Deployment:
- Manufacturing Setup: We establish production services, including AFRY inhouse production, ensuring consistent quality.
- Deployment Strategy: Whether B2B or B2C, we guide you through successful product deployment.
Tailored solutions for your specific needs
In response to diverse client needs, AFRY offers a range of delivery models. The setup will be customised and optimised for the specific assignment, aligning with the client’s preferred level of involvement. We can also assist in production at our production center, as well as proof of concept (POC) and prototyping.
Read more below, or download the PDF with more information about our delivery models.
Our Delivery Models
- Professional and Expert Services
- Agile Teams
- Full Projects
- Product Lifecycle Management
- Production incl. PoC & Prototyping
Professional and Expert Services
Our Professional and Expert Services offer straightforward consulting solutions, placing you in control. AFRY’s consultants are skilled experts in various technical fields, who seamlessly integrate into your project teams or provide specialised services.
By leveraging their expertise, you not only solve technical problems but also gain insights that future-proof your projects against rapidly evolving technological landscapes.
Benefits:
- Access to highly skilled professionals
- Seamless integration into project teams
- Expertise in solving complex technical problems
- Flexible support tailored to your needs
Managed Agile Teams
Being one of the pioneers in delivering Managed Agile Teams, AFRY has the processes, experience and know-how to build efficient teams, easily adapted to your organisation. We build highly competent and versatile teams and our client experience range from Telecom and Automotive to Medtech and IT.
In order to seize an upcoming business opportunity, client organisations often face situations where the number of products in parallel development is higher than their current capacity, or competence requirements of certain products outside of their employees’ competence set.
Our Agile Teams are agile groups of 3 to 10 individuals, handpicked to efficiently address your tasks. The model can flexibly adapt to suit agile and non-agile contexts. Whether you need to scale up capacity or solve specific challenges, our cross-functional teams deliver results. The teams operate in time-boxed “sprints” to ensure that your objectives are met with speed and precision.
Benefits:
- Fast ramp-up & ramp-down, rapid scalability without adding load on own management
- No need for time consuming & expensive recruitment process
- No client need for management, team coaching/follow-up
- Superior team performance through structured KPI follow-up and adaption
- Structured team compilation and collaboration methods
- Superior performance compared to in-house teams
- High-value teams adaptable to project evolution
We take on your product development projects from start to finish
We deliver managed product development projects where we take on full responsibility throughout the entire project lifecycle, from definition of requirements to final delivery. We design, set-up and optimise your product development project for your particular needs.
Projects are ideal for tasks with clearly defined deliverables, typically outlined in existing systems, processes or project documentation. Unlike team-based delivery models, projects involve recruiting resources to work within a specified timeframe, with team members contributing on both part-time and full-time bases.
With effective project governance, we direct, control, and coordinate the project to align with strategic goals, manage risks, protect intellectual property, and ensure quality for successful project outcomes.
Our projects include development of products containing embedded systems and mechanics. Examples of delivered products are control units, monitoring systems and control panels for various applications in various sectors.
Benefits:
- Clear project alignment with pre-defined objectives and goals for each project phase.
- Established governance structure ensuring the desired level of involvement and control throughout the project execution.
- Effective risk management.
- Assurance of quality according to project requirements.
- Strong commitment to project success through structured collaboration models.
- Facilitates budgeting since a forecast of the total project cost is part of the delivery.
- We take full responsibility for recruitment and staffing.
- We assign a project manager responsible for operative management and leadership.
- Project team will work from AFRY premises.
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) involves overseeing the entire lifespan of a product or service, from concept, design, development, production, maintenance, support, and eventually, the end of its lifecycle.
We provide two main delivery models:
- Fully outsourced PLM: Assuming responsibility for all product generations, past, present, and future.
- Maintenance and Support: End-stage maintenance and support. Our aim is to relieve clients of product-related tasks, enabling you to focus on strategic activities. Outsourcing such responsibilities is common for non-core products, allowing internal resources to concentrate on high-value tasks.
Benefits:
- Reduced product management burden
- Enhanced focus on strategic tasks
- Leveraging external expertise for non-core products
- Cost savings, improved product quality, and shorter time-to-market durations
- Efficient resource allocation
Product development with small volume production capability
AFRY Production Center has specialist expertise in high quality production for smaller series of electronics units. AFRY Production Center has established products in the market and established platforms and customers.
We conduct design, development and small-scale high-quality production. Today, a number of projects and serial deliveries are underway for customers in the industry, aeronautics, marine and defense industries. The products include sound systems, support systems, pilot microphones, moisture control systems and the production of electronics units for underwater systems.
Established routines and processes to handle quality level set by the authorities and by the customers. The processes include vendor management and evaluation, continuous improvement, review, export control regulations, internal and external audits, resource management, sales and marketing, R&D, testing tools and calibration.
Key offerings:
- High quality small-scale production and R&D including all parts in product development
- Complete box build with PCB coating and casting
- Wiring and contracting and harnessing, design and manufacturing
- Mechanical machining and assembly
- Production test, functional test, FAI Packaging, delivery and control.
- Maintenance & Support
Proof of Concept & Prototyping
Demonstrate product feasibility by prototyping functional samples. Our experience in a wide range of industries will help you identify technologies that are available to solve problems in your design. This process typically begins with research and ends with proof-of-concept prototyping to prove out the solutions.
With the concepts approved, our mechanical, electrical and software engineers work in parallel to dig into the details and set out to prove the efficacy of the approach. We start building quickly and even crudely in order to first solve fundamental issues. We progressively mature the ideas through successive builds.
A Proof of Concept (POC) is a small exercise to test the design idea or assumption. The main purpose of developing a POC is to demonstrate the functionality and to verify a certain concept or theory that can be achieved in development.
Prototyping is a quick and effective way of bringing a client’s ideas to life and serves a sample for the potential users to evaluate, test and share their feedback to make improvements. This technique also helps in documentation and provides the team with a more accurate estimation how long it will take to complete.
We will assist you in both stages of development and assure your product will fulfil your requirements.
Key offerings
- Mechanical mechanisms
- Electronical hardware and software verification
- Additive Manufacturing methods and production
- Value increasing results
- Test rigs for e.g. endurance and cycling
- Verification of subsystems and/or complete systems
- Geometric assurance
Interested in our offering? Contact us!
