Market Intelligence Heats Up Product Development |
| A specialty chemical producer needed to determine the application and market potential for a novel corrosion inhibitor for use as an additive in antifreeze. The company used an Intota expert to obtain the market intelligence they sought. During a one hour phone call, an expert with 20 years of technical experience in antifreeze formulations provided the first-hand knowledge that accelerated product development for the manufacturer. Request an Intota Expert |
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Product Support Enhanced with External Experts |
| When the applications support engineer at a specialty chemical company received calls from two of its customers requesting help with sealing glass to titanium, he set out to learn all he could about the process. Faced with limited time and resources, he turned to Intota experts and quickly identified two material scientists with expertise in sealing glass to metal. He called them both. The experts thoroughly explained the procedure over the phone, and shared their experience with the process. They also offered tips regarding application. "It's amazing what I picked up from two phone calls," he said. "I would have spent 1 to 2 weeks uncovering that kind of detail on my own. The experts gave me the confirmation I needed to counsel my customers. They were very impressed with my fast response time!" Request an Intota Expert |
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Project Saved by Substituting Materials |
| Field tests on a manufacturer's new roadside flare confirmed that it burned too quickly. Needing a fast solution to keep the product development schedule on track, the project leader called an Intota expert who also consults with tobacco companies. He suggested a coated cardboard substrate that, when properly shaped, would exhibit the 'slow-burn' properties needed for the new flare device. Request an Intota Expert |
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New Process Side Effect Fixed |
| A sporting goods manufacturer had recently implemented a new manufacturing process that increased the longevity of one of its products, but lead to strange rattling sounds during actual use. Three Intota experts helped the team revise and optimize certain chemical formulations that dramatically improved the situation. Six months later, the client reported no evidence of the rattling sounds, and projected that the product's shelf life had increased four-fold. Market acceptance increased, enhancing revenues and increasing market share. Request an Intota Expert |
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Money Saved with Salvaged Products |
| An electronics firm salvaged $400,000 in integrated circuits containing an out-of-spec solder, thanks to an Intota coatings expert. The expert confirmed the ICs could be re-coated and identified suppliers to do the job. Request an Intota Expert |
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Money Saved on Complex Product Development |
| A major electronic-component manufacturer turned to a team of three Intota experts for assistance in creating and marketing a multi-media device for cars. The product would give drivers access to the Internet, satellite directions, audio/video entertainment and more. The experts provided intelligence to support the manufacturing, distribution, and retailing phases of the project. The team also investigated flat-panel display technologies, including strengths and weaknesses, trends and automotive applications. The manufacturer credits the Intota experts with saving $300,000 in business development and supplier-related costs. Request an Intota Expert |
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Manufacturing Costs Reduced |
| A design engineer at a food processing equipment manufacturer made a call to an Intota expert in computer-aided automation that led to $240,000 in assembly savings for his company. Request an Intota Expert |
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Months Saved on Supplement Development |
| A manufacturer of animal health products was experiencing difficulty in maintaining batch consistency in an oral iron supplement for baby pigs. In order to reformulate the product, they needed to find an expert in a specialized branch of chemistry known as chelation. A call to an Intota expert, a specialist in iron supplementation with a working knowledge of chelation chemistry, provided the company's food scientists the insight in developing the right formulation. The company credits the expert with saving at least three months of development time. Request an Intota Expert |
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Cross-Industry Knowledge Avoids Mistake |
| An engineer phoned an Intota expert in food irradiation, to see if the process could be used to destroy bacteria in a chemical plant. Upon review, the expert identified a vital ingredient that would lose its potency if irradiated. The early discovery saved weeks of testing and led to an alternative process. Request an Intota Expert |
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Equipment Expense Reduced |
| A production manager needed a way to more accurately and economically measure the circular motion of rollers on a production line, without having to purchase costly equipment. An Intota expert in control systems quickly zeroed in on the line's encoders and explained how they could be inexpensively modified to achieve greater accuracy. The call saved $7,000 in new equipment costs. Request an Intota Expert |
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Better Material Identified |
| By consulting with two Intota experts in the area of substituting plastic for metal, an engineer confirmed that plastics could replace steel components in his firm's line of conveyer products. The conversion lowered unit costs by 15% and allowed for a wider range of design options. Request an Intota Expert |
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No Guesswork for a New Process |
| A company was developing a new oven to cure-dip deposited coatings on expanded metal. That process required a machine to control airflow and temperature. The design team was unsure of how to obtain accurate measurements of airflow and temperature and knew the solution would require a fair amount of guess work. Through Intota, they contacted a world-class heat transfer expert whose knowledge and counsel minimized the guesswork and saved at least $50,000 in research and design time. Request an Intota Expert |
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The Right Tests Lead to Product Improvements |
| A designer and manufacturer of aluminum air-to-air heat exchangers for agricultural, industrial and residential applications needed to explore rust-resistant alternative materials that were less susceptible to rapid corrosion, yet could provide high levels of head exchange efficiency. The central question was: What are the heat transfer characteristics of the current product design and how will they change when different materials such as aluminum alloys, stainless steel and plastics are used in the heat exchanger plate? Over the phone, an Intota expert from a major research university outlined the procedures needed to evaluate the heat transfer loss that could be attributed to each of the materials under consideration. Based on the evaluation, the company now uses three different materials in its heat exchangers and has strengthened it product line. Request an Intota Expert |
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New Markets Opened with Product Adaption |
| By talking to an Intota expert, the technical director at a small defense contractor learned how to adapt his company's specialized sensor technology to a commercial market. The call opened the door to bid on a $10 million project. Request an Intota Expert |
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Equipment Problem's Cause Confirmed |
| Engineers suspected the cause of an isolated thermal problem in the operation of a key piece of equipment, but they needed confirmation. They turned to Intota to consult with an authority in fluid mechanics. Upon describing the situation, which involved an unusual reaction to thermal changes and a decreasing flare control of gas, the expert was able to confirm their original theory. The successful interaction allowed the company's engineers to quickly remedy the problem, saving time and money. Request an Intota Expert |
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Time Saved with Testing Redesign |
| A researcher was devising a set of experiments to measure the effects of a chemical environment on product performance. Throughout this time-consuming task, he suspected it might be possible to generate the needed data with fewer tests. He contacted an Intota expert specializing in experiment design and data analysis. After just two telephone conversations, the scientist was able to reduce the number of experiments by one-third. The expert also helped analyze early test results. Request an Intota Expert |
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Product Development Team Calls in Expert |
| A maker of electro-optical controls for automated manufacturing needed a special adhesive to function as a sealant between two polymer layers in the formation of a new acrylic lens. Although the development team was composed of optics experts, they knew little about adhesives. Turning to Intota, the team leader soon identified and contacted an adhesives expert. The expert reviewed selection criteria, provided advice and also referred the client to a second expert in the field. The input from two network scientists led to the selection of the ideal adhesive, enabling the team to develop and launch a successful new product line. Request an Intota Expert |
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Cross-Industry Expertise Yields Solution |
| Engineers at a heart valve manufacturer overcame a seal problem by calling an Intota expert in submarine technology. The solution led to a better, safer valve that reached the market three months early. Request an Intota Expert |
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A Million Dollars of Waste Eliminated |
| You wouldn't think squeezing an extra half-gram of ointment into a two-gram tube would be such a big deal, but the 25% to 50% "giveaway" volume was costing a major pharmaceutical producer dearly. Recognizing that the problem was inherent in the tube filler design, the equipment engineer in charge sought the advice of an Intota expert. A quick search put him in touch with an expert in metered pump applications involving high-viscosity fluids. After listening to the problem, he told the engineer about a metering pump manufacturer that could ensure precision filling within .03percent of the 2-gram allotment. The new meter was installed. Following initial debugging and optimization, the new meter led to a highly precise filling operation that is saving the company an estimated $1 million a year. Request an Intota Expert |
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Downtime Saved, Rework Reduced |
| When a maker of implantable telemetry devices that enable researchers to humanely monitor vital signs of laboratory animals experienced a failure in the process that adheres a bio-compatible film to the device's plastic housing, assembly operations came to a halt. The firm's director of quality and productivity found an Intota expert, an authority in adhesion and surface chemistry. The expert explained the chemistry behind the current surface-treatment method. He then recommended an alternative thermal-based process that would yield the desired adhesion and coating thickness. The expert's suggestions were implemented, saving thousands of dollars in downtime and streamlining the company's assembly operation by greatly reducing rework. The expert's ideas also improved the biocompatibility of the company's product line. Request an Intota Expert |
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Best Practices Identified |
| To better serve its internal and external clients, a product development team wanted to learn what other companies were doing in the critical area of testing processes and procedures. Via the Intota network, a leading authority in product development process control was tapped. Using a best practices questionnaire drafted by the expert, the company interviewed technical managers at companies across multiple industries. The expert was then called upon to analyze all interview findings and prepare an informative summary, complete with recommendations for streamlining and improving the team's testing processes. Request an Intota Expert |
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Redesign Avoided with a $3 Can of Paint |
| Lowering the temperature inside a cast aluminum housing that contained an electronic throttle system was proving to be quite a challenge for a project leader and staff at a specialty controls manufacturer. Faced with redesigning the entire unit, they decided to run the problem by an Intota expert. They were soon on the phone with a renowned expert in heat transfer whose advice was simple and direct: "Paint the inside of the housing black." He explained that the darker color would absorb the heat and make it dissipate faster from the housing, thus lowering the unit's operating temperature. The problem was solved that afternoon with a $3 can of black spray paint. Request an Intota Expert |
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Material Change Saves New Product from Exploding |
| A manufacturer of electronic fixtures for the trucking industry was unable to determine the proper epoxy resin for use as a potting compound in a new product. The development team spent several weeks gathering samples from suppliers, only to have the materials react explosively to a plastic used in the product. Even the suppliers were stymied. A call to an Intota expert led to the identification of several specialists in epoxy resin chemistry. In the course of a 35-minute call, the expert explained why their initial choices had exploded. He then suggested an ideal resin for the application that would comply with regulatory standards and eliminate the need for lab testing. The team leader credited the expert's ready answers with keeping the project alive at its most critical juncture and enabling the completion of a successful new product. Request an Intota Expert |
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Expert Chemical Analysis Finds No Benzene |
| An individual was claiming that a solvent he used in the work place contained benzene and caused him to develop leukemia. Through chemical analysis an Intota expert conclusively showed that benzene was not present in the solvent. Request an Intota Expert |
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Overseas Market Expansion Launched |
| What is the typical washing temperature for clothing in Japan? What is the water hardness in Taiwan? What's the average wash load size in Korea? To the technical marketers responsible for introducing a new biodegradable laundry soap to Far East markets, these were not trivia game questions. The answers would comprise the "go/no-go" information for expansion into new markets. Mindful that primary research was expensive and time consuming, the marketers wondered if the answers existed elsewhere. A brief search of the Intota expert network uncovered an appliance design engineer who had helped develop washing machines for international markets. In the first phone call, he answered most of the marketers' questions and provided the insight needed to make informed decisions about the market opportunity. Request an Intota Expert |
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Design Review Provides Powerful Results |
| An Intota expert was retained by the owner of a hydroelectric project to monitor the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) design of twin runners for a reaction hydraulic Francis turbine unit because the CFD contractor had never previously designed a turbine runner. The owner wanted an ongoing expert design review to ensure the suitability of the runner design in comparison to Francis runners in general. The expert’s critiques contributed to the success of the project with the final result being the unit produced 20% more power at a lower head than the project had anticipated. Request an Intota Expert |
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Analysis Reveals Acquisition as Best Option |
| Intota clients were considering an alliance, partnership, or acquisition of a company. This expert’s role was to evaluate the products and capabilities of the company relative to other companies and the state of the art. He documented his conclusions and the client was able to make a judicious decision to buy. Request an Intota Expert |
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Expansion Mistake Avoided |
| An Intota expert was asked by an herb growing company to investigate the prospects of a market expansion of a particular food industry herb for sales into the personal care industry. The expert presented detailed research that showed the percentage of use of this herb in cosmetics was too miniscule and the need too limited to warrant the grower spending time trying to market it to personal care product manufacturers. Without this research the company would have spent wasted time and money attempting to market this herb to an industry where they would not have gotten the anticipated return on their investment. Request an Intota Expert |
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Product Design Assistance Results in Improvements |
| Intota was asked to identify an expert who could help with product design including identifying proper industry standards for the client company. After reviewing the design that the client company had developed, the Intota expert made 3 major suggestions that reduced the cost of the final product, made it more reliable, and put the client company in touch with a major supplier whose sourcing allowed the client company to manufacturer their product on-shore rather than send it off-shore. Request an Intota Expert |
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Packaging Design Brainstorming a Success |
| An Intota expert was invited to speak to designers at a major packaging manufacturer about opportunities for custom packaging in food service. The expert presented on overview of the food service industry and specifically addressed restaurant operations from receipt of ingredients to delivery of finished menu items to the customer. The expert then led a brain storming session with the design group which was videotaped for presentation to company management. The company used this detailed information as the basis for the development and launch of several new packaging products for selected food service companies. Request an Intota Expert |
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Green Production Process Enabled for Key Markets |
| Working with a manufacturing client, an Intota expert created profiles of the US and European marketplace for a selected family of industrial chemicals, prioritizing important opportunities and developing marketing strategy and implementation recommendations for “greener” chemicals made using a new, environmentally friendly manufacturing process. Leveraging additional insight from interviews with key industry players and published information sources, the expert provided the critical intelligence the client needed to ramp up pilot plant production of the greener manufacturing process and deliver samples to potential customers in high priority segments. Request an Intota Expert |
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