• Greater China Project - Beckman Instruments
  • Goals:  1) To expand Beckman's market and to reach a population of customers that we would normally not be able to service unless we operated as a local entity in China. 2) Establish Beckman's long term corporate presence and relationships in the People's Republic of China.
  • Actions: Formed a strategic JV relationship with a state-owned enterprise in Hunan, P.R.C. to locally manufacture Beckman centrifugation instruments for the Chinese market. Implemented project in phases over a 6 year period.
  • Results: Project generated revenues of $1.5M - $2M per quarter and Beckman leveraged the knowledge gained about how to do business in China to establish a long term corporate presence in Suchou.

Strategic Product Planning and Development

• Next Generation High Capacity Centrifugation Project - Beckman Instruments
  • Problem: The J6 high capacity centrifugation product line needed to be rejuvenated, more than 10 years had lapsed since the last major development and the instruments were technologically behind.
  • Actions:  Obtained approvals to initiate a new product development effort. Steps taken were as follows:
    • Primary Market Research: 
      • Conducted world-wide market survey - 200 customers, 20 countries.
      • Conducted QFD to translate customer requirements into High Level Engineering Documents
      • Validated results of QFD with customers in each one of the targeted market segments (Blood Banking and Biotech/Bio-research)
    • Developed product line strategic direction and Product Line Evolution Charts (Roadmaps)
    • Developed strategic positioning and differentiation strategies.
    • Created MRPs and PRDs
      • One Basic Product and two different feature sets to service Blood Banking and Biotech/bioresearch.
    • Obtained approvals and funding to create a prototype and demonstrate the project's viability.
    • Obtained approvals to proceed with the full scope of development project for the first product
    • Formed cross-functional Product Development team
    • Developed and launched the new products worldwide.
  • Results: Beckman was able to maintain their leadership in this very specialized market by bringing in a new generation of products that were based on a very thorough understanding of real customer requirements.  Please follow these links to see a couple of the products that resulted from this work.

  Avanti J6 HC High Capacity Centrifuge System

  SpinTrace II Network cGMP Compliance Software

  

Process Development

• 3-D Model of the NPI process - Bay Networks/Nortel Networks
  • Problem: Project Teams at Bay needed a tool to help them easily remember the full scope of the NPI process and their deliverables for each stage of the project
  • Actions: Developed a web based graphical tool that documented the full scope of the Bay Networks NPI process. Made the tool available to all teams through the corporate intranet.
    • A screen that depicts the "development funnel" is displayed on the screen.   The team member clicks on the link on the funnel where their business function and the phase of the project intersects
    • A list of deliverables for that phase is displayed on the screen.  Depending on the scope of the project, the team member is obligated to either complete the full list of deliverables or an abbreviated list.  This is decided in consultation with the program manager that is leading the project.
  • Results: The tool was very successfully used by Bay Networks, provided consistency of delivery between projects and was later adopted by Nortel Networks after their acquisition of Bay.

Technical Development

• Power Over LAN” solution for IP Telephony (IEEE802.3af).- Nortel Networks
  • Problem: Corporate customers require a solution to power  IP Phones directly from the communications closet to bring carrier type reliability for VOIP solutions and to simplify the installation of the phones. Additionally, with the deployment of Wireless Access Nodes, a more efficient method is needed for powering these devices.
  • Actions: Championed the Power over LAN initiative to implement the IEEE802.3af standard which brings DC power over the enterprise's Category 5 cabling plant. Worked with teams in various divisions of Nortel and individuals that were active participants of the 802.3af  working group to increase awareness of this emerging standard and to put strategies in place to implement it once the standard is ratified. .
  • Results: 802.3af is not yet ratified, Nortel is still participating as a member of the working group.  My initiative has resulted in the development of power backup strategies to bring carried grade reliability for VOIP and readiness to retrofit some of the existing products to provide Power Over LAN once the standard is ratified.