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Agile Innovation in a Manufacturing Company : How Tetra Pak Evolved Its Product Development Process

Cooper, Robert G. ; Ingby, Jonas ; Källrot, Clara ; Mott, Peter and Vedsmand, Tomas (2025) In Research Technology Management 68(4). p.42-51
Abstract

OVERVIEW: The article explains how Tetra Pak, a global manufacturing company, revamped its product development process (PDP) by transitioning from the traditional Stage-Gate model to a new innovative process that integrates Agile, Lean, Stage-Gate, the Scaled Agile Framework for enterprises (SAFe), and systems engineering methods. The design and implementation of the PDP at Tetra Pak offers insights into how this new process enhances quality, increases throughput, and improves the management of complex engineering products with substantial hardware content. It also highlights valuable lessons from the transformation journey. We present lessons learned that innovation managers and practitioners can apply to accelerate their companies’... (More)

OVERVIEW: The article explains how Tetra Pak, a global manufacturing company, revamped its product development process (PDP) by transitioning from the traditional Stage-Gate model to a new innovative process that integrates Agile, Lean, Stage-Gate, the Scaled Agile Framework for enterprises (SAFe), and systems engineering methods. The design and implementation of the PDP at Tetra Pak offers insights into how this new process enhances quality, increases throughput, and improves the management of complex engineering products with substantial hardware content. It also highlights valuable lessons from the transformation journey. We present lessons learned that innovation managers and practitioners can apply to accelerate their companies’ product development processes. This article focuses primarily on the new product development (NPD) process, with less emphasis on the transformation methodology and the change management process.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Agile, Agile in hardware, New product development, Product development process
in
Research Technology Management
volume
68
issue
4
pages
10 pages
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:105007781726
ISSN
0895-6308
DOI
10.1080/08956308.2025.2498587
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © Copyright © 2025, The National Association of Manufacturers.
id
c84837a5-05d6-4464-b5e6-0bad90dc9c8d
date added to LUP
2026-01-19 15:37:03
date last changed
2026-01-19 15:37:26
@article{c84837a5-05d6-4464-b5e6-0bad90dc9c8d,
  abstract     = {{<p>OVERVIEW: The article explains how Tetra Pak, a global manufacturing company, revamped its product development process (PDP) by transitioning from the traditional Stage-Gate model to a new innovative process that integrates Agile, Lean, Stage-Gate, the Scaled Agile Framework for enterprises (SAFe), and systems engineering methods. The design and implementation of the PDP at Tetra Pak offers insights into how this new process enhances quality, increases throughput, and improves the management of complex engineering products with substantial hardware content. It also highlights valuable lessons from the transformation journey. We present lessons learned that innovation managers and practitioners can apply to accelerate their companies’ product development processes. This article focuses primarily on the new product development (NPD) process, with less emphasis on the transformation methodology and the change management process.</p>}},
  author       = {{Cooper, Robert G. and Ingby, Jonas and Källrot, Clara and Mott, Peter and Vedsmand, Tomas}},
  issn         = {{0895-6308}},
  keywords     = {{Agile; Agile in hardware; New product development; Product development process}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{42--51}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Research Technology Management}},
  title        = {{Agile Innovation in a Manufacturing Company : How Tetra Pak Evolved Its Product Development Process}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08956308.2025.2498587}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/08956308.2025.2498587}},
  volume       = {{68}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}