Rapid identification and compliance to customized market demands are among the top challenges faced by companies targeting at foreign markets, in this paper we propose an eight-step method for the adaptation and improvement of industrialized products driven by customer demands. The method we propose is grounded on Reverse Engineering principles and process improvement techniques, such as Quality Function Deployment, Process Mapping and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis. The method steps are illustrated by a case example, where the objective is to adapt a paintbrush manufactured by a Brazilian company to the demands of a German distributor of manual tools.
Reverse Engineering; Product improvement; Product development
