From Bench to Bucks: An Approach and Case Study in Scaling Additive Research and Development Technologies within the Aerospace Industry

Abstract

Scaling technology-focused companies is a unique challenge, as taking cutting-edge technology from the lab to consumer markets often requires significant R&D work in parallel with all the typical challenges that any start-up faces. This thesis presents a framework for technology-focused companies to approach this crucial scaling period. The approach is centered on a tool called the House of Quality (HOQ), which is designed to help prioritize design features of consumer products. By defining a Holistic House of Quality (HHOQ) that includes company-wide capabilities and auxiliary functions, and applying HHOQs to company growth, this thesis explores whether HHOQs can help guide scaling decisions for companies in areas like manufacturing operations, organization structure and hiring, and trade-offs between short-term and long-term needs.

This thesis explores the HHOQ scaling framework through the lens of Wingate, a technology-centered company in additive manufacturing that focuses on the material development and printing of high-temperature metals. Wingate had notably strong customer relationships and a technically superior product to competitors, and was facing the challenge of rapidly scaling operations to meet customer demand. The HHOQ process and scaling efforts were implemented and observed from January to August of 2022.

During the timeframe of the research, Wingate grew headcount from 4 employees to 10 employees, reduced overdue customer backlog by 46% and increased on-time delivery by 15%. The HHOQ framework proved useful in providing a structured way to assess scaling efforts in relation to customer needs, and successfully painted a picture of what other auxiliary functions would be important besides the success of the technology itself. This thesis is anticipated to be a starting point for more wide-spread consideration of HHOQs as a tool in scaling decisions, including the effectiveness of the framework over longer time horizons and across various industries.