For nearly 100 years, Florida-based Nautique Boat Company has built innovative boats in a very competitive...

 

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For nearly 100 years, Florida-based Nautique Boat Company has built innovative boats in a very competitive market. Nautique, as the premier boat for waterskiing, wakeboarding, and wake surfing, is on the cutting edge of style, customer satis- faction, and performance. There is continuing and rapid change in this industry, which sees substantial input from imaginative, experimenting customers. Success means integrating customer feedback, technological change, and creative engineering talent into a dynamic, but ongoing, product line. As number one in its market, Nautique is a vivid example of what it takes to be a creative leader. From the introduction of waterskiing in the 1920s to bare- foot skiing to wake boarding in the 1990s and wake surfing. in the 2000s, Nautique has led. While these new sport expec- tations were placed on boat performance, changes in marine. engineering and technology were also taking place. Ski boats were initially made of wood, changing to fiberglass in the late 1950s, with tracking fins added in the 1960s. The 1990s brought longer and wider boats with hull changes, slopping transoms, spray relief, and flight control towers. This was followed by Total Wake Control, which allows users to in- stantly switch from wakeboarding to wake surfing. Indeed, wake can now be customized, providing ramp-style and vertical-style wakes behind the same boat. Simultaneously, carpet, trim, and color options and a variety of powerful en- gines, as well as major electronic innovations such as sonar, GPS, and sophisticated sound systems with strategically placed speakers, have been introduced. Nautique's design team is now developing the boat of the future the electric boat with the prototype in testing. To maintain Nautique's innovative prowess, Chief Designer Steve Carlton (shown in photo) has organized his 40-person de- partment into three teams: model integration, design, and engi- neering. In addition to creating, developing, and designing new innovations, Nautique also plans on two to four new models each year, with remodeling or updating every 2 years. To facilitate efficient development and design integrity, Carlton's design and development team uses sophisticated CAD software from Rhino and SolidWorks. NX software is also available for tooling, and StrataSys 3D printers facilitate pro- totyping small parts. Design typically begins with sketches and clay models, progressing to CAD drawings and then to a full- scale wooden model, followed by a full-size boat for testing in Nautique's private lake. Each design innovation requires ongoing discussion with the in-house engineering staff to provide design integrity. Similarly, the team sends staff to the factory floor to work with production personnel to ensure production capability and with external suppliers to ensure raw material and com- ponent quality and delivery. This coordination with external. suppliers and internal production by the design group has the goal of facilitating a smooth transition to production. Discussion Questions* 1. How does the concept of product life cycle apply to the Nautique Boat Company? 2. How would you define Nautique's strategy, and how does its product design fit into that strategy? 3. What kinds of efficiency does the use of CAD bring to Nautique? 4. How does Nautique handle the "transition" to production? • The Global Company Profile featuring Nautique Boat Company (which opens Chapter 5) provides further background on Nautique's operation as does the video that accompanies this case. You may wish to review both prior to answering these questions. For nearly 100 years, Florida-based Nautique Boat Company has built innovative boats in a very competitive market. Nautique, as the premier boat for waterskiing, wakeboarding, and wake surfing, is on the cutting edge of style, customer satis- faction, and performance. There is continuing and rapid change in this industry, which sees substantial input from imaginative, experimenting customers. Success means integrating customer feedback, technological change, and creative engineering talent into a dynamic, but ongoing, product line. As number one in its market, Nautique is a vivid example of what it takes to be a creative leader. From the introduction of waterskiing in the 1920s to bare- foot skiing to wake boarding in the 1990s and wake surfing. in the 2000s, Nautique has led. While these new sport expec- tations were placed on boat performance, changes in marine. engineering and technology were also taking place. Ski boats were initially made of wood, changing to fiberglass in the late 1950s, with tracking fins added in the 1960s. The 1990s brought longer and wider boats with hull changes, slopping transoms, spray relief, and flight control towers. This was followed by Total Wake Control, which allows users to in- stantly switch from wakeboarding to wake surfing. Indeed, wake can now be customized, providing ramp-style and vertical-style wakes behind the same boat. Simultaneously, carpet, trim, and color options and a variety of powerful en- gines, as well as major electronic innovations such as sonar, GPS, and sophisticated sound systems with strategically placed speakers, have been introduced. Nautique's design team is now developing the boat of the future the electric boat with the prototype in testing. To maintain Nautique's innovative prowess, Chief Designer Steve Carlton (shown in photo) has organized his 40-person de- partment into three teams: model integration, design, and engi- neering. In addition to creating, developing, and designing new innovations, Nautique also plans on two to four new models each year, with remodeling or updating every 2 years. To facilitate efficient development and design integrity, Carlton's design and development team uses sophisticated CAD software from Rhino and SolidWorks. NX software is also available for tooling, and StrataSys 3D printers facilitate pro- totyping small parts. Design typically begins with sketches and clay models, progressing to CAD drawings and then to a full- scale wooden model, followed by a full-size boat for testing in Nautique's private lake. Each design innovation requires ongoing discussion with the in-house engineering staff to provide design integrity. Similarly, the team sends staff to the factory floor to work with production personnel to ensure production capability and with external suppliers to ensure raw material and com- ponent quality and delivery. This coordination with external. suppliers and internal production by the design group has the goal of facilitating a smooth transition to production. Discussion Questions* 1. How does the concept of product life cycle apply to the Nautique Boat Company? 2. How would you define Nautique's strategy, and how does its product design fit into that strategy? 3. What kinds of efficiency does the use of CAD bring to Nautique? 4. How does Nautique handle the "transition" to production? • The Global Company Profile featuring Nautique Boat Company (which opens Chapter 5) provides further background on Nautique's operation as does the video that accompanies this case. You may wish to review both prior to answering these questions.

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1 Application of Product Life Cycle to Nautique The concept of the product life cycle applies to Nautique Boat Company through the various stages of evolution their boats have undergone Starting from ... View the full answer