W. A . JORDAN, G e n e r a l M i l l s Research
Laboratories, Minneapolis, M i n n .
T h e function of an applied research group in the development of a new product is to ferret out unique properties and determine how best to use these properties in specific applications. Before investigating a new product, applied research needs basic information on the physical constants, hey chemical groups present, and anticipated physiological properties of the compound. After discovering an unusual property and obtaining an indication of its possibilities in specific applications, applied research must be supported actively by market research. Information regarding the availability of raw materials for making the product, tentative and projected selling price for
the product, and the current prices of established coinpetitive items are factors which must be considered in finding profitable outlets. Legal counsel is frequent I) required to determine the advisability of protecting cornpositions of matter and to investigate the possihilit? of conflict with existing patents. Information from market research regarding a potential customer’s proposed application, his performance requirements, conditions under which the product will be tried, and type of equipment to be emploqed is of paramount importance. Without this information, the “trouble-shooting” duties of technical service will he magnified.
APPLIED RESEARCH IN NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT HE object of this paper is to outline the information u r r d d by applied research groups in the development of ii neiv product. There are many definitions embracing the basic iden of applied research, but some of these fail to shoy the function of applied research in relation to other phases of research atid development. The following definition brings that prospcctivc. function into sharp focus: applied research is that braiich of scientific investigation xhich deals with thr study anti discovery of the unique properties of neiy or old products and determiriw how best to use these properties in specific applications. A s t h r definition states, applied research is a “hrarich” of the broad, cooperative effort called, in total, research. It is obvious th:it applied research, since it is one phase of a research program. is dependent on the other phases of researt-h for information. The type of information required, in turn, depends on the stage or period in which a development exists. Information may be required from any other research group a t intervals svparated by several months. It is impossible t o formulate a detailed schematic procedure t o be followed for successfully developing the commercial application of a new product. The history of each successful development, however, seems t o form a definite pattern of events. Although each event may have been esecuted by the same individual, developmental experience has proved that progress is faster if responsibility is vested in a number of individuals \Tho are specialists in their particular fields. It, is obvious t h a t the discovery of a fundamental c>hemic.al reaction leading to the formation of a new compound is of no commercial significance until applied research utilizes the new chemical in some industrial application. Market research determines the probable volume required by potential purchasers; engineering research learns how to cont,rol the reaction on a Iargc scale; analytical research tests known methods of analysie as applied t o the new compound and/or devises new procedures t o ensure uniformity; and library research with legal research eshaustively scans the literature to determine whether the neTv application is really n e x or just another example of an application already assigned to a particular class of compounds. Before applied research can begin its effort to find commercial applications for a compound, i t must have information of a basic nature. The typrs of information needrd involve questions on:
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1. Quantity: source, and availability of raw materi:il> miployed for making the undeveloped compound 2 . Safety and elimination of personal hazards irivolvrd i n handling the compound 3. Key chemical and pliysicd properties of the conipountl 4. -4pprosimate cost of the compound 5 . Specific industrial problems now esisting which m:iy i)c solved by a compound having a particular property.
Khcther the compound t o be developed is new or old, whether the potential manufacturer is large or small, information on these five points is of primary importance. Information involving the quantitj , availability, :inti source of r:Lv- niatrrials may at first inspection appear to be of no con( w t i to the npplied rcaearch group. Aictually,however, :ipplicarch cannot afford to proceed without this information. .\lnii>. t i r \ \ - products fully developed are now in the “chrnmical gtxvryard’’ because the raw material for manufacture originated from an undeveloped domestic source or is obtainable only from foreign supplies. Developing a new product based on a new t’an- matrrial is permissible if the purpose is to study its properties and performance in specific applications. However, d e v r l o p nient studies should not be expanded beyond this point until the raw material supply is carefully checked. Had i t been impractical, for esample, t o mine lithium-bearing ores, the development of lithium soaps for lox temperature grease would have found its place in the chemical graveyard. Thus, the applied rewarch chemist needs information on the folloxving questions:
1. Is the source of the raw material domestic or foreign? 2. If i t is foreign, will a political or economic $itu:itioii interrupt its importation? 3. Is the raw material from an undeveloped sourcrl 4. What steps are there in progress to ensure produrtioii :ili(i supply? 5 . When can continued production be expected? The available quantity of a new product, of course, is of ( q u a l importance. The wails of a sales manager over a few pouiids of undeveloped product now stored in an obscure storage tank may curdle the blood of any unseasoned applied research chemist. Frequently, the chemist is made t o believe that he will soon be deluged in a sea of something or surrounded by mountains of it. Yet the applied research chemist must obtain information on how much of the material actually esists arid how fast it is being
April 1951
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
producrd if he is to develop a profitahle outlet. If volume is large, the chemist looks to applications where volume consumption is large and tries to find a unique property in the product Jvhich will be of interest to car load quantity buyers. If volumr, and rate of production are small, however, the chemist must conFider that fact whrn planning his course of investigation. This situation does not eliminate the processor of large quantities as a potential rustomer, but it is doubtful jvhether the volume operator would be interested in any product of limited production if less than required minimum quantity were available. The problem of handling chemicals safely was recognized early in chemical manufacturing history. Recent changes in the physical form of maleic anhydride constitute an example of the alrrtness of manufacturers to improvr the safe handling of chemicals. Brfore the development of a n e w chemical is undertaken, information regarding its toxicitj- is important. Many times very little information is available regarding the phyriological effects, flammability, or other properties of a new chemical. If this is the situation, the answers t o packaging and safe handling should be sought simultaneously with the search for unique properties. Information on key chemical and phj-sics1 properties is the beginning of life for a new product. Applied research bases its entire program of research application possibilities on this information. The active chemical groups present often point the way to profitable applications. .I primary amine group, for example, ma>-make thc product a raildidate for use as a flotation agent, detergent, in nerv resin synthesis, and as an insecticide, bactericide, boiler treating compound, or drilling mud. Many commercial products om e their existence to a unique property imparted by it certain chemiral group present in the activc ingredient. Itidustry can cite numerous examples regarding the rcBlationship of this information t o the successful development of applications. Price of a new candidate has a direct bearing on the selection of a potential fic,ld. Information on price! present and future, is a directing factor in a program involving the search for unique properties which nisj- be harnessrd for industrial usefulness. Information on currcnt indwtrial problems involving processes and products rouiids out the requirrmrnt for applied resexwli. I t is a rare occasion ~ v l i e nt h r market rcsearrh visitor is not ~ ~ i r i fronted with a series of questions surh as: 1. What do you have that 11-ill be a solvent for . . .7 2 . Do you have a toughener or plasticizer for . , . .? 3. Can you make something compatible with . . . .? ,
Information from market resemrh on tht. source aiid date of such questions is helpful in establishing the industrial nred for specific, unique propcrties. Admittedly, this type information is not essential to the successful development of a product, but the tabulation of these questions often leads to immediate homes for the new material. A description of the mechanism employed by applied research in the development of a new product is illustrative of the need for supporting information. The first step of any developlrlent is the receipt of information that a new product exists or that a new propert,y of a known compound has been discovered. In product development, the search for a new application is not necessarily confined to new compounds. This search may rightfully be instigated after the discovery of a unique property in an old material. The new tools of research have uncovered many heretofore unknown properties of well-known chemicals. Thus the research analyst as well as the synthesizing chemist is responsible for bringing t o the attention of the applied research chemist a product which is t o be investigated for commercial adaptation. At this point, the quantity of the product available and its potential production are given close scrutinj-. As pointed out previously, the quantity available has a directing force on select’ing the fields xhere the new candidate will be tried. Market research i p the source of information regarding
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availability sinre it hiLC the responsibility for knowing the geographical location and availability of any raw material to be used in the manufacturing process. n 5 t h so many factors governing the availability of one or more raw materials, the problem of supply must, of course, be watched with constant alertness. hfter having established the quantity of availalile raw material or product, the applied research chemist turns to the inventor of the product or to the research analyst to learn the key chemical properties. I t is a function of applied research to know what products are used where and what chemical groups are exploited t o make a product with specific desirable properties. Basing a program on this information, the applied research chemist prepares a list of various industrial operations where compounds with like chemical groups are used. -4series of experiments is desibmed to determine whether the neiv compound will ever t ) i : a potential candidate for an application in a particular field. A t this point, the fields where the candidate shows no promise are eliminated from further consideration, but those experiments from which favorable results are obtained form the basis for intensive study. Market research is consulted, for it is the source of information on the need for a new compound having certain properties. Thus, the selection of the fields where the candidate will be tried is the result of a joint decision. The testing of a product in a particular application in a spc’cific field is generally methodical. Experiments are designcd t o learn whether i t is better or worse than the incumbent in a given property. Information gathered by market research on new tests or new performance specifications is of utmost import;iiii Data gathered as a result of the tests are organized and c1 tributed to all the cooperating groups of research. These arc the data that market research uses in introducing new products t o potential customers. iifter the sample and data sheet are planted in the hands of an active participant, the flow of information is continued. Many changes in conditions, quantitiev employed, or specifications are made between the time the priduct is introduced and established. Information from engineering research regarding limits of uniformity is essential in the development program. Information from library research covering the use of like compounds is desirable very early in the development, Information from the legal department advising the course of action for seeking protection on the use of the new compound in a pro product is an integral part of the entire product developnimt program. Legal counsel is frequently required t o investigate the possibility of conflict with existing patents. The choice or selection of a field of investigation for a new compound should be tempered by legal opinion regarding the patent situation. An interesting example portraying the importance of eschariging information between research groups is woven into thc~i;tory of the devc.lopment of phenolic resin-tung oil varnishes. When tung oil {viis first introduced to the varnish malwr, its unique and desirable properties were quickly recognized. In varnish, it imparted fast drying qualities a n d helped producr films exhibiting excellent hardness, elasticity, and water :inti alkali resistance. Despite these virtues, tung oil was not readily accepted because of two undesirable properties. Jrarnish films formulated with it had a tendency t o gas check unless the, oil had been processed a t high temperature. If it were heated to the temperature necessary t o gasproof it,, however, it had it tendency t o gel, becoming insoluble and infusible. For years the varnish maker struggled with this problem. I-IP made some progress, but never did he employ the oil with absolute confidence. Shortly after tung oil m’as offered to American varnish makers the condensation of phenol with formaldehyde became an industrial reality. As the industry built around this reaction grew, new outlets for these condensation products were sought. Salesmen of resin companies were cognizant of the quantities of resins consumed by the varnish industry. Phenol formaldehyde resin was tried in the varnish kettle, b u t it was found to be insoluble in oil. This information was relayed back to the research laboratory of one company yvith an explanation of the desirability
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of an oil-soluble phenolic resin. Research on this pro1)lt.m WYLLS started, and news of a discovery that a phenolic resin made from formaldehyde arid substituted phenol Kas oil soluble \vas checked by experimentation. This information and samples of oilsoluble resin were transmitted to the applied research group. After months of work, during which varnishes were prep:ired from all known drying oils v i t h various oil-soluble pheiiolic resins, another discovery \vas made involving the processing oi tung oil with phenolic resin. It was demonstrated that c,rrrniti types of phenolic resins gasproofed tung oil a t teniper:lture.considerably lon-er than those formerly required. This inform:ition was passed to thr sales department, rvhich wis ti,>-itigto perform the function of market research in zcldition to it activity. Fortified with amp lea :iiid data on the varnish trade to inf0i.m thpm of th r e s was slow. The tung oil-phi~ilolic rv
GEORGE E. NADLER,
Vol. 43, No. 4
by the varnish formulators exhibited poor film adhesion and dried s l o ~ ~ l y This . information was relayed to the applied research group as rvell as to the inventor of the oil-soluble resins. A change in the molecular n-eight of the resin solved the problem of improving the adhesion in varnish films, and a change in the drier balance employed in the varnish corrected the undesirable (hying property. As a result of this cooperation and exchange of iiifoi,ni:itioii, nn industry h:ir prospered. Thus, :tpplietl rc*se:irc.hi:: clcpeiideiit on other phases of research tor ini’oi,mntion in its cfforts to find profital)ie applications for nrw p i , o d u c ~ t ~ ;\Vithout . adi~qu:iti~v~urces of information, applicd i ~ s t ~ a r cc.arinot h furictioii. RECI:ITt:u d e p r e i n b e r 11, IY:,O. \Iill. Ilcsearch L a l j < , r a t o r i e i .
P a p e r S o . 1 1 2 , ,Jc,t!rnal Series, (;c,rieral
General Mills Research Laboratories, Minneapolis, M i n n .
T h e transfer of a new chemical product from research laboratory to sales organization can present difficult problems and it must be treated as an exacting task. Generally, new products fall into tw-o classifications: those that fit comfortably into the markets and sales procedures of a company and those that are foreign to the company’s normal huriness. ilthough written reports
are a necessary vehicle for transferring information about new products from laboratory to operating organization, these usually cannot answer all the questions that may arise during the early commercial life of a new product. Often, therefore, wTitten reports should be supplemented by a personal sales development effort conducted by research specialists who are familiar with the material.
TRANSFERRING A NEW PRODUC 1 FROM RESEARCH TO SALES I . Markets for the product must be fairly well established RhSSFERRIKG a new product from a research 1aborittoi.y Iiy commercial plant trials and by the expressed interest of prosto a sales organization is not as simple as transterririg pective customers. ownership of a car from one individual to another. hl2. Pilot plant production costs and volume of sales, projected though it need not be frightening, it cannot he over-simplified. on a commercial operatin basis, must offer profit possib within corporate policy qimits. (Investment, manufact It is a difficult probleni and must be treated as an exacting tayk. oosts, and general administrative and sales espenses are invariUsually, for example, it is impossible to transfer a new chemical ably considered in judging this all-important factor.) product from the laboratory to the sales department \vit,h :L \$-hen a new product meets these requirements, it may move simple written report or by a series of impersonal document*. Although reports can outline iiiethods of production aiid givr to the commercial sales organization with the help of several information on costs, raw materials, indicated markets, and salrh types of “transfer” techniques. Which of these techniques is used will depend largely on whether the product “fits” the marprospects they seldom, if ever, can answer all the questions t h a t kets and normal sales procedures of the operating division t o may arise during the early comniercial life of a new product. Ti, which it is assigned or whether it is “unique” and, therefore, be effective, therefore, tlie transi’rr of information relating to :I unfamiliar to the sales organization. product must follow a developmciital procePs-iritroducto~~, Transferring a product that fits comforta1)ly within a family personal, and advisory. This is particularly true \ v k i e i i t h of related items is, of course, much simpler than transferring a product is t o be sold to iiidustries not included among tlw iii:iiiuproduct that is new t o the company. The following nine points facturer’s current customers a d lor when it must he dirtriliutd will serve as a fairly complete check list of information that must by techniques not covered by the company’s normal salzs pi’w be supplied to a sales organizat,ion with a product that dovetails cedures. \\-itti established sales and manufacturing techniques (Figure 1): Iri practice, then, a ne\v chemical product need3 :i guiilc, t o D a t a sheets that completely describe the chemical and expedite its advance fro111 research laboratory to c o i i ~ u i i ~ ~ ~ t ~ 1. . physical properties of the new product-for example, color, At General Mills, the research laboratories provide this ,quid:liic.i>: chemical analysis, compatibilities, special methods of handling, they have responsibility not only for formulating i i ~ \ vproclucats chemically, but also for establishing the commercial possihilitiruses, solubilities, and standard shipping containers. of these materials and for directing their early sales dcvelopnic.iit. 2. Sales product claims pointed toward specific niiirket8 or Only when a product has shoivn that i t actually has nri :tttr:tctiv(. applications-for example, product S offers improved tenderness, longer shelf life, and increased yields in guni confections us sales potential is it ready for transfer to either General l l i l l s ’ Chemical Division or Special Commodities Division, lvhich ~ r v e compared with competitive materials. the chemical processing and allied industries. 3. List of primary, secondary, and tertiary markets selected A rule-of-thumb for determining whether a new chernicaal is on the basis of field coniinents regarding the product’s characteristics, competit,ive position, and actual customer interest. ready for transfer to a n operating division should iiirlalc t i v o (This information Kill help the sales organization by suggedirig primary requirements:
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