Diagnosis of the product development process in metalworking sector companies

The management of the Product Development Process (PDP) is structured as interconnected activities that require synergistic collaboration among various organizational functions. This approach must consider multiple factors, such as the product to be developed, production capacity, commercial strategy adopted, and the company's principles. In competitive areas as the metalworking industry it is essential to establish processes that strengthen market positions. This industrial sector in Argentina, which is the focus of this study, has a high concentration of manufacturing plants. Particularly, the provinces of Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santa Fe together account for 90% of the national metal-mechanical landscape. In previous studies, a diagnostic tool for the PDP was designed for companies in this particular sector. This tool was developed through a literature review of PDP management models and maturity definitions, along with the authors' experiences in other sectors, leading to the identification of variables and categories for assessing PDP maturity levels: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. The geographical area defined for this research is Region 3, Node Santa Fe, Argentina which has a significant concentration of metalworking companies, ranging from artisanal workshops to large enterprises. In this paper, the PDP in metal-mechanical industries which work on a project basis is diagnosed. It is based on semi-structured interviews and systematic organization of the gathered information. Consequently, it is possible to define the PDP Maturity Level in each of the companies under study, and subsequently recommend actions to improve and optimize the implementation of the PDP in accordance with their respective Maturity Levels.