Hydrocolloid dressing was one of 3M’s health care products. Product was indicated partial- and full-thickness dermal ulcers, leg ulcers, wounds, abrasions and burns. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrocolloid_dressingIn 2004 the product wasn’t available for retailers - it was only sold for hospitals and drugstores.
The company came up with the idea of applying the product to acne …show more content…
With help from HQ, he should analyze the process costs of transforming the high-end hydrocolloid materials into customer-size Acne Dressing. The team should calculate if the material could be reworked into a usable size with the designs made by technical service department, and specifically focus on the costs of manufacturing. If the process is costly, the retail price of the product might be too high for the average 15-35 years old customer. A layman’s idea would be to cut down the size of the package and redesign it so it would be used like a plaster, of which one can cut suitable sized pieces for use.
Also, the project team should have the HQ laboratories conduct a proper research on the dressing’s effectiveness against acne. This would be crucial in marketing efforts especially as the customer group is used to ‘traditional’ scientifically proven acne-treatment methods. A thorough research for all health effects is not needed with this position innovation because the material has already proved its value in hospitals around the world. This would follow the position innovation strategy through product upgrading (John Wiley & Sons,