Steven Van den Bremt on the importance of product innovation
Q&A with Steven Van den Bremt
Today, we give the floor to Steven Van den Bremt, co-founder and Product Development Director at Artori. He shares his perspective on product innovation, the methods Artori applies, and the importance of cross-pollination between clients’ product knowledge, testing with the target audience, and the production capabilities of Artori’s partners.
Steven Van den Bremt on the importance of product innovation
How do you see your role as a product developer?
For me — and by extension for Artori — manufacturability and financial feasibility always come first. I like to approach product development from a technical perspective. That’s also why we handle the process differently at Artori: we first identify the most suitable concepts and corresponding production technologies, and only then move on to the design phase.
What does successful product innovation mean to you, and what motivates you to create innovative products?
Everything revolves around creating added value for your clients and increasing their market value through a new product. That doesn’t mean you have to reinvent the wheel. An existing product can, for example, be optimised by improving the production process, using materials with a smaller ecological footprint, or enhancing ease of use. Innovation takes many forms, largely depending on what the client aims to achieve.
Steven Van den Bremt
“Product innovation has many applications, largely depending on what the client aims to achieve. The biggest misconception is that the wheel always needs to be reinvented.”
How does Artori approach product innovation in practice?
We guide companies through their innovation journey with our design sprint — a four-day intensive collaboration between our experts and the client’s product specialists. Within this clearly defined timeframe, we think beyond the obvious to shape the next innovative product. Innovation also runs through the rest of our process. When developing products, we always take the production method into account. Tooling and transport optimisation are, in our view, just as much a form of innovation.
How do you decide which innovation ideas will be developed during the design sprint?
Through several iterations, the sprint team narrows down the most out-of-the-box ideas to a single concept, which is then validated with the target audience via a prototype. During the technical feasibility analysis — the phase following the design sprint — we determine the most suitable production method for the selected concept and sketch it out at a basic level. This allows us to estimate the cost of all components and tooling. After these two short phases, the client already has a clear indication of whether the new product is financially viable.
You mention that prototyping and testing play an important role in the product innovation process. How does this help refine new concepts?
Throughout the development process, prototypes are printed on a regular basis. Sometimes this involves specific components, such as hinge or snap-fit connections, to test their functionality. In other cases, clients want to physically hold their future product to get a tangible sense of what it will become. Test series are also created to gather feedback from the target audience. More refined prototypes can even be used to launch marketing campaigns before production starts.
How do you integrate market research and customer insights into the innovation process?
The product knowledge of our clients is invaluable. That’s why we always test prototypes with their target audience. Clients have a strong feel for their market — they understand not only the strengths of their current products, but also their shortcomings and limitations. They know where they want to go. If that direction is not yet fully clear, or if they want to explore ideas with independent thinkers and truly step outside the box, the design sprint offers the ideal framework to do so.
“Most products can be manufactured — just not always using a technique that is economically viable. Our goal is to find a design and production method that aligns as closely as possible with all of our client’s requirements.”
Can you give an example that led to a successful product adaptation or renewal?
In every project, we work in very close collaboration with both our clients and suppliers. Development is therefore highly consultative, and through Miro our clients can follow the process in detail and actively contribute their expertise to our ideas. We’ve been working closely with PWG for several years on the development of their water softeners. They remain the specialists in the field of water treatment and enrich our development process with their in-depth knowledge for future products. Our suppliers, in turn, are a key source of insight into new production possibilities. By bringing all this input together, we consistently strive to realise the best product in the best possible way.
Does product innovation sometimes lead to unexpected outcomes?
Recently, the introduction of new raw materials created a challenge during the development of a product for the food industry. Due to changing regulations, the materials could no longer come into direct contact with food, forcing us to adjust the design at a very late stage. But honestly… that challenge led to an even better result. More on that soon!
What role does failure play in your view of the product innovation process? How do you deal with setbacks and turn them into learning moments?
What is failure, really? Is it failure when a product never makes it to market? To me, failure or mislukking isn’t quite the right word — that only applies when the design process itself is flawed. Of course, things can go wrong during development. Everyone can — and should — make mistakes in order to grow stronger and wiser. And when something does go wrong, we take full responsibility at Artori. We analyse what happened and ensure a suitable solution is put in place.
What truly matters is identifying when in the process things went off track. Was it still during the engineering phase, or were moulds already in production? The later an issue arises, the higher the potential cost. That’s why prototyping and testing are absolutely invaluable.
Are there specific sustainability considerations you take into account when developing new products?
Both we and our clients are increasingly aware of the impact of recyclability and the reuse or repurposing of products and materials. We are keen to contribute to the development of new products that make use of more sustainable materials. This market is clearly on the rise and is something we genuinely care about.
What would you like to share about your experience as a product developer and your vision on product innovation?
Innovation can take place in many areas: developing new products within an existing market, improving an existing product, entering a new market, optimising the production process through product changes, introducing new materials, and more. Ultimately, it all depends on what matters most to our clients — and even more importantly, to their customers.
Do you need support to guide your product innovation in the right direction, or are you looking to accelerate your innovation journey?
With a design sprint, Artori gives your innovation funnel a boost and provides a clear framework for screening and testing innovative ideas for feasibility.
