1. Challenges in the Selection of New Product Development Models for SMEs
Dal Fabbro, P. et al. (2025). Challenges in the Selection of New Product Development Models for SMEs. In: Di Stefano, P., Gherardini, F., Nigrelli, V., Rizzi, C., Sequenzia, G., Tumino, D. (eds) Design Tools and Methods in Industrial Engineering IV. ADM 2024. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-76597-1_30
This paper focuses on the applicability of various new product development (NPD) models to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the challenges they face, including limited resources, informal innovation systems, and difficulty obtaining external feedback. Traditional NPD models offer structure but may be too rigid for SMEs, while Agile methodologies provide flexibility but can be challenging to implement outside the software industry. Hybrid models, blending traditional and Agile approaches, offer a good compromise. Through comparative analysis, the study evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of different NPD models in the SME context. By utilizing modern technologies like additive manufacturing and artificial intelligence, the NPD process can be accelerated, aligning with Agile principles to provide faster feedback and enhance overall efficiency. In conclusion, SMEs are encouraged to consider hybrid solutions to innovate and compete effectively. Future research should address specific challenges in different industry sectors and focus on scalability.
2. Designing Circular Supply Chains: A Requirements-Driven and CE-Centred System Design Methodology
Bolton, E., Pathan, R.K., Dal Fabbro, P., & Aurisicchio, M., Designing Circular Supply Chains: A Requirements-Driven and CE-Centred System Design Methodology, in Proceedings of the HSCE 2024 Conference, Chania, Greece (2025)
The Circular Economy (CE) model aims to eliminate waste by coordinating collaborative stakeholder efforts throughout the life cycle to keep resources in circulation at the highest level and regenerate ecological systems. The shift towards circular resource flows contrasts to the linear consumption model, which has resulted in the depletion of resources and accumulation of waste. Circular resource flows are increasingly being deployed through interventions such as shifting to renewable or secondary raw materials and adding reverse logistic operationsto traditional supply chains. These interventions create a circular supply chain (CSC) as they enhance resource efficiency and yield value for stakeholders through reduced material losses and energy conservation. However, currently supply chain interventions are often introduced without a holistic plan to create circular value and departing from existing resource and system configurations that are challenging to change. In addition, circular resource flows are often designed by few stakeholders, despite being increasingly acknowledged that collaboration and cooperation between all stakeholders are necessary and critical to achieve a CSC. Existing tools to facilitate the design of CSCs are inadequate as they do not support holistic design, following the three dimensions of sustainability. A gap exists in the literature with respect to tools to design CSCs from system requirements and provide tangible information on resource flows for easy system definition and performance measurement. Among others, tools are needed that can support CSC design in the early stages of the development process when alternative system configurations are likely to emerge and stakeholders must promptly define, test, verify and validate them. The aim of this paper is to propose a system design methodology for the concurrent design of a CSC and its resources, whilst allowing for stakeholder collaboration. The final methodology involves a comprehensive representation of resource flows to facilitate system design and assessment, establish performance of alternative system configurations and inform decision-making. Further, when the system performance is determined, the methodology has to enable verification of the system requirements and validation to check if stakeholders intent is met, providing a robust and practical approach to system design and resource management in alignment with CE principles.
3. A Systematic Methodology for Design in Multi-Material Additive Manufacturing Derived by a Reverse-Traced Workflow
Dal Fabbro, P.; Grigolato, L.; Savio, G. A Systematic Methodology for Design in Multi-Material Additive Manufacturing Derived by a Reverse-Traced Workflow. Eng 2026, 7, 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/eng7010013
Multi-material additive manufacturing (MMAM) enables integration of multiple materials within single products, but existing design methodologies lack systematic frameworks linking detailed consolidation decisions to product-level functional requirements while preserving functional independence. This paper presents a methodology that extends the conventional design process model with a reverse-traced workflow connecting part-level decisions to higher-level product architecture. By tracing how Design for MMAM (DfMMAM) affects design decisions in reverse, designers can identify the best opportunities to use MMAM based on their project scope. The methodology introduces a Level of Process Integration (LPI) framework based on design novelty that structures redesign scope according to whether changes affect part geometry, component assembly, or function allocation, enabling designers to balance consolidation benefits against validation complexity at each level. Sequential decision-making workflows systematically determine which functions can be co-located within unified components while maintaining functional independence through zone-specific design parameters. The methodology is illustrated through a qualitative case study on trail running shoe design across three integration levels, identifying substantial consolidation potential while establishing the foundation for future quantitative validation. Unlike existing approaches limited to part-level redesign, this framework traces detailed consolidation decisions back to product architecture trade-offs, clarifying redesign scope and validation rigor required at each integration level. By operationalizing the relationship between functional decomposition, physical architecture, and MMAM capabilities, this framework provides designers with structured decision pathways to balance consolidation benefits against redesign complexity at each design phase.