Research & Development

Discovering new customer or stakeholder value in Research and Development (R&D) involves a systematic approach focused on innovations, technologies and the needs and preferences of the target audience. Customer and user surveys, innovation labs, Partnership Programs, Innovation Workshops and Seminars on selected focus areas help discover new value.

Technology research involves studying the principles behind the technology, assessing its potential applications and impacts, and testing and refining the technology itself. This may include research in Battery Technologies, Radio Technologies, Energy Efficiency, Thermal Management, Machine Learning and Additive Manufacturing, to name a few.

Technology and product concepts are an essential part of incremental value creation. They aim to refine the ideas and technologies into robust and cost-efficient product platforms and digital solutions. This involves conducting Feasibility Studies, creating Concept Designs, applying Service Design, and employing Systems Engineering to validate the concept and ensure that the solution reaches an appropriate level of technological maturity.

The product manager and product owner play a crucial role in overseeing the entire life cycle of a product or digital solution. This includes tasks such as staying updated on target markets, defining the product strategy, creating roadmaps, Requirements Engineering and Project Planning. Prioritizing and budgeting for product maintenance and new development is also essential as well as ensuring controlled production and release to the market.

Design, iterative development and testing are the core activities to create new products and solutions. For physical products and hardware solutions, this means focusing on Design Specification, Model Creation and Functional Simulation, reviews, Calculations and Analysis to verify that the product design complies with the requirements and intended use.

Detailed Design in product design covers mechanical, electrical, and electronic aspects. Our expertise includes embedded and control system software to ensure optimal performance and enhanced user experience. Moreover, we integrate connectivity features, enabling your product to connect with other devices and networks seamlessly.

Digital solutions and software design are at the heart of smart devices and user-centric applications. We apply Secure Development Life cycle (SDL) and provide a full stack of services from Cloud Solutions to Applications, Data Analytics, Machine Learning and IoT (Internet of Things) solutions. We also help you answer all UI/UX and Integration needs.

All products (including parts, components, and modules) must be verified before production release. Etteplan provides comprehensive services for design verification covering Engineering Analysis, FMEA, Risk Assessment, Simulations (Physical, product, system, CFD) and Prototyping. 

Digital Solutions apply Continuous Integration (CI), Test Management and Test Automation (TA) together with Functional Testing. Also, testing services required for specific requirements, e.g., Cybersecurity and Safety, are provided.

Etteplan provides comprehensive technical communication services that cover every aspect of creating and delivering technical product information throughout the entire product life cycle. Our services encompass a wide range of Technical Documentation, including Manuals, Learning Materials, and Spare Part Catalogs. By leveraging innovative Digital Solutions, we optimize the efficiency, accessibility, usability, and searchability of your content.

Final Products and Digital Solutions must be tested to ensure quality, safety, and compliance with the requirements. We can investigate and test your product in harsh environments to determine possible failure modes and improvement areas. We provide comprehensive Testing and Laboratory Services and Failure Analysis to support your testing needs. Also, Etteplan's Climate Test Center, located in Gothenburg, Sweden, provides independent test results and analysis with a short lead time between test set-ups.

Compliance testing is part of the product validation process. Etteplan provides a full range of Testing Services at our in-house laboratory, located in Jyväskylä, Finland, including accredited services for EMC, Radio, Safety and Environmental testing. We also support you with independent Cybersecurity testing, software validation and field trials.

Planned and controlled production releases are essential to synchronize business activities from Design Transfer to Production Solutions and Market Releases. We also help you with continuous software integration and testing (DevOps) for high-quality and secure software releases.

The work does not stop after the product or application is created and released. We want to continue the partnership and provide Product Maintenance or support for digital solutions over their life cycle.

Our Application Life Cycle management services ensure that your critical applications run securely and smoothly. We are your service partner and keep systems and solutions healthy throughout their life cycle by making regular updates and enhancements. 

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) provides valuable information about the environmental impacts of products, services, or systems during their life cycle. You can use this information in several ways in R&D. It can serve as supporting material when seeking funding for product development, help distinguish your offerings from competitors, and be valuable in your communications and marketing efforts. In addition to LCA studies, we assess and analyze LCA and carbon footprint studies and prepare Environmental Product Declarations (EPD).