Cost reduction in product development through application of rapid prototyping method

Product development is a vital stage in manufacturing, and only if it is operated in a faster speed the competing level of the company will sustain. The term rapid comes into being to shorten any possible time frame of the manufacturing activities. Assuming that most modern manufacturing industries achieve similar productivity gain through their production facilities, then product development area is subject to economic rationalization. Due to its nature, time is mostly the main problem in handling product development to the market, and it will go accordingly beyond unbelievable spending throughout the time frame. Fortunately, under rapid concept, product development stage can be cut to the optimal time and so the cost and the product feature. This paper will be materialized by substantial research evidences of solving numerous cost reduction in product development of several cases in Indonesian automotive car industries mainly through Rapid Prototyping Solution.