Equipo de I+D

“Our challenge is to keep adapting to the speed that our customers need”

11 mayo, 2021
We sneak in where the magic is born. We go inside the department so that Jesús Rived and Rafa Guerrero can tell us what their day-to-day lives are like.

Menage Confort would be nothing without an R+D department that analyses and gives shape to all the ideas and needs that arise on a day-to-day basis.

Jesús Rived, accompanied by Rafa Guerrero, heads this department, which seeks to reinvent itself at the same speed as the market.

To find out a little more about how our R&D department works, we have sneaked into their workshop so they can tell us how they experience it from the inside.

Jesús, Rafa, contadnos, ¿a qué se dedica el Departamento de I+D de Menage Confort? 

“The R&D department works with and for all the other departments. The alignment of the team is extremely important for the project to go ahead” – Jesús Rived, R&D Director of Menage Confort 

 

The R&D Department is the initiator, the developer and the solution for most things that happen at Menage Confort. We work from trend analysis and active listening to customers to the implementation of a new or improved solution.

Pruebas de I+D

We support all departments in the company. In this aspect, alignment with the whole team is extremely important so that each project can go ahead.

We work with the Purchasing Department, in relation to suppliers and raw materials. With the Assembly and Production Department, of course, in the manufacture of the product, the creation of assembly instructions, etc. With the Marketing Department for the creation of all the multimedia content of our products. Even with the Sales Department, as we are always actively listening to them. They are in charge of sending us the customers’ requests for improvement or complaints and we are in charge of analysing them in depth and finding the best solution.

As you can see, we are present in almost every department of the company.

What kind of projects do you carry out here? 

We basically carry out three types of projects. New projects based on the latest trends in the sector. Implementation of improvements to current solutions, based on the opinions of our clients. And customised projects, based on the specific needs of a client.

What is the process of creating a new product or a new line like? 

Well, the truth is that it is a complex process. First of all, we need to know what our customers need. This knowledge is vital to be able to respond to their needs.

To do this, we carry out market research, attend trade fairs and work closely with customers and suppliers to obtain as much information as possible to help us understand their needs and be able to meet them.

Proceso de I+D

Once the need has arisen, the process of analysing the feasibility of the project begins. We analyse the profitability of the product or the line, the manufacturing costs, etc.

Once we have gone through these two steps and the General Management gives us the go-ahead for the new project, development begins. Here we get down to work and we start to analyse what materials we are going to use, where we are going to get them, we draw up plans, sketches, prototypes and pre-series to carry out operating and assembly tests.

When all this is ready, the Quality Department must carry out its study of the product and confirm that it meets the expectations set.

Adjustments aside, once we have the okey from the Quality Department, we move on to manufacturing, where our new product or line starts to be produced.

What challenges does your department face on a daily basis?

“We need to be as fast as the evolution of the sector needs us to be” – Rafa Guerrero, R&D technician at Menage Confort 

This one is easy. Our biggest challenge is to be as fast as the market evolution and the needs of our customers require.

Nowadays, everything is evolving very fast and we have to be constantly adapting to new customer needs, to changes in industry trends or even to the digitalisation of the market. We have to be very active in order to keep pace with the market.

What would you say has been Menage Confort’s most difficult project? 

Mmm, well, there have been many interesting projects. But if we had to choose one, it would probably be the line of corner racks.

It is a complex product to design, as its functionality is very special. So each movement has to be very measured and studied.

What are you currently working on? 

We are currently working on a new line that will be launched at the end of October.

It is the Nova Flat Line and we are very excited about it. Because it is a project that, before being born, has already encountered a pandemic and a revolution in the sector. But, although it has had its complications, we are managing to solve them in time, ensuring the quality of the product.

What can you tell us in advance? What will the Nova Flat Line be like? 

Nuevo producto Menage Confort

The Nova Flat Line is a response to a need that the market was asking for. It is a line created in veneer and finished in white and anthracite that fits in with the most modern kitchens.

Little by little, our Marketing colleagues will be telling you much more about it, but we are sure that it will be a success.

So, finally, what is the most satisfying thing about your R&D work?

“Each project is as if it were your child and the greatest satisfaction is that your child finishes the race” – Jesús Rived, R&D Director of Menage Confort. 

The truth is that we don’t get bored. Every day here is a challenge. There are always new things coming up that make you adapt and keep evolving.

To work in R&D you have to be a bit of an artist. You have to have a different point of view and look for the three feet of the cat.

Because every project you bring out is as if it were your own child. And the greatest satisfaction is that your son finishes his degree. That is to say, that you manage to produce a product that you like yourself from the start. If, on top of that, you manage to ensure that it meets all the requirements in terms of functionality, that it looks good and that it has a reasonable price, the satisfaction is even greater.