Much of Brasscraft Manufacturing Company’s success has been dependent on staying relevant to the needs of our customers.  We realize that all products have a limited life cycle.   We understand that new, innovative products need to keep pace with the current market and we need to get to market in short time frames so we keep up with those needs.

A little history lesson:  Our founder, Robert Zell, saw a need. He saw that most connections consisted of hard to work with rigid brass or iron pipes and questioned why?  So he developed the first flexible, one-piece supply for making plumbing connections.  It was revolutionary! It saved time and money.  And it made it easier for the professional to make these connections.

So, how do we go about developing new products today?  At Brasscraft Mfg. Co. we work with a “Stage Gate” process.   By following this gate process we ensure the established protocols for new product development are followed.  The result is a quality product we are proud of.  There are 5 stages in the process:

Ideas for new products come from everywhere.  Our product managers are continuously evaluating their product portfolios.  Many of our ideas come from the professionals themselves – the pros that are using our products every day.  Pros are one of our best resources – they know what they need to make their installations easier.  Through field events, shows, forums or simply phone calls with the pros, our product managers listen to the needs of our customers and develop products that meet those needs.

Speed-to-market requires the proper technology, as well as policies and procedures relating all development operations.  Using this well-defined yet scalable process allows for a consistent and repeatable approach to product development and for getting to the market quickly.   The advent of technology such as 3-D printing has allowed us to quickly produce prototypes and has enabled us to transform and tweak product models quickly, easily and more cost-effectively.

Our customers rely on our commitment to quality.   Testing is a critical component before we launch any product.  We stand behind our products because we understand that product reliability and the professional’s reputation matter, we don’t skip or skinny on any of the testing protocols.  Every product we produce allows the professional to be confident in our more than 70 years of industry leading quality.

For most new product development projects, a dedicated team is formed with a collection of personnel from various functional areas to support the design, development, product and launch of our new products.

At Brasscraft Mfg. Co. we know product development is an ever-evolving and fluid process.  To ensure we are meeting the demands of our existing customers, while also obtaining new customers, we remain focused on introducing new and innovative products and to do so we continue to evaluate and improve our new product development process.

Questions or comments?  Please email me directly at communications@brasscrafthq.com.