Together with our suppliers,[widget_block_right id=”Willkommen”] we’re always hunting for innovative products that offer consumers the highest possible added value. In my role, I supervise these products throughout the entire product life cycle, from their introduction through to their being phased out.
What can the marker lamp do?
One product whose market launch we have been preparing over the past few months is the BDS-2 LED marker lamp. Marker lamps are lamps that clearly indicate the width of a vehicle. They draw particular attention to the vehicle perimeter (refer to German Road Traffic Licensing Regulations, “StVZO”). What’s more, our BDS-2 marker lamp features an additional reversing sensor and offers truck drivers visual assistance when parking. With a glance in the mirror, they can easily spot the marker lamp’s white LED lens. In three different flash frequencies, this visually signals the distance to surrounding obstacles. In comparison to acoustic systems, our BDS-2 is very good value for money and can detect objects from 4.5 m away.
We made initial contact with the supplier at a trade fair. We then built on this by visiting the company and conducting an audit. On the back of this, we conducted numerous installation tests and gave technical feedback in order to help get the product ready for the market and to develop it further to meet the stringent quality standards of the German market. For example, we tested how the marker lamp behaves when the truck in question has a truck-mounted forklift.
You can see how the light has come to an end in this information video. It was developed in cooperation with our partner Star Square Productions and gives you a short overview of the product.
Cooperation with the supplier
Alongside technical considerations, it is also my job to accompany the commercial side of the product launch. This includes negotiating prices, not to mentioned delivery and payment conditions. Separate agreements – such as those concerning special sales packaging – are also among these tasks. These are accompanied by coordination of general market cultivation with the product. Correspondence on these topics is largely conducted by e-mail. In addition, I visited our supplier at their production location again before the marker lamp’s market launch. In the one-on-one meeting, we were able to deal with all outstanding matters in order to finalise coordination and then round off the day with dinner together.
I hope you feel that this has been a good insight into the initial steps for launching a new item – and that I have whet your appetites for our latest innovative product! The marker lamp will be available from the start of May under article number 82710490. If you have any follow-up questions or are interested from a commercial point of view, our Sales Team will be happy to help.
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