New products for the cyclist

Manufacturers need to keep up to speed, says Peter Marsh

As a keen cyclist, Yoshizo Shimano knows all about the importance of keeping in touch with his company's products. Mr. Shimano is president of Shimano, the world's biggest maker of bicycle components. Frequently, he borrows a bike from the company's R&D division to keep in touch with what researchers are up to.

“We won't compete with our customers by building complete bikes. But we must keep in mind how our components are going to be used and have a vision of the product that is safe as well as being fun,” he says.

Mr Shimano's interest in trying out bicycles containing his company's components under­lines how manufacturers must pay increasing attention to bringing out new products. These must either solve a pressing customer problem or come up with an idea that breaks completely new ground within a few years.

“For example, if the cyclist does not have to change gears, he can concentrate on other aspects of controlling the bike which is likely to lead to safer journeys,” says

Mr Shimano.

From the Financial Times

1. True or false?

a) Mr Shimano often cycles.

b) Shimano makes complete bicycles.

c) Shimano pays attention to how its products are used by its customers.

d) To succeed, new products must solve a problem or be based on a completely new idea.

e) Mr Shimano talks about reducing the weight of bicycles.

2. Choose the correct alternative.

a) If you keep in touch with something , you keep

i) touching it.

ii) informed about it.

b) If you find out what people are up to , you find out

i) what they are doing.

ii) which floor of a building they are on.

c) If you keep something in mind, you

i) remember it when thinking about something else,

ii) think about only that thing.

d) If you have a vision of something , you

i) look at it.

ii) think about how it may develop in the future.

e) If you pay attention to something , you

i) ignore it.

ii) think about it.

f) If you concentrate on something , you

i) think hard about it.

ii) think about it a bit.

Over to you

Think about a piece of equipment you use. What is the biggest improvement you would like to make to it? Why?

Unit 19 Products.

New products 2

Level of difficulty ***

Before you read

Do you think that cures will be found for all diseases in the next 50 years? Or will some diseases remain untreatable?

Reading

Read this article from the Financial Times and answer the questions.

New medical products

Medtronic of the US, the world's biggest maker of medical implants*, also continues to develop new products. In the late 1980s, most of its annual sales came from heart pacemakers*, but other new products will this year contribute to sales of more than $5 billion

The company specialises in implanted devices that manage -rather than cure - heart disease, as well as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Diseases.

Medtronic has developed an implantable device for treating epilepsy** and could start trials in humans next year. The implant is inserted under the skin by the chest and wired up to receive signals from the brain.

Through this mechanism, the device could tune into the signals which indicate an epileptic attack is about to take place. These would trigger electric signals from the implant which would counter­act the brain signals and prevent the attack. If all goes well in the clinical trials, products could be in routine use later this decade.

Peter Marsh

From the Financial Times

* An implant is a device put into a person's body to control a particular function. For example, a pacemaker is an implant used to control the heart. Epilepsy is a disease where people are suddenly unable to control their movements.

1. Number the paragraph summaries in the correct order. Two of the summaries are not used.

a) Medtronic is also working on devices that can be worn outside the body.

b) Medtronic used mostly to make pacemakers, but now other products are also important.

c) One of its products is for treating epilepsy.

d) The cause of Alzheimer's Disease is now understood.

e) The company makes products that control diseases, not cure them.

f) The device works by picking up signals from the brain and then producing other signals to prevent an attack from happening.

2. Use the correct form of words from the article to replace the words in italics.

a) Money from new products will be part of sales of $5 billion.

b) Medtronic develops and sells only devices that can be implanted.

c) The devices keep the diseases under control. They don't make the diseases disappear.

d) The product will be tested in experiments with users next year.

e) The device is put under the skin and connected so as to receive signals from the brain.

f) The device could detect the signals before an attack happens.

Over to you

Go back to the “Before you read” question. Has your opinion changed after reading this article?