PANDIT Product Development

Dear Networkers,

I just subscribed and would like to introduce myself. I am Oscar Rietkerk, living and working in Delft, the Netherlands. I am Industrial Design Engineer. Together with Edward Mouw I founded PANDIT. This is a firm for product development and consultancy. Next to the more or less regular work of product development in industry in Europe PANDIT concentrates on product development in development countries.

PANDIT applies product development as a systematic and creative process to find real needs and create appropriate, sustainable and profitable solutions. An upcoming development is rural industry. These small enterprises have to cope with western competition and need to optimize product quality to local needs and resources. Although this is all on a small scale it has got great potential for development. PANDIT can support this development by applying their skills of product development. This includes: engineering, business management, ergonomics (or human factors) and formgiving.

PANDIT has experience in the field of:

- processing (drying, packeting, storing) of spices and selling it in Sri Lanka on the local market, to tourists in handicraft packages and exporting small amounts to Europe. - design of a faecalientransfer and -transport vehicle for Tanzania. - setting up a production site and the design of garden furniture in Tanzania for export to Europe. - design of a production line for prefab houses in Tanzania. - transfer of knowledge and methodology of product development.

Pandit hopes to find new challenges in facilitating sustainable development through product development on this discussion list but likes to start a discussion on this approach as well.

For reactions, remarks, projects and information:

PANDIT product development & consultancy Oscar Rietkerk P.O. Box 94 2600 AB Delft the Netherlands phone: +31 15 158767 fax: +31 15 787179 E-mail: O.D.Rietkerk@io.TUDelft.NL