Keeping customer requirements in mind, the department updates existing sensor designs.R&D also invents new products by assigning a name (the first letter must be the same as the first letter of the company name), performance, size and reliability.

Tip: The Production Department must purchase capacity and automation for all new products one year prior to release.

The length of time required to revise a sensor varies. Slight revisions can complete in three or four months; more comprehensive projects, the better part of a year. Inventing a sensor always takes more than a year. The longer the project, the greater the cost: a six month project costs $500,000; a 12 month project costs $1,000,000. Products with production lines that have higher automation require more time to revise than products with lower automation.