A guide to physical product innovation

Designing physical products means balancing technical constraints, development costs, and the end user's operational experience. In this edition, we share some practical guidelines to reduce pre-launch errors and drive effective product innovation in B2B manufacturing.

Hardware MVPs: what needs to be there at launch and what can come later

In software, an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is an essential version of a new product released to the market and updated based on feedback. With physical products, the rules change: modifying an already installed machine is expensive and risks undermining B2B customer trust. Experimentation must happen before launch, using simulations and pilot projects to ensure that what hits the market is already complete and reliable.

In our latest article, we break down how to apply the MVP concept to physical products:

• The Kano model for feature prioritization: How to divide requirements into Core (non-negotiable), Expected (where competition happens), and Delight (surprise elements). The practical rule is to meet all core requirements, stay competitive on expected ones, and add a few targeted delight features.
• Involving lead users: How to identify customers with the most advanced needs to guide the development of high-value features.
• Field validation with IoT: Collecting real operational data from connected machines allows you to measure actual usage and plan your product roadmap.

Find out how to structure your next launch, avoid costly mistakes before production, and bring only the features that truly matter to market.

Read the article

Expert Talks with Silvia Piccin: the method behind product innovation

When designing professional equipment, innovation cannot just be a checklist of technical specs: it has to start from analyzing the real context of use and the people operating the machine every day.

In this episode of Expert Talks, we discuss this with Silvia Piccin (Product Owner Innovation at Electrolux Professional). Together, we look at what makes a successful product and why usability and operational simplicity are the true keys to technology adoption in the field. Key takeaways from this episode:

• Context drives design: From cultural constraints to hygiene and safety standards—geography and the real environment change machine architecture.
• Designing for the real operator: Staff turnover in kitchens is high. Machines must guide the user simply and intuitively, keeping the learning curve to a minimum.
• Gradual innovation: The more a technology disrupts daily routines, the higher the risk of rejection.
• Data and AI for real problems: Connectivity and AI are only useful when they solve concrete, daily issues. In the episode, we analyze how IoT data helps spot operational inefficiencies and waste, and how AI can provide immediate operator support while drastically reducing downtime.

Watch the full episode on the Things5 YouTube channel to discover how to successfully bring a new product to market.

Things5 and EFCEM Italy join forces to bring interoperability to professional kitchens

The Data Act, ESPR, and Cyber Resilience Act are pushing manufacturers toward open interfaces, while kitchen professionals are starting to expect equipment that interacts as naturally as AI. This is the vision behind the Working Group on Interoperability in Professional Kitchens, launched on October 2nd by EFCEM Italia and Things5.

The goal is to define an industry standard with manufacturers based on an interface featuring three characteristics:

1. Local: it works offline and simplifies communication with cloud platforms;
2. Open: documented and adoptable by anyone;
3. AI-ready: built for AI agents via the MCP protocol.

In practice, this standard will allow multi-vendor equipment to communicate seamlessly, enabling remote monitoring and control, real-time support, and spare parts management, alongside automated operational workflows. The initiative will culminate in field testing on live machinery from participating companies, practically validating interoperability scenarios across different manufacturers.

If your company also has to meet the demands of clients like restaurant chains, supermarkets, and large catering groups requiring local integration, or if you are running up against limited cloud adoption, tell us how you're tackling these challenges.