About NewProductWorks

About NewProductWorks


NewProductWorks, our on-site innovation resource center, houses the NPW Collection and is integral to the Arbor Strategy Group’s mission of helping client organizations grow quickly, profitably and sustainably.

History and Formation of NewProductWorks


NewProductWorks was formed by the acquisition of the New Products Showcase and Learning Center (NPSLC) of Ithaca, New York, by the Arbor Strategy Group (ASG). The two firms combined in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the spring of 2001.

Both firms had been helping clients advance their new product work, relying on different core assets: NPSLC on the product collection, developed data and innovation expertise, and ASG on rigorous strategic marketing approaches and consumer insight expertise. Combining the two created a unique resource for firms and individuals interested in market-driven innovation and new product development.

The New Products Showcase and Learning Center


The New Product Showcase and Learning Center originally started by Robert McMath in 1968, as an offshoot of Bob’s new product information company, Marketing Intelligence Service (MIS). MIS provided specialized monthly bulletins to overseas clients in response to interest from overseas' contacts for samples or information about products on the U.S. market that weren't available in their home markets.

Bob evolved this business into "product procurement" services along with a weekly new product bulletin, Product Alert. He went on regular shopping trips between New York suburbs and Rochester and Syracuse, New York, which were popular test markets. He purchased hundreds of actual products as part of the process.

As his Product Alert– and resulting pickup service – expanded, he would anticipate which clients would be interested in the new products he was finding on these shopping trips, and would buy additional samples to send to them. Samples were often left over, and this eventually resulted in a vast collection of products.

Bob discovered that new product developers found this collection of interest - either to study their own categories or to provide stimulus for solving a difficult new products problem. And so, the New Products Showcase and Learning Center was born, with a Collection that grew to almost 70,000 items.

The Collection Today


When NewProductWorks was formed, the Collection was moved to Ann Arbor, and is housed in a contemporary 7,400 sq. foot state-of-the-art facility. Approximately 70% of the Collection is on display at all times, with the remainder in accessible storage.  NPW and the Collection are now fully integrated into all ASG work.  This proprietary resource provides one-of-a-kind insights and a distinctive, interactive leaning environment for creating world class, sustainable innovation.


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