1. Patents and proprietary knowledge about the design of the production equipment and tools
2. Proprietary knowledge about control in production processes
3. Performance and features of equipment and tools
4. Costs of purchase and maintenance of equipment and tools
5. Dependability and cost of repair of equipment and tools
6. Availability and cost of distribution channels and timely delivery
7. Availability of peripherals to complete production equipment into a production process
8. Assisting customers in automating and controlling production process
Firms thus focus their R&D on five areas
1. Variation and redesign of lines and generations of production equipment and tools
2. Understanding and control of industrial processes for which a piece of equipment is central
3. Development of specialized equipment customized to a customer’s production process
4. Development of software for planning, scheduling, and controlling production process
5. Development of software for generic product design and integration with production control