Abstract:

During recent years we have seen a tendency towards children being looked upon as independent consumers who to a large extent do not depend on the influence of their parents. This means an increased focus on children's' needs and demands by the development of new products for children. Furthermore, manufacturers of products for children experience both increasing competition on the market and increasing consumer demands. To meet the increasing competition and new consumer demands, tests are carried out at a still earlier stage of product development. The combination of the aspects mentioned above means still larger demands for real co-operation between the company and the test institute. Furthermore, the company and institute have to be more conscious about the elaboration of test material, especially because the test material directly affects or even is determinative for the results of a given test. The subject is illustrated by a case, in which the LEGO Group developed very specific test material. The conclusion is that in future the test institutes must expect that companies make still heavier demands on the institutes' ability to develop test material at a very early stage of the product development and/or the test institutes play a more active role as regards their demands to the companies' test material.