The industrial design group inside Motorola had landed on an idea they thought should be the flagship in the company's initiative to turn cell phone accessories into more than an afterthought. What about a device that would be unobtrusive and easy to install in cars— one that would allow drivers to turn their cell phones into hands-free phones? The device could be dropped into another nearly universal feature—the cup holder—and consumers would barely know it was there.

Motorola liked the idea but didn't have the time or the personnel needed to take it from idea to reality. Enter NPI. In just nine months, NPI took the idea from foam models through design for aesthetics, features and size; solved cord management, audio quality and compatibility issues; sourced low-cost manufacturing; oversaw tooling for manufacturing; and monitored quality control and ongoing production to launch.

The product received Motorola's highest ever Quality at Ship Acceptance scores on a tight timetable and with cost-efficient budgets.