Yes and no.
Perhaps you’ve engineered, and managed new products too.
First if you’re not intimately familiar with the technology with other products in your category, you’re in big trouble. I’ve lost count the number of companies i’ve worked for, over 30, and every one of them, big and small, studies the market and the competition intensely, reads the patents, opens the box, etc. And it’s all used in a design. Do not get me started, i have hundreds of stories i could tell.
You also know what’s dirty, and you don’t do it. More stories.
Second if you have to make something to very closely work like something else, or you have a tight technical spec, that adds complications, rather than makes things simpler. Personally i much preferred products where we had a free hand in the design, it was always easier.
Third, and most importantly, with any volume the per unit engineering expense drops way down, to sometimes almost nothing. It you saw the breakdown on the percentage of the retail dollar, on a successful product, i don’t know, let’s say the Korg Minilogue, engineering costs are likely a penny or less of that dollar.
That said their are times when what you say is correct. New product engineering is a difficult profession.
