Concurrent Engineering Philosophy Research Articles

Concurrent Engineering for Composites

Faced with increasing global competitiveness, the issues of high costs, product robustness, and long lead times associated with product development are emerging in forefront of the problems facing American industry. It is increasingly clear that a significant (70–80%) percentage of system life cycle costs are committed during the phase of concept development and this is of special significance in composites were design decisions are highly coupled. The continued growth of composites is thus dependant on both development of low–cost fabrication technologies and adoption of the philosophy of concurrent engineering. It is essential that the early decisions are made based on the integration of all phases of product development. In this paper we discuss the need for concurrent engineering methodology for composites, and present framework for such an approach.

Manufacturing in a Concurrent Engineering Environment in Developing Nations: A tutorial review

This paper discusses the need for implementation of Concurrent Engineering (CE) in less industrialized nations with the situation in Zimbabwe being focused on. The CE environment in a global arena is being highlighted and its tools for success are discussed in detail. The paper explores the implementation of Concurrent Engineering as a new trend in engineering and Management in the less industrialized nations, which addresses three main areas: people, process, and technology. The expectations of engineering graduates which will continue to change significantly in light of the popularity of CE philosophy are also discussed. The paper also focuses on major hindrances to the implementation of CE. Lessons for Companies in less industrialized nations like Zimbabwe are drawn from international role models in CE such as Boeing’s Ballistic System Division and NCR. The author managed to put various literature of different researchers together since a lot of literature on concurrent engineering is scattered.

3D Virtual Knowledge Space for Collaboration in New Product Development Processes

The purpose of this article is to create a virtual knowledge space, K-SPACE (Knowledge Space), that enables communication and knowledge sharing between a business level and a plant level for mutual decision-making. Another purpose of a virtual knowledge space is to enable successful collaboration that ensures better quality while reducing costs and time by checking the task progress of departments participating in new product development (NPD) under the concurrent engineering (CE) paradigm. The Croquet software development kit is utilized to develop the knowledge space, which is a small-talk based, object-oriented language. The use of K-SPACE at enterprises that adapt the CE philosophy for NPD processes is expected to reduce both time and cost through fast, accurate, efficient, and collaborative decision making for various conflicting issues.

Tolerance modelling and robust design for concurrent engineering

This article presents a tolerance modelling and robust design approach to support concurrent engineering. This method allows the designer to synthetically specify dimensional and geometric tolerance, considering assembly functional requirements (AFRs) and manufacturing costs. First, features of ISO/TC 213 are used as the basis for the construction of tolerance network and tolerance model for assembly. Second, the manufacturing cost-tolerance model for cylindrical and planar features is established. This model addresses not only dimensional tolerances but also geometric tolerances and nominal parameters. Finally, the robust tolerance optimization model is established, and genetic arithmetic is used to obtain robust tolerance values. The proposed approach is consistent with the philosophy of concurrent engineering, in which AFRs are satisfied and manufacturing cost is reduced. A design instance is introduced to show the validity of this method.

A review of techniques for risk management in projects

PurposeThis paper aims to provide a review of techniques that support risk management in product development projects using the concurrent engineering (CE) philosophy.Design/methodology/approachThe Australia/New Zealand risk management standard AS/NZS 4360:1999 proposes a generic framework for risk management. This standard was adapted for product development projects in the CE environment. In this paper, existing techniques were reviewed for their applicability to processes in risk management; namely, techniques for establishing context, risk identification, risk assessment and treatment.FindingsRisk management is an activity within project management that is gaining importance due to current business environment with a global focus and competition. The techniques reviewed in this paper are used on an ad hoc basis currently. A more risk focused approach is likely to result in an integration of several of these techniques, resulting in an increased effectiveness of project management.Practical implicationsThe techniques reviewed in this paper can be used for the development of risk management tools for engineering and product development projects.Originality/valueThis paper provides a gist of techniques categorized in the form that they are applicable for implementation of risk management functions in product development projects using CE philosophy.

Estrutura de informação como suporte em múltiplas vistas do produto num projeto orientado para a manufatura

Atualmente, as atividades de projeto devem ser muito bem orquestradas e integradas, proporcionando a evolução da filosofia da Engenharia Concorrente, onde decisões sobre diferentes aspectos relacionados ao ciclo de vida do produto devem ser consideradas simultaneamente. Porém, quando todo o projeto orientado para a manufatura é considerado, existem muitos aspectos que devem ser endereçados. Isso conduz à necessidade de sistemas de informações que sejam capazes de auxiliar múltiplas vistas do produto, onde cada vista provê a representação apropriada para auxiliar pelo menos uma perspectiva da manufatura. Essa pesquisa investigou o potencial do sistema baseado no Modelo do Produto para representar múltiplas vistas no Projeto orientado para a manufatura de produtos plásticos injetáveis e explorou em particular a vista da moldabilidade, do projeto do molde (cavidade) e da manufatura do molde (cavidade). A abordagem explorou estruturas de informações particulares para auxiliar cada aplicativo do Projeto Orientado para a Manufatura e um Modelo de Produto experimental foi implementado, utilizando um banco de dados orientado ao objeto.

8.3.2 Use of Technical Business Practices by Geographically Separated Teams to Facilitate Concurrent Engineering of Ultraquality Systems (LA‐UR‐05‐8500)

AbstractIn 1997, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) undertook the development of an architecture of standards and requirements to standardize the engineering design and manufacturing of ultraquality weapon systems. This architecture, known as the Technical Business Practice (TBP) system, was implemented in 1999. The TBP system is centered around a concurrent engineering philosophy and based on a Product Realization Process methodology which is broken into four process steps: Definition, Development, Delivery, and Support.The four‐step concurrent engineering approach is accomplished through multi‐disciplinary teams known as Product Realization Teams (PRT) which are comprised of managers and subject matter experts from across the Nuclear Weapons Complex. Depending on the breadth and complexity of the engineering tasks being executed, PRTs can be subdivided into sub‐PRTs or Task Teams. Both sub‐PRTs and Task Teams tend to have a “component‐focus” versus the “system focus” of the PRTs. Using the architecture of TBPs, focused around a concurrent engineering philosophy employed by PRTs, execution of nuclear weapon programs has become more efficient, consistent, and comparable across the Nuclear Weapons Complex.

CONCURRENT ENGINEERING DESIGN FOR ENVIRONMENT

This paper attempts to give a brief overview of the concept of design for environment (DfE) as part of the concurrent engineering philosophy. DfE includes designing for recyclability, reuseability, durability, and maintainability. DfE also promotes the reduction of energy consumption and product emissions as a means of environmental consciousness. As part of this research into DfE, five Hunter Valley–based Australian businesses were used as case studies in an attempt to discover what role DfE plays in local Australian industry.

Integrated Product and Process Modeling for Collaborative Design Environment

Concurrent engineering (CE) has been widely accepted as an effective engineering practice for decreasing product development time, improving quality, decreasing manufacturing costs, and improving customer satisfaction. Since CE philosophy is intended to consider all elements of product life cycle from the outset, CE approach increases the complexity of design problem and makes it more difficult to manage. In addition, the advances in computer networks and information technology have brought engineering design into a new era. Although a considerable number of studies have been made on design decomposition (e.g., product and process (or perspective) decomposition) as a means to reduce the complexity of a large scale design problem, relatively little attention has been given to the computational framework for dynamic and systematic design integration in a computer network-oriented design environment. This paper describes an integrated product and process modeling (IPPM) framework for collaborative product design through the Internet. Here, the hierarchical and heterarchical dependencies between the decomposed smaller design problems are addressed. An agent-based approach is proposed for the computer support of hierarchical and heterarchical design topologies. In our framework, a smaller design problem is dynamically modeled in terms of interacting and pluggable design agents that represent a specific aspect of the design problem and provide the interoperability between heterogeneous design agents or software applications, and the results of these smaller problems are recursively integrated to formulate solutions to the larger problems in a systematic manner. Finally, the proposed framework forms a global design network through which a number of design possibilities are explored.

AN INTEGRATED MULTI-AGENT CSCW SYSTEM FOR CONCURRENT PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Product development capability is more and more important for an enterprise in a knowledge-based economic era. In the philosophy of concurrent engineering, product development should be carried out in a concurrent way. Computer support is necessary for Concurrent Product Development (CPD). As an excellent tool to meet complex needs, CSCW has been used in CPD. But nearly all CSCW systems that have been developed so far concentrate on a more or less narrow sub-field of cooperative work. Thus, the need of integrated CSCW applications are apparent. The agent is a suitable programming paradigm that can be used to meet the complex needs. In this paper, a P-PROCE (Process, Product, Resource, Organization, Control & Evaluation) model is introduced for CPD firstly. By categorizing the agents of the multi-agent system (MAS) into different types of agent according to P-PROCE model and offering a structure of MAS, the CPD is mapped to MAS. The cooperation among agents is very important for MAS. In the paper, a two-layer cooperation structure of MAS is proposed. In the macro layer, agent based workflow control the CPD process and in the micro layer the entity agents interact with each other directly to fulfill the task. The key issues of these two cooperation layers are discussed in the paper. Component based structure of agent and an implemented case are also provided in the paper.

An Integrated Prototype System For Cost-Effective Design

Modem manufacturing companies are moving towards a system of concurrent engineering in order to improve competitiveness. One of the targets of concurrent engineering philosophy is to reduce both cost and time involved in product development at the conceptual stage of the design process. Therefore, if the product manufacturing cost is estimated at an early design stage, designers would be able to modify a design to achieve proper performance as well as a reasonable cost. This paper describes the development of an integrated prototype system for modelling product cost throughout the entire product development cycle. The proposed system is composed of a CAD solid modelling system, user interface, various knowledge bases, process optimisation, databases, design for assembly module and cost estimation module. The system is integrated with a material selection software, to facilitate the material selection process. To overcome uncertainty in the knowledge of cost model, a novel fuzzy logic model is developed and implemented in the developed system to generate reliable estimation of cost. Cost modelling of both a machining component and an injection-moulding component are considered in this research paper. The estimated cost for a moulded component included the costs of material, mould and processing. The main function of the system, besides estimating the product cost, is to generate initial process planning that includes generation and selection of machining processes, their sequence and their machining parameters. In addition, a feature-by-feature cost estimation report is generated using the proposed system to highlight the features of high manufacturing cost. The tangible benefit of implementing this system is that the product manufacturing cost can be estimated at the early stage of the product development cycle. Therefore, a quicker response to customers' expectations is generated. One of the advantageous features of this system is that it warns users of features that are costly and difficult to manufacture. In addition, users can modify the product design at any stage to achieve the targeted cost. Two case studies are demonstrated and discussed to validate the proposed system.

A case study of virtual team working in the European automotive industry

This paper presents a case study based on some of the results of the Team-based European Automotive Manufacture (TEAM) project. TEAM investigated how advanced information technology and telecommunications (IT&T) could support co-operative working along the automotive engineering supply chain. Based on a user-requirements analysis, a software demonstrator was developed that incorporated video conferencing, shared whiteboard, application sharing and product data management tools. Workplace-based user evaluations took place with this demonstrator, involving approximately 40 engineers in four countries. A non-intrusive, user-centred evaluation approach encompassing real working during the product introduction process (PIP) was used. Results indicate the potential to increase the efficiency and the flexibility of working of distributed engineering teams, with potential time savings of between 10 and 50% for different stages in the PIP. In terms of cost savings, it was found that a potential overall saving of 20% in development time could increase sales volume by about £1 billion, and cut costs by about £90 million. Several human factors issues need careful management, in particular, the effect of legacy systems and data, the requirements for training and support and the impact on roles and the organisation. Finally, some basic requirements for a collaborative engineering environment are outlined. Relevance to industry This paper addresses the technical and human factors infrastructural aspects of concurrent engineering, within a real context. Therefore, it is of direct relevance to companies either introducing or optimising a concurrent engineering philosophy.

Supply chain implications of concurrent engineering

One way in which the manufacturing and construction industries are moving is to adopt the philosophy of concurrent engineering (CE), better utilising the expertise of other companies in the supply chain. This paper draws on the results of several previous studies to discuss from a conceptual rather than an empiric point of view some ergonomics issues involved in CE from the perspective of supply chains. It outlines some generic attributes, and discusses some concepts of federated control systems within supply chains. The implications of these for information flows and the management of distributed knowledge within supply chains are then discussed. A key issue that arises from this is the need for trust in individuals external to the company if the CE philosophy is to work effectively. The paper then discusses the implications of this for the design of roles within the CE workgroup, concluding that the principles of socio‐technical design for roles are appropriate for the design of these roles, ensuring that they have the right attributes for trustworthiness. This provides a link between these principles and business needs that is not often present in discussions of role design. Examples are drawn mainly from manufacturing and the implications for construction supply chains highlighted, as appropriate.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN CREATING HYBRID SYSTEMS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

This paper aims to present the authors' experiences in building up knowledge-base systems. The systems were worked out using the authors' own method based on concurrent engineering philosophy with elements of fuzzy logic in the local area network (LAN). The accepted method ensures the following: 1. efficiency of rule creation; 2. reduced number of errors in testing the graphical user interface (GUI); 3. ease of creation and verification of the membership function when engineers cooperate with experts. This paper presents examples of domains and ways of creating the system with special emphasis on the membership function.

Cultural issues in implementing changes to new product development process in a small to medium sized enterprise (SME)

Being aware of best practices in new product development is one matter, implementing these approaches in a well-established company or department to reduce time to market is a different issue. Unless the whole company accepts new methods of working, there is a possibility that improvements will not be achieved. This paper draws on a case study of asmall to medium sized electronic component manufacturer. The philosophy of concurrent engineering was introduced, through new product development procedures, with the aim of improving product development efficiency and reducing time to market. This paper focuses on the difficulties encountered when the implementation of new product development processes come up against habits and attitudes that have developed over many years, and the extent to which the cultural characteristics of a company influence the overall change process.

Implications of the supply chain for role definitions in concurrent engineering

To be competitive, manufacturing companies must make greater use of the expertise and knowledge that is available from outside the company, particularly in design. One way in which manufacturing industry is moving is to adopt the philosophy of concurrent engineering (CE), utilizing the expertise of other companies in the supply chain. This paper discusses some ergonomics issues involved in CE from the perspective of supply chains. It outlines some generic attributes and discusses some concepts of federated control systems as applied to supply chains. The implications of these for information flows and the management of distributed knowledge are then discussed. A key issue that arises from this is the need for trust in other people outside the company if the CE philosophy is to work effectively. The paper then discusses the implications of this for the design of roles within the CE workgroup, concluding that the principles of sociotechnical design for roles are appropriate for the design of these roles, ensuring that they have the right attributes for trustworthiness. This provides a link between these principles and business needs that is not often present in discussions of role design, and in future may offer a means by which benchmarking could be achieved in this difficult area. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Information supported design for manufacture of injection-moulded rotational products

Whilst the concurrent engineering philosophy has been embraced by a wide range of engineering companies as a means to remaining competitive, the design software tools which are commercially available are limited in their ability to offer concurrent support. This paper describes research which has investigated how design for manufacture information can be provided back to designers as concurrently as possible. The paper, using injection moulding as its focus, illustrates how a design for manufacture environment can be structured to utilize company product and manufacturing information. In particular, the need for appropriate information translation mechanisms and design support strategies is described. An example, highlighting the potential of the approach and utilizing an experimental object-oriented system, is discussed.

Concurrent engineering experiences in high-tech defence projects

The Indian Guided Missile Programme may be the first in the country to adapt the philosophy of concurrent engineering (CE) for the development of high-technology weapon systems. The management of IGMDP took enormous risk and proceeded with the concurrent development of the technology, the product, as well as the establishment of production facilities. During the implementation of this concurrent development and production process, a number of hurdles have been encountered which further led to the development of new ideas, tools and techniques to realise the weapon systems in shorter time frames. The net result of these efforts is not only the saving in time from the design of weapon systems to their induction, but also the build-up in technological confidence that swept through all those organisations that participated in this programme. This paper presents the experiences of the Indian Guided Missile Programme in implementing the various concurrent engineering practices.

Concurrent Engineering Philosophy Implemented Using Computer Optimized Design

Concurrent engineering is seen as a philosophy with the aim of simultaneously involving suppliers and customers at an early stage in the design process. The transfer of technology has been established as the key element in this process, together with the coordination of the product development process. An ESPRIT (7752) project at De Montfort University has benchmarked the levels of concurrent engineering (CE) of manufacturing companies in the United Kingdom. This has shown, in general, that two fundamental methods for the implementation of CE exist, these being specialized multi-functional teams and multi-functional teams using computer optimization, the latter being seen as the way forward. This paper examines the use of an expert system toolkit, particularly in the design for manufacture (DFM) process. Dealing with knowledge acquisition, the function as well as the structure of component elements is represented. The paper also describes work by De Montfort University in integrating an expert and computer aided design (CAD) system that meets the requirements for accomplishing the concept of design for manufacture. In the future intelligent manufacturing systems (IMS) aimed at systematizing the know-how will be used, which will be of particular value in showing how to use knowledge effectively.

An Economic Evaluation Model for Product Design Decisions under Concurrent Engineering

ABSTRACT Since a major component of a product cost is highly affected by a design decision made at an early stage of a product life cycle, the optimal design decision is critical in competitive manufacturing environments. For such optimal design decision making, the philosophy of concurrent engineering has become popular. In this paper, we propose an integrated decision model in which decisions on product and process design are simultaneously performed through economic evaluation at each stage of decision making. We introduce a dynamic programming method to determine the optimal design decision which minimizes the product cost under the strategic constraints given. We then apply the proposed decision model together with the solution procedure to a printed circuit board (PCB) designing and manufacturing company to demonstrate the effectiveness of a concurrent design of product and process.