Concurrent Engineering Principles Research Articles

How to successfully introduce concurrent engineering into new product development?

Today, three conditions are crucial for a company to be competitive on the market: quality, reduced time and low costs for the development of new products. The paper shows how companies developing new products (NPD) for the market can successfully implement concurrent engineering as an improvement of project management, in order to reduce product development time and costs and to ensure the quality expected by customers. The methodology presented in this paper is based on three main pillars of knowledge: project management, teamwork and concurrent engineering. The methodology provides a step-by-step guideline for the introduction of concurrent engineering in a company. This paper also presents the results of 10 Slovenian companies where this methodology has been tested on 20 pilot projects. The results show that managed projects upgraded with the principles of concurrent engineering lead to cost reduction, shorter development time and fewer discrepancies.

Systematising multidisciplinary sustainable building design processes utilising BIM

PurposeSustainability considerations are often treated as an add-on to building design, following ad-hoc processes for their implementation. The purpose of this study was to investigate, model and facilitate the early stages of building information modelling (BIM) enabled sustainable building design (SBD) by formalising the ad-hoc working relationships of the best practices in order to standardise the optimal collaboration workflows.Design/methodology/approachFour stages of data collection were conducted, including a total of 32 semi-structured interviews with industry experts from 17 organisations. Fourteen “best practice” case studies were identified, and roles and responsibilities, resources, information exchanges, interdependencies, timing and sequence of events and critical decisions were examined.FindingsThe research classified the critical components of SBD into a framework utilising content and thematic analyses. These components were coordinated explicitly into a systematic process, which followed concurrent engineering (CE) principles utilising Integrated DEFinition (IDEF) 3 structured diagramming technique. Then, Green BIM Box (GBB) workflow management prototype tool was developed to analyse communication and delivery of BIM-enabled SBD in a centralised system.Originality/valueThis study represents an improvement to previous attempts to systematically define the BIM-enabled SBD process for the early stages. The results support the idea that a transparent SBD process, which follows specified communication patterns, can assist in achieving sustainability efficiently in terms of time, cost and effort.

Application of Set-Based Concurrent Engineering Principles in R&D Project Prioritization

This paper aims to analyze the application of Set-Based Concurrent Engineering (SBCE) principles in a two-staged R&D project selection process based on alternative technology routes for grant allocation. A case study approach is applied in the field of sustainable solutions. The SBCE process occurred in two stages. First, six proposals were selected for concept development. Results were assessed to select the two most promising concepts for detailed development. The four projects that were deprioritized consumed 19% of the grant budget. In the case study, applying SBCE principles allowed the assessment of technology routes, supporting the identification of most promising alternatives.

Application of CE principles in design of an integrated participative management system to support for urban freight distribution planning: MISPPUFD model

One of the major obstacles for cities to achieve sustainability is the problems related to urban freight transport. Freight transport operations in urban areas are usually carried out by private companies (freight operators and carriers), using public infrastructure, governed by regulations and implemented and monitored by public authorities. In most cases, because there is no prior consultation with the other stakeholders involved in freight transportation, the negative impacts generated from the urban freight distribution are compromised by the implementation of these actions. There is a lack in the literature a decision support system an appropriate that be able to potentialize the involvement between public and private sector of urban freight. This paper look for new ways of responding to these questions. In this context, the objective of this work is to present a methodology based on the application of Concurrent Engineering (CE) principles in design of an Integrated Participative Planning Management System to Support for Urban Freight Distribution (MISPPUFD) - be able to influence and promote behavioral / engagement change to a requirement for greater interaction between policy makers and stakeholders in support of the group decision-making process with regards to urban freight distribution issues. This suggests the importance of a system that promotes interaction and dialogue - through public consultation to better understand the issues and objectives of different stakeholders in the cargo sector, including academic experts and citizens in that partnership. This approach should result in helping policy makers and stakeholders to deal with different complex objectives and decisions and guide the process of participation

Integrating model-based system engineering with set-based concurrent engineering principles for reliability and manufacturability analysis of mechatronic products

The point-based approach consists of committing a set of requirements and a single design solution from the design space. This approach is time-consuming and often leads to deadline excess when developing a new complex system such as mechatronic systems. In fact, this approach could generate iterative loops between engineers in the downstream design stage to evaluate the manufacturability and the quality of the developed system. To overcome this issue, introducing a model-based system engineering (MBSE) approach in the upstream design stage hinged on set-based concurrent engineering (SBCE) principles is a good solution to diminish the exchange loops between engineers and to enhance efficiency in the design process. This approach consists in evaluating a large set of system solutions, then gradually narrowing these solutions until converging to a limited set of optimized solutions. In this article, a novel approach entitled “Model based for reliability and manufacturability analysis (MBRMA)” and based on model-based system engineering and set-based concurrent engineering in the preliminary design phases is used to filter out weak or costly solutions over time and to assess system engineer when adopting trade-off analysis. First, customer requirements, functional and structural aspect of the system are defined using SysML diagrams. Next, the application of the algorithm allows narrowing the design space, and finally, a trade-off analysis is carried out to select the best system architecture. The first contribution of this article is the creation of novel stereotypes of composition and allocation flows in a profile diagram between functions and alternative solutions. The second contribution is the implementation of an algorithm to analyze system robustness and to converge on the final set of optimized solutions. To test this newly developed model “model based for reliability and manufacturability analysis (MBRMA),” a case study of an air conditioning electrical compressor is considered to illustrate the various stages of this concurrent engineering approach.

The Effect of Scalable Information on Artificial Intelligence

Many researchers would agree that it had not been for reinforcement learning, the visualization of lambda calculus might never have occurred. In fact, few scholars would disagree with the evaluation of wide-area networks, which embodies the unproven principles of concurrent software engineering [1].We disconfirm that while the famous large-scale algorithm for the visualization of expert systems by Moore et al. is recursively enumerable, kernels[2]and Internet QoS are rarely incompatible.

A CDF framework for aerospace engineering education

Concurrent Design Facility (CDF) is an effective IT environment to apply Concurrent Engineering principles. In aerospace engineering education, CDF can be invaluable by enabling student teams to gain cross-discipline skills and at the same time stay at the cutting edge of technology. This paper gives an overview of CDF configurations in use at different industries, research organisations and universities around the world and concludes with a proposal for a relatively a low cost CDF framework based on cloud computing which is particularly suitable for aerospace engineering education. An important aspect of CDF is collaboration between multidisciplinary specialists or virtual specialists within one environment, which requires dedicated hardware or software to exchange file, manage knowledge, collaborative work on writing report, and even remote communicate with other work teams. Emergence and development of cloud computing has made these requirements relatively easy to be fulfilled. Some public cloud computing servers, such as Google Drive, SkyDrive, Dropbox, Mendeley, can be used in CDF to save cost on hardware and software related to data, file, and information exchange. Google Talk and Skype can be used for communication with remote work teams. This CDF framework has many potential benefits, such as reduced cost of hardware, software and support, reduced preparation time, and easy to deploy.

Barriers and Challenges in Employing of Concurrent Engineering within the Norwegian Construction Projects

Abstract The desirability to deliver construction projects within the schedule or more even longer ahead of it is questioned. Nevertheless, most of the construction projects are delivered behind of schedule and even exceed it to more than conceived. So the necessity to find new methods, processes and techniques to challenge the delivery time of the construction projects becomes more than a simple requirement. Overlapping the sequential activities is one way to reduce the delivery time of the project. The manufacturing industry has predicted this fact and established concurrent engineering principles. This paper will inspect the initiative done to involve concurrent engineering principles in the Norwegian oil and gas projects then in the construction projects. It will investigate the work done in the theory, and practice in construction projects compared to the oil and gas projects that have been conducted by a construction firm in Norway.

The development of a generic framework for the implementation of concurrent engineering

Implementing CE successfully requires a huge cultural change in an organisation. This paper presents a generic concurrent engineering (CE) implementation support framework, how it was derived and why the PACE project consortium considers that it encapsulates the pertinent issues of change towards CE. PACE - a 'Practical Approach to Concurrent Engineering' - is an EC project consisting of a pan–European consortium. Its aim is to provide an holistic technology transfer infrastructure enabling the effective change and improvement of present engineering practices towards CE principles. The methodology behind it is generic, but designed to be adaptable to specific company needs. It is especially aimed at showing how to implement CE in an ordinary company i.e. not using a 'super–motivated' project team. It is based on the steps of change management in the specific context of CE and provides a structure for implementation, drawing on literature and experiences of the project's industrial partners.

Survey on mechatronic engineering: A focus on design methods and product models

According to the principles of concurrent engineering and integrated design, engineers intend to develop a mechatronic system with a high level integration (functional and physical integrations) based on a well-organised design method. As a result, two main categories of issues have been pointed out: the process-based problems and the design data-related problems. Several approaches to overcome these issues have been put forward. To solve process-based problems, a dynamic perspective is generally used to present how collaboration can be improved during the mechatronic design. For design data-related problems, solutions generally come from product models and how to structure and store the data thanks to the functionality of data and documents management of Product Lifecycle Management systems. To be able to assess design methods and product models, some criteria are proposed in the paper and used to evaluate their added value on integrated design of mechatronic system. After this assessment, main outcomes which focus on the combination of design method and product model for improving the design of mechatronic system are finally discussed.

The transformation of product development process into lean environment using set-based concurrent engineering: A case study from an aerospace industry

This article presents a transformation process towards lean product development in an aerospace industry. This transformation was achieved in two main stages: the first was to integrate the principles of set-based concurrent engineering into an existing product development model of an aerospace company. This stage included defining activities and associated tools. The second stage was to implement the developed model in a research-based industrial case study, a helicopter engine in this case. Three main outcomes were realised from this work. First, it presented an industrial case of lean transformation in product development, where the leanness of an existing model was enhanced by embedding set-based concurrent engineering principles. Second, the developed model was structured into a set of well-defined activities and associated tools that were previously scattered or redundant. Finally, the developed model was trialled in an industrial project of a helicopter engine, tested to evaluate its value in enhancing the innovation level and reducing risk. The work presented in this article focused on early stage system level design, and future work will extend the implementation of set-based concurrent engineering to sub-system and component levels.

The sustainability of product compliance within lifecycle design

The present paper addresses the integration and sustainability of product compliance with a special reference to the lifecycle design and product development phase. The research stems from an industrial project aimed at assessing the electromagnetic compliance (EMC) within lifecycle design of a new product, to avoid expensive modifications during the production phases. The work has been conducted for the development of an electronic board for automotive. It focuses on the definition of the information flows, their sources and content. Product lifecycle phases are rearranged in a structured approach, based on product information traceability and concurrent engineering principles, fully integrated into the quality management system of the company.

Practical Applications of Set-Based Concurrent Engineering in Industry

Set-Based Concurrent Engineering is sometimes seen as a means to dramatic improvements in product design processes. In spite of its popularity in literature, the number of reported applications has so far been limited. This paper adds new information by describing implementations of Set-Based Concurrent Engineering in four product developing companies. The research took a case study approach, with the objective to investigate if the principles of Set-Based Concurrent Engineering can improve the efficiency and the effectiveness of the development process. The study shows that set-based projects can be driven within an existing organization, if given proper support. The participants claim that a set-based approach has a positive effects on development performance, especially on the level of innovation, product cost and performance. The improvements were achieved at the expense of slightly higher development costs and longer lead time. However, the positive effects are dominating and the companies involved intend to use Set-Based Concurrent Engineering in future projects when appropriate.

A Concurrent Design Method Based on DFMA—FEA Integrated Approach

This article proposes a methodological statement and a design procedure based on an integrated approach combining finite element analysis (FEA) tools, and an instrument oriented at improving the design solutions in terms of ease of production, according to the principles of design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA). The result of an overview on product development theoretical models, with particular regard to the evolutionary mechanisms for converging on the final solution which characterize the design process, and of a review on the implementation of concurrent engineering principles, the proposed approach was expressly devised to introduce integrated and simultaneous interventions into design practice, in a way that makes the use of FEA and DFMA instruments as proactive as possible, consequently favoring the effectiveness of design choices, in order to limit the iterative processes of improvement and thereby reduce the burden they present. As evidenced by the results of a case study, this approach can allow the principal constructional characteristics of the preliminary design to be redefined in a way which simplifies manufacture and assembly processes, while guaranteeing and sometimes improving the structural functionality of the product, to the full advantage of product quality and the containment of production times and costs.

Close coupling value chain functions to improve subcontractor manufacturing performance

The operational benefits of close coupling value chain functions as embodied in the principles of concurrent engineering and supply chain management are well known and have been closely examined by researchers across a range of manufacturing sectors. However, their deployment in the field of construction is less well understood. The aim of the research reported in this paper was to investigate whether ‘best practices’ such as these, could be applied in sectors of the construction industry to provide sustainable competitive advantage. To facilitate the investigation an action research based methodology was employed in which the researchers took an active role in the change process. This method was chosen because of its practical orientation, its predisposition to longitudinal case based applications and its suitability to ‘proof of concept’ initiatives. This research was carried out over a three year period and focused on the implementation of these practices with a view to improving the performance of a subcontractor in the construction industry. The outcomes of the research indicate that, despite the high levels of uncertainty and product variety that characterise the industry the principles of close coupling value chain functions can be applied to subcontractor operations that are primarily manufacturing orientated and that improvements in production and assembly productivity are possible with the result that total costs can be reduced and delivery performance improved.

Frameworks for Product Family Design and Development

In today's market, products must meet or exceed customers' needs while being competitively priced and developed in the shortest time possible. While product platforms address many of these requirements, they can incur additional development challenges with regards to coordination, time, and cost. Companies therefore need to use a concurrent engineering process to develop product families and product platforms efficiently; however, no concurrent engineering process models exist to support product family development. Based on concurrent engineering principles, four processes are proposed for systematic product family design using two platforming approaches — top-down and bottom-up — and two development drivers: product-driven and platform-driven. The first objective of this study is to propose a consistent product family development process terminology. The second objective is to detail representative frameworks and processes for the four proposed product family design processes based on the two approaches and two drivers. Several industry examples highlight the context and illustrate the four proposed processes.

Manufacturing Process Management: iterative synchronisation of engineering data with manufacturing realities

The principles of Concurrent Engineering (CE) have led to an early introduction of manufacturing decisions in the Product Development Process (PDP). Nevertheless, the integration along the product life cycle of computer tools to help engineers manage their tasks in the global market still suffers from a poor understanding of information requirements for the effective streamline of the design to production process. Manufacturing Process Management (MPM) is a strategy that supports formal communication between engineering and production in a virtual 3D environment. This paper outlines how MPM enables a real-time assessment of component manufacturability and a parallelisation of product design and manufacturing processes. The proposed scheme is dedicated to offer CE teams the answers to integrated change management issues through a digital collaborative environment. From a technological perspective, a MPM solution provides an intelligent bridge between the Computer-Aided Design/Product Data Management (CAD/PDM) and Enterprise Resource Planning/Manufacturing Execution System (ERP/MES) software with viable perspectives for complete Product Life cycle Management (PLM) packages and new Knowledge Management (KM) approaches.

Effects of multi-functional new product development teams and overlapping approach on development time: an empirical study

This paper studies the influence of basic principles of concurrent engineering (autonomous multi-functional teamwork and execution of activities under an overlapping approach) on development time. A linear regression model was performed on a sample of electronic components manufacturing firms in Spain. Results seem to indicate that both autonomous multi-functional teams and execution of activities under an overlapping approach is related positively with shorter development times.

Concurrent engineering in the development of an intermediate jet trainer a case study

The design and flying of the first prototype of a jet trainer typically takes four to five years. Using the principles of concurrent engineering, the cycle time was reduced and the jet trainer was test flown in 20 months from metal cutting and 44 months from go-ahead. The cycle time reduction was achieved through the use of computer aided design tools, implementation of product data manager to control and monitor the design work flow, close monitoring and outsourcing of manufacturing activities and systematic co-ordination to ensure the project schedule. The primary benefit noted is that development cycle time can be considerably reduced through the enhanced co-ordination of design and manufacturing and integration of these through a proper work flow management system. This integration requires bringing issues up front and conceptualisation of possible issues that could come up through a cross function team in which members from design, engineering, procurement, manufacturing, systems integration, quality assurance and certification agencies work seamlessly.

Concurrent engineering for the development of advanced composites technology for light combat aircraft

This case study of light combat aircraft illustrates the use of concurrent engineering principles to enhance manufacturability and to reduce development cycle time. Use of composites has helped in realising an aircraft that is small, light, cost effective and easily manufacturable. Concurrent engineering helped simultaneously in reducing the cycle time, improving manufacturability, reducing parts count and improving the case of upgradability. This was possible though high level of horizontal coordination.