SIMULTANEOUS ENGINEERING - CORRELATES OF SUCCESS

Time-to-market is one of the key determinants of the long-term profita bility of a new product. An important factor in reducing the overall t ime is simultaneous (concurrent) engineering. This study of a closely related group of decentralized divisions in Dana Corporation seeks to identify the factors which lead to the initial acceptance and the succ essful implementation of simultaneous engineering. The study also unco vers the ''barriers'' to such success and seeks to generalize the impl ications that can be logically evolved from this limited study. A key conclusion is that top managers should seriously consider the implemen tation of simultaneous engineering in their companies.