Although the characteristics and cost of any technical system are highly in
fluenced by the early design phases, little focus has been on the structure
and use of the specification in manufacturing system design, in this paper
exemplified by assembly systems for large, high-volume products. This pape
r proposes a framework for elaborating such specifications. The framework i
s based on a division in qualifying and winning criteria, and is structured
into four classes: functional requirements; internal design constraints; e
xternal design constraints; and winning criteria. Defining the specificatio
n by these terms is justified and explained by comparing standard mathemati
cal formulation for this kind of problem to the framework. Future research
efforts are pointed out where the framework is used throughout the developm
ent project for goal-focus, as the specification is used and refined in an
iterative manner.