OPTIMIZATION IN CONCURRENT ENGINEERING - A TEAM-APPROACH

This paper consists of three distinct yet interrelated sections. The f irst section addresses a team approach to concurrent engineering and d iscusses various aspects of multi-disciplinary teams. The benefits of having representation from different functional areas in multi-discipl inary teams are explored and presented. These functional areas include but are not limited to: manufacturing, maintenance, logistics, materi als, and marketing. On the other hand, the negative effects of ''over- the-wall-design'' are identified and delineated. Section two considers the system design. This section of the paper focuses on Quality Funct ion Deployment (QFD) and how it is used in a concurrent engineering en vironment. An example (a product) is provided and analyzed to determin e its strengths and weaknesses with respect to its competitors. The pr oduct features that can be improved are identified so that the product is competitively positioned with respect to market forces and competi tors. Section three focuses on parameter design oi the product selecte d in section two. Design of experiment (DOE) is the technique chosen t o analyze the parameter design. The parameters of the product selected in section two are then identified and analyzed. The treatments and c ombinations having the maximum effect on the design outcome are identi fied and presented. A methodology is presented by which the optimum le vels oi these parameters based on yield and cost are determined. The a dvantages and implications of using teamwork and multi-disciplinary te ams in conducting such studies are presented. Finally, conclusion and assessment is presented and future research directions are explored.