DESIGN FOR GLOBAL MANUFACTURING AND ASSEMBLY

In this paper the author presents and tests new concurrent engineering strategies that focus on manufacturing and assembly operations with a global perspective. Specifically, the focus is upon new design for ma nufacturability and assembly (DFMA) strategies to support multi-facili ty, global operations. These DFMA strategies are more holistic than mo st published techniques in that they focus on total system approaches that explicitly consider product mix, process configuration, and capit al procurement strategies, as well as tooling, design, and set-up cost s associated with manufacture and assembly. Furthermore, the DFMA stra tegies presented here consider the cost of transportation logistics in multi-facility, global manufacturing, assembly, and distribution netw orks. A general mathematical formulation is presented and tested under realistic conditions. It is demonstrated that this model can be used for capacity planning and product sourcing for multiple part types in many facilities. Similarly, it can be used to examine the sensitivity of solutions to changes in various costs, productivity levels, or prod uct configuration and mix assumptions at each facility. Test results d emonstrate the efficacy of use of the formulation in general terms. Fi nally, a research agenda is posited for the future development of the strategies.