The enterprise's product and process design approach must be linked to the business strategy.
An enterprise's strategy must be considered in the approach to product and process design.
For example, the low-cost producer must optimize the product design to the company's production system and consider high-volume, highly automated production processes.
This implies focused product and process design which further implies standardization and simplification of products and parts within each focused facility.
These standardized families of parts and products will require a more limited set of manufacturing processes.
A company can then focus on developing these products and processes considering its selected dimensions of competition such as follows:
Basis of Competition and Product and Process Development Implications
Cost | A strong emphasis on target costing, design-to-cost, value engineering, and design for manufacturability. Minimum product variety. Significant manufacturing and accounting involvement in development. Suppliers are well-integrated into the development process. The factory uses high volume equipment specifically oriented to the product; automated material handling. |
Quality / Reliability / Dependability | A disciplined and rigorous product development process. Strong focus on understanding customer needs and providing products that meet those needs. Use of techniques like FMEA, FTA, FRACAS, DOE, Taguchi Methods, poka-yoke, and reliability prediction. Heavy emphasis on testing and qualification. Processes are oriented to self-checking and adjustment and the use of computer-aided inspection and test equipment. |
Time-to-Market | Use of modular design approaches. Sufficient resources to undertake development processes underway. Continuous surveillance of the marketplace and understanding of customer needs. Well-defined development processes based on tightly integrated design automation tools. Well-planned and managed programs with clear definitions and acceptance of responsibilities. Process equipment to handle a wide range of work envelopes; FMS; quick set-up and changeover. |
Innovativeness / Technology | A technology plan and roadmap based on the business and product strategy and plan. Effective technology management. The process to review new technologies developed outside for applicability internally. Effective process to deploy new technology to development programs. State-of-the-art design and analysis tools to support the requirements of new technology. Policies to invest in training and development of personnel to master new technology. Culture is open to new ideas and taking risks. Investment in new process technology. |
A starting point is to define and understand the company's marketplace, customer needs and competition.
Based on this assessment, the company's primary competitive dimensions can be selected and a strategy defined to develop and enhance these competitive dimensions.
Once this is done, product and process design based on IPD can be oriented to implement this strategy.
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