Set-Based Concurrent Engineering process within the LeanPPD environment

This paper presents a newly defined set-based concurrent engineering process, which the authors believe addresses some of the key challenges faced by engineering enterprises in the 21st century. The main principles of Set-Based Concurrent Engineering (SBCE) have been identified via an extensive literature review. Based on these principles the SBCE baseline model was developed. The baseline model defines the stages and activities which represent the product development process to be employed in the LeanPPD (lean product and process development) project. The LeanPPD project is addressing the needs of European manufacturing companies for a new model that extends beyond lean manufacturing, and incorporates lean thinking in the product design development process

An innovative cost modelling system to support lean product and process development

This paper presents a cost modelling system for lean product and process development to support proactive decision making and mistake elimination at the design stage. The foundations of the system are based upon three lean product and process development enablers, namely: Set-based concurrent engineering, knowledge-based engineering, and mistake proofing (Poka-yoke). The development commenced with an industrial field study of eleven leading European industries from the aerospace, automotive, telecommunication, medical and domestic appliance sectors. Based on the requirements of industrial collaborators, the developed system comprises six modules: value identification, manufacturing process/machines selection, material selection, geometric features specification, geometric features and manufacturability assessment, and manufacturing time and cost estimation. The work involved the development of a feature-based cost estimation method for the resistance spot welding process. The developed system was finally validated using an industrial case study. The developed system has the capability to provide estimates related to product cost and associated values concurrently, facilitate decision making, eliminate mistakes during the design stage, and incorporate ‘customer voice’ during a critical decision making stage

Development of KBE system to support LeanPPD application

Some efforts to achieve of a Lean Product development must be addressed formalizing and structuring the knowledge in such a way that any engineering decisions taken are based on proven knowledge and experience. Applying Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) throughout the design process can significantly enable the designer to focus more on innovations and to shorten the overall design process. To address this challenge, LeanPPD project, funded by the European Commission (NMP-2008-214090) has developed a systematic approach for knowledge acquisition, re-use and creation to enhance value creation based on proven knowledge enabling the application of lean thinking in product design and development. This approach is a novel Lean Knowledge Life Cycle (LeanKLC) methodology. The main objective of this paper is to present a working Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) system which showcases one possible use in product development of the aforementioned methodology. The content of the knowledge has been captured following the LeanKLC methodology. The KBE system allows design departments to make decisions based on previous projects knowledge and on proven technological domain knowledge. Finally, as this research is strongly industry oriented, this paper summarizes the implementation and testing of KBE system.Peer reviewe

Industrial challenges in managing product development knowledge

To systematically create and share product development knowledge creates challenges for engineering companies. This paper presents an extensive study regarding the process of identifying such challenges in managing product development knowledge from the perspective of designers and engineers. This research is part of the LeanPPD, a project funded by the EU-PF7 (www.leanppd.eu), to address the need of European manufacturing companies for a new model, which extends beyond lean manufacturing and incorporates lean thinking into the product design and development process. A rigorous research methodology has been employed, which included the use of questionnaires and focused interviews with key informants from industry, involving forty-two product development engineers from nine different companies. The most significant concerns raised during the study concerned knowledge life cycle activities, product development environment and management. Thirty-eight challenges were identified, classified and discussed in order to provide the knowledge management community with practical evidence, and also to inform future research directions in managing product development knowledge. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved