ENVRIZ: A Methodology for Resolving Conflicts between Product Functionality and Environmental Impact

Product development organizations are facing more pressure now than ever before to become sustainable. However, organizations are reluctant to compromise product functionality in order to create products that have less environmental impact than that required by regulations. Thus, engineers may face a conflict between improving product functionality and reducing environmental impact. The design for environment (DfE) tools currently available are inadequate with respect to helping engineers determine how to resolve this conflict during the conceptual design phase. The Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) which is based on Design by Analogy provides a promising conceptual design approach for this problem. Examples of products that simultaneously reduce environmental impact and improve product functionality can inspire engineers to do likewise. This research consists of 1.) Finding products and patents that overcome a contradiction between product functionality and environmental impact; 2.) Analyzing and determining the functionality parameter, environmental parameter, and TRIZ principle demonstrated by each example; 3.) Organizing this knowledge into an accessible DfE tool (matrices); and 4.) Developing a methodology for using the tool. The combination of the tool and methodology is named ENVRIZ, a merge of environment and TRIZ. After ENVRIZ was complete, an effectiveness study was completed to understand whether the new tool provided better solutions than TRIZ. Results of the study support that utilizing specific product examples from ENVRIZ provides better solutions compared to utilizing engineering principles from either ENVRIZ and TRIZ. Although the use of the tool on its own does not guarantee a reduction in a product's overall sustainability, the ENVRIZ methodology provides design engineers with a useful conceptual design tool to help overcome contradictions between improving product functionality and reducing environmental impact. Moreover, despite the limited number of examples identified to date, this research provides a framework and prototype that can be extended to incorporate new solutions to these contradictions

Design acceleration in chemical engineering

Nowadays, Chemical Engineering has to face a new industrial context with for example: the gradually falling of hydrocarbon reserves after 2020-2030, relocation, emerging of new domains of application (nano-micro technologies) which necessitate new solutions and knowledges… All this tendencies and demands accelerate the need of tool for design and innovation (technically, technologically). In this context, this paper presents a tool to accelerate innovative preliminary design. This model is based on the synergy between: TRIZ (Russian acronym for Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) and Case Based Reasoning (CBR). The proposed model offers a structure to solve problem, and also to store and make available past experiences in problems solving. A tool dedicated to chemical engineering problems, is created on this model and a simple example is treated to explain the possibilities of this tool

The TRIZ-CBR synergy: A knowledge based innovation process

Today innovation is recognised as the main driving force in the market. This complex process involves several intangible dimensions, such as creativity, knowledge and social interactions among others. Creativity is the starting point of the process, and knowledge is the force that transforms and materialises creativity in new products, services and processes. In this paper a synergy that aims to assists the innovation process is presented. The synergy combines several concepts and tools of the theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ) and the case-based reasoning (CBR) process. The main objective of this synergy is to support creative engineering design and problem solving. This synergy is based on the strong link between knowledge and action. In this link, TRIZ offers several concepts and tools to facilitate concept creation and to solve problems, and the CBR process offers a framework capable of storing and reusing knowledge with the aim of accelerating the innovation process

Case Based Reasoning and TRIZ : a coupling for Innovative conception in Chemical Engineering

With the evolutions of the surrounding world market, researchers and engineers have to propose technical innovations. Nevertheless, Chemical Engineering community demonstrates a small interest for innovation compared to other engineering fields. In this paper, an approach to accelerate inventive preliminary design for Chemical Engineering is presented. This approach uses Case Based Reasoning (CBR) method to model, to capture, to store and to make available the knowledge deployed during design. CBR is a very interesting method coming from Artificial Intelligence, for routine design. Indeed, in CBR the main assumption is that a new problem of design can be solved with the help of past successful ones. Consequently, the problem solving process is based on past successful solutions therefore the design is accelerated but creativity is limited and not stimulated. Our approach is an extension of the CBR method from routine design to inventive design. One of the main drawbacks of this method is that it is restricted in one particular domain of application. To propose inventive solution, the level of abstraction for problem resolution must be increased. For this reason CBR is coupled with the TRIZ theory (Russian acronym for Theory of solving inventive problem). TRIZ is a problem solving method that increases the ability to solve creative problems thanks to its capacity to give access to the best practices in all the technical domains. The proposed synergy between CBR and TRIZ combines the main advantages of CBR (ability to store and to reuse rapidly knowledge) and those of TRIZ (no trade off during resolution, inventive solutions). Based on this synergy, a tool is developed and a mere example is treated

Innovation and Knowledge Management : using the combined approach TRIZ-CBR in Process System Engineering

In this article, a TRIZ based model is proposed to support the innovation and knowledge capitalization process. This model offers a knowledge base structure, which contains several heuristics to solve problems, synthesized from a large range of domains and industries and, also, the capacity to capture, store and make available the experiences produced while solving problems

Application of TRIZ to develop an in-service diagnostic system for a synchronous belt transmission for automotive application

Development of robust diagnostic solutions to monitor the health of systems and components to ensure through life cost effectiveness is often technically difficult, requiring an effective integration of design development with research and innovation. This paper presents a structured application of TRIZ and USIT (Unified Structured Inventive Thinking) to generate concept solutions for an in-service diagnostic system for a synchronous belt drive system for an automotive application. The systematic exploration through TRIZ and USIT methods has led to the development of six concept solution ideas directed at the functional requirement to determine the state or condition of the belt. The paper demonstrates that the combined deployment of TRIZ and USIT frameworks is a valuable approach addressing difficult design problem

Why Reinvent the Wheel? The Efficacy of the Systematic Problem Solving Method 'TRIZ' and it Value for Innovation in Engineering and Implications for Engineering Management

The engineering industry needs to be more innovative. A case study of a recent breakthrough innovative development by Michelin is discussed. The influence of prior training with systematic problem solving method TRIZ, on the innovation team, is assessed using a questionnaire. The questionnaire is based on a company innovation audit model proposed by Mann and influenced by the creativity model of Baille. Results are discussed which show significant innovation development when using TRIZ. The efficacy of training key workers in systematic problem solving and creative methods is discussed and the implications for managers in innovation promotion and workplace environment change are highlighted

Eco-innovative Method to Improve the Distribution Phase of Product

The integration of the environmental dimension is crucial in industrial activity. Designers should integrate the new environmental constraints to adapt their approaches and methodologies in the framework of eco-innovation of industrial products and consumer goods. This paper proposes a new method integrating ecological aspects into the innovation process composed of three main stages: an analysis and structuring of the product, the formalization of the problem and the resolution phase. According to the structuring and the design objectives, actions can be selected and allow to guide the design to the most relevant modification to perform on the product. An illustration of the approach is applied on the optimization of the environmental impacts related to the logistical aspects

Design of Equipment Rack with TRIZ Method to Reduce Searching Time in Change Over Activity (Case Study : PT. Jans2en Indonesia)

Janssen is a manufacturing plant that works in furniture assembly. Component shortages often occurs, it will cause the increase of work in process (WIP) in assembly section. In previous studies, we analyze the root causes with FMEA and then it is resulted that router section is the constraint of the system. There are many non value added activities such as searching and transportation caused by a messy condition of work places and the devices that aren’t put in the right place. The impact is that the time allocated for every change over is higher than before. There are many components that are worked by the router section, so improvements are needed to minimize changes in over time. 5S method and the use of a new design of rack by TRIZ method are suggested for fixing the conditions of work environment. It is expected to eliminate non value added activities and changes in over time. Result shows that we can reduce non value activities in change over of regular components up to 41% and the elimination of this time is 41,6%. The non value activities in changeover of new items is 36,6% and this elimination of time is 53,3%. Key word : change over, kaizen, design, TRIZ metho