Decision making in product development : a review of the literature

For an effective product development process which identified the need of the customer, transferring the need to a product and making it producible, complex decisions are involved identifying reliable alternatives. In an intense market race, front loading of decision making is becoming more and more important to gain a strategic advantage position and to secure competitive power. It can be said that front loading of design decision making contributes greatly to the communication inside and outside a company when it practices a business philosophy and a business domain.(Kawarabayashi, et al, 2007) An important decision for many products is the specification of the product architecture which defines the primary modules and the interfaces between them. This decision not only affects the design of the product but also the process that will be followed during the rest of the product development project. Different processes launch different set of information-processing and decision making activities. The focus of this paper is to study the available decision making models/tools which are proposed by the various researches for product development processes. A loosely structured method was adopted as a mechanism for surveying the literature. The research and literature review papers and essays related to the decision making in the design and product development of the engineering design, operational management and the apparel design and product development from the journals were reviewed. It has acknowledged that the product development models are the usual approach to managing the product development organization, process, activities, tasks, and decision making in a sequential manner in order to decide the design of a product, how it should be manufactured and sol

Investigating the possibility of constructing different seam types for clothing using ultrasonic

Purpose: Ultrasonic seaming: the pertained technology for this research is identified as one of the alternatives which offers many advantages over traditional sewing. Ultrasonic technology was initially used for plastic welding. It has been utilized in automotive, electronics and electrical appliances, filtration, packaging, aerospace and apparel industries. However, the use of sewing machine, needle and threads still remains as the most popular method of joining fabrics together. The aim of this research is to investigate the possibility of constructing different types of seams for clothing using ultrasonic technology which is an existing technology that is not fully utilized and not fully realized the advantages associated with it in the apparel industry. Design/methodology/approach: Experimental reflective practice' was used as the main method for practical investigation. The basis for analysis was formed by reflections made during and after the experimentations. Findings: Though the construction of the seams are possible, due to thickness of the layers, LSc and LSe seam types were not successful in terms of quality. The bound seam type and the flat seams are possible using ultrasonic technology without the blade, the quality is not satisfactory when comparing to the conventional sewing technique. However, ornamental stitching (OS) and edge finishing (EF) with ultrasonic are possible and successful. Originality/value: The results of this study will shed more light on ways of using ultrasonic technology in the apparel industry

The Influence of bending rigidity on drape coefficient of selected light weight woven fabrics with seams

Fabric drape which is a unique characteristic provides a sense of fullness and a graceful appearance that distinguishes fabrics from other sheet materials. It is an important component for a garment's aesthetic appearance and also plays a crucial role in garment comfort and determining the fit of clothing around the human figure. Draping haracteristics of fabrics has received major attention in fashion designing since designers have exploited the draping property of fabric in creating new styles in accordance with changing fashion trends. Though the drape is considered as a qualitative term assessed by human eye, it is important to have a realistic evaluation to understand not only the nature of drape with respect to the type of seams, number of seams and type of stitches but also the influence of other mechanical properties on drape. Thus the research focuses to explore the influence of bending rigidity which is one of the mechanical properties of fabrics on drape coefficient of selected light weight woven fabrics with seams. For the study, two main experiments; draping testing and bending testing were done. The outcome of the research will help to understand, evaluate, and give assurance of the appearance of the final garment. Moreover the result will shed more light on ways of using the drape behavior of fabrics with seams during the apparel designing and pattern construction process

Managing Small-Scale Commercial Fisheries for Adaptive Capacity : Insights from Dynamic Social-Ecological Drivers of Change in Monterey Bay

Globally, small-scale fisheries are influenced by dynamic climate, governance, and market drivers, which present social and ecological challenges and opportunities. It is difficult to manage fisheries adaptively for fluctuating drivers, except to allow participants to shift effort among multiple fisheries. Adapting to changing conditions allows small-scale fishery participants to survive economic and environmental disturbances and benefit from optimal conditions. This study explores the relative influence of large-scale drivers on shifts in effort and outcomes among three closely linked fisheries in Monterey Bay since the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act of 1976. In this region, Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax), northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax), and market squid (Loligo opalescens) fisheries comprise a tightly linked system where shifting focus among fisheries is a key element to adaptive capacity and reduced social and ecological vulnerability. Using a cluster analysis of landings, we identify four modes from 1974 to 2012 that are dominated (i.e., a given species accounting for the plurality of landings) by squid, sardine, anchovy, or lack any dominance, and seven points of transition among these periods. This approach enables us to determine which drivers are associated with each mode and each transition. Overall, we show that market and climate drivers are predominantly attributed to dominance transitions. Model selection of external drivers indicates that governance phases, reflected as perceived abundance, dictate long-term outcomes. Our findings suggest that globally, small-scale fishery managers should consider enabling shifts in effort among fisheries and retaining existing flexibility, as adaptive capacity is a critical determinant for social and ecological resilience

Key features of the commercial fisheries that comprise the interconnected Monterey Bay wetfish fisheries system.

<p>*Available permits does not indicate the number of vessels with landings as some permitted vessels may not participate in a given year. The number of market squid permits applies only to round haul (seine) vessels; light boat and brail vessel permits are issued separately.</p><p>Key features of the commercial fisheries that comprise the interconnected Monterey Bay wetfish fisheries system.</p

Dominance mode transition points.

<p>Proportional landings bubble plots showing dominance mode transition points for three of the seven transition years identified by the cluster analysis. Circle size is scaled to relative volume of landings (Data from Table18PUB CDFW). Darkest purple circles are sardine landings, lightest purple are anchovy landings. Gray arrows represent the movement of focus shifting from one fishery to the next.</p

Map of the Monterey Bay area.

<p>Map includes the three major ports: Santa Cruz, Moss Landing, and Monterey.</p

Aims of methods used.

<p>Aims of methods used.</p