This research aims to improve the dataflow performance of the Concurrent
Engineering (CE) practice in the detail design stage of the aircraft Assembly
Line (AL) in the C919 aircraft project. As the final integrator of the aircraft,
Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Company Ltd. (SAMC) is responsible for
developing the AL with global suppliers. Although CE has been implemented in
AL projects to shorten lead time, reduce development cost and improve design
quality, the lack of experience and insufficient infrastructure may lead to many
challenges in cooperation with distributed suppliers, especially regarding data
management/exchange and workflow control. In this research, the particular CE
environment and activities in SAMC AL projects were investigated. By
assessing the CE performance and benchmarking, the improvement
opportunities are identified, and then an activity-oriented workflow and dataflow
model is established by decomposing the work process to detail levels. Based
on this model, a Product Data Management (PDM) based support platform is
proposed to facilitate data management/exchange in dynamic workflow to
improve work efficiency and interoperability. This solution is mocked-up on the
Siemens Teamcenter 8.1 PLM(Product Lifecycle Management) software and its
feasibility is checked. The mock-up is evaluated by SAMC experts and suppliers.
The feedback shows the acceptance of the model by experts and the urgency
of improving data/work flow design before PLM implementing.
The result of this research is useful for enterprises in similar environments
transiting from pre-PLM to implementing PLM and who wanting to strengthen
CE in the new product development
