The automotive industry is looking to move from mass production to mass customization in order to manufacture and sell a variety of products in different markets on a global scale. This requires a robust and cost effective manufacturing system which would help design new products in the shortest possible lead time. This thesis tries to investigate the current sheet metal forming process for body in white, identify the limitations and propose an alternative which would help the industry cut down product lead time and costs. Decision making tools are used to identify the technical requirements of a BIW manufacturing system and optimize the same. Part consolidation techniques are studied in detail and the various means to achieve them are investigated. Industrial origami¨ is proposed as an alternative to automotive stamping and a means to achieve part consolidation. Origami joints and their design features were modeled using cad tools and their load bearing and strength characteristics are compared to that of stamped joints using finite element analysis simulations. A bill of materials of a small sedan is constructed to identify the opportunities for part consolidation and process substitution of stamping using origami
