The following thesis elucidates the impact of the product design and the product development process on the design of a manufacturing system. In contrast to integrate constraints and restrictions of the manufacturing system and its processes into the initial design of a product , attributes and characteristics of the product design are analyzed by the way they influence and restrict the design of a manufacturing system. The upcoming hypothesis of this thesis claims latter approach to be the natural and logical one.
A sophisticated design theory known as Axiomatic Design [Suh 1990] is used to embed the design of a manufacturing system into the design of the product and the product development system. The generic derivation of such an integrated design framework will allow a broad application to manufacturing and product development system design.
The following paragraph outlines the background and the issues related to the motivation for this thesis. In the next step, the thesis objectives and hypothesis are stated, marking the scope and content of this academic discussion. Finally, a brief overview is provided about the content and structure of each chapter.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 Background and Motivation
1.2 Thesis Objectives
1.3 Thesis Outline
2. The Production and Manufacturing System
2.1 An Introduction to Systems Theory and Object-Orientation
2.2 The Production System
2.3 The Manufacturing System
2.3.1 Definition of a Manufacturing System
2.3.2 The Elements of a Manufacturing System
2.3.3 The Manufacturing Process
2.3.4 The Characteristics of a Manufacturing System
2.3.5 Types of Manufacturing System
2.3.6 The Design of a Manufacturing System
2.3.7 The Control of Manufacturing Systems
2.4 Lean Production
2.4.1 The Transition of the Market Requirements
2.4.2 The Principles of the Toyota Production System
2.4.2.1 The Objective
2.4.2.2 The Definition of Value and Waste
2.4.2.3 The Process
2.4.2.4 The Operation
2.4.2.5 The information flow
3. Characteristics of Product Development
3.1 The Product Development Process
3.1.1 Product Development as an Information Processing Activity
3.1.2 The Integration of Product Development Activities
3.1.2.2 Internal integration
3.1.2.3 External integration
3.1.2.4 The impact of integration on product development performance
3.1.3 The Different Steps within Product Development
3.2 The Degree of Internalization vs. Externalization
3.3 Defining a Product Development System
3.3.1 The Definition of a Product Development System
3.3.2 The Design of a Product Development System
3.3.3 Product Development as a Part of Lean Production
3.4 Product Architecture and Platforms
3.4.1 Product Design
3.4.2 Implications of the Product Architecture
3.4.3 Product Platforms
3.4.4 Part Design
3.5 Conclusions for Integrating Product Design and Product Development into the Design of an Manufactring Systems
4. An Introduction to Axiomatic Design to Design Complex Systems
4.1 Objective of Axiomatic Design
4.2 Introduction to the Principles
4.2.1 The Design Process and Design Axioms
4.2.1.1 The Independence Axiom
4.2.1.2 The Information Axiom
4.2.2 The Concepts of Domains
4.2.3 Decomposition and Hierarchy
4.3 Axiomatic Design for System Design
5. A Methodology to Integrate the Strategy
5.1 The Hierarchical Model of Strategy
5.2 The Linkage between Corporate and Functional Strategy
5.3 Manufacturing Strategy
5.3.1 Definition
5.3.2 Manufacturing Capabilities
5.3.3 Manufacturing Decision Areas
5.4 Product Development Strategy
5.4.1 Definition
5.4.2 Product Development Capabilities
5.4.3 Product Development Decision Areas
5.5 Strategy Integration
6. Similarities and Interactions between Product Design, Product Development and Manufacturing
6.1 System Similarities between Manufacturing and Product Development
6.2 Linkage between Product Design and Manufacturing System
6.2.1 Product Design and Manufacturing System
6.2.2 Product Portfolio and Manufacturing System
7. Axiomatic Design for Integrating the Design
7.1 A New Corporate System
7.2 Characteristics of Axiomatic Design within Corporate and Organizational Design
7.2.1 Axiomatic Design and Corporate Strategy
7.2.2 Axiomatic Design and the Control of Systems
7.3 Additional Aspect beyond Axiomatic Design
7.4 The Mapping and the Decomposition of the Manufacturing System Design
7.4.1 The Customer Domain
7.4.2 The Functional and Physical Domain
7.4.2.1 High level decomposition – level 1 to level 2
7.4.2.2 Mid-level decomposition – level 2 to level 3
7.4.2.3 Low level decomposition – level 3 to level 6 of the quality branch
7.5 The Mapping and the Decomposition of the Product Development System
7.5.1 Underlying Causalities
7.5.2 Customer Domain
7.5.3 Functional and Physical Domain
7.5.3.1 High level decomposition – from level 0 to level 2
7.5.3.2 Mid-level decomposition – from level 2 to level 4
7.5.3.3 Low-level decomposition – from level 4 to level 7
8. Summary
9. Zusammenfassung
10. Conclusions
11. Bibliography
Research Objectives and Themes
The thesis aims to bridge the gap between product design and manufacturing system design by establishing a systematic methodology for their integration. It argues that the design of a manufacturing system should be aligned with the characteristics of the product being produced rather than being treated as a static constraint. Using Axiomatic Design, the work seeks to define an integrated framework for the strategic and operational design of both the product development and manufacturing systems.
- Strategic and operational integration of manufacturing and product development systems.
- Application of Axiomatic Design as a methodology for complex system design.
- Analysis of product architecture, product platforms, and their impact on manufacturing system design.
- Development of a corporate system decomposition that aligns marketing, product development, and manufacturing.
- Management of uncertainty and information flow within product development environments.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1.1 PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AS AN INFORMATION PROCESSING ACTIVITY
Although a manufacturing system deals with processing information, for instance by applying assembly information to build a product out of several components, its transformation process relies mainly on changes in the physical nature of the system elements.
However, the essential activity on which product development is based is the transformation of input information into output information by using the knowledge, skills and gained experience of the designers in a process as illustrated in figure 14. Nevertheless are physical processes, e.g., building a prototype or a mock-up, part of the product development, but serve merely as a supplementary activity to the information process.
Using this model, the overall task of product development is a process in which it "...transforms data on market opportunities and technical possibilities into information assets for commercial production. During the development process, these information assets are created, screened, stored, combined, decomposed, and transferred among various media, including human brains, paper, computer memory, software, and physical materials." [Clark/Fujimoto 1991]
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the motivation for analyzing the linkage between product design and manufacturing and states the thesis objective to develop an integrated methodology using Axiomatic Design.
2. The Production and Manufacturing System: Defines the fundamental nature of production systems using systems theory and introduces Lean Production as a best-practice model for system design.
3. Characteristics of Product Development: Describes the product development process as an information-transforming system and explores how integration mechanisms and product architecture influence performance.
4. An Introduction to Axiomatic Design to Design Complex Systems: Presents the design principles, axioms, and mapping techniques of Axiomatic Design that serve as the analytical framework for the thesis.
5. A Methodology to Integrate the Strategy: Establishes a hierarchical strategic framework to align corporate, business, and functional strategies, specifically focusing on manufacturing and product development decision areas.
6. Similarities and Interactions between Product Design, Product Development and Manufacturing: Compares the two systems and outlines the correlation between design variables, helping to synthesize an integrated approach.
7. Axiomatic Design for Integrating the Design: Applies the developed methodology to restructure and decompose the corporate model, detailing the functional and physical requirements for both systems.
8. Summary: Recaps the main findings regarding the integration of product development and manufacturing design.
9. Zusammenfassung: A German language summary of the thesis's main research findings and methodology.
10. Conclusions: Final assessment of the corporate system framework and suggestions for further research in the field.
11. Bibliography: A comprehensive list of academic literature and research papers utilized throughout the study.
Keywords
Product Design, Product Development, Manufacturing Systems, Axiomatic Design, System Design, Integration, Lean Production, Strategic Alignment, Product Architecture, Product Platforms, Information Processing, System Hierarchy, Operational Effectiveness, Competitive Advantage, Organizational Design
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this thesis?
The thesis focuses on analyzing and integrating the design of manufacturing systems with the process of product development, treating them as interdependent parts of a unified corporate system.
Which theoretical framework is applied to design these systems?
The author uses Axiomatic Design, a sophisticated design methodology based on fundamental design axioms, to structure the integration and decomposition of both manufacturing and product development systems.
What is the primary objective of this research?
The primary goal is to develop a systematic methodology that links product design characteristics with manufacturing system requirements to improve overall company performance and market responsiveness.
How is the relationship between manufacturing and product development characterized?
The thesis characterizes both as information-transforming systems that require a high degree of internal and external integration to manage uncertainty and achieve competitive advantage.
What are the key themes treated in the main body?
Key themes include system theory applied to manufacturing, the principles of Lean Production, the information-processing nature of product development, strategic decision areas, and the mapping of product requirements onto manufacturing variables.
What defines the research methodology?
The methodology combines systems engineering principles with Axiomatic Design to map functional requirements to design parameters, ensuring the independence and efficiency of the resulting corporate systems.
How does this work handle product variety and platforms?
The author discusses product architecture and platform strategies as critical factors that allow companies to increase product variety while maintaining manufacturing efficiency and low development costs.
What is the significance of the "Information Axiom" in this context?
The Information Axiom is used to quantify design complexity, guiding the system designer toward the simplest possible system that fulfills all required functional requirements with the highest probability of success.
- Citar trabajo
- Richard Lenz (Autor), 1999, The Impact of Product Design and Product Development on the Production System Design, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/185322
