Integrated product and production service systems development

Question 1

What are the enablers for Integrated product and production service systems
development?

Answer 1

1. Modes of interaction
2. Sets of Alternative solutions
3. Modularity

Question 2

What are the four modes of interaction?

Answer 2

The first mode: the serial mode of interaction. In this classic relationship, the
downstream group waits to begin its work until the upstream group has completely
finished its design. The completed design is transmitted to the downstream group in
a one shot transmission of information. This one way “batch” style of communication
may not convey all of the important nuances and background to the final design, nor
does it necessarily comprehend the strengths and opportunities afforded by the downstream group. In that sense, the problem solving that lies behind the design of the procluct and that will produce the design of the mold is not integrated.

The second mode- “early start in the dark”-links the upstream and downstream groups in time but continues to employ a batch style of communication. This mode of interaction often occurs when the downstream group faces a deadline it feels cannot be met without an early start on the project. But the upstream group communicates
only at the end of its work, so the downstream group may be surprised by the design and experience a period of confusion as it tries to adjust its work to the upstream design. Although the net result may be some reduction in overall lead time, the extent of the surprise and confusion can often be sufficient to actually make the process longer than in mode one.

The third mode-what we call the “early involvement mode”-begins to move toward
real integration. In this mode, the upstream and downstream players engage in an
interactive pattern of communication. The upstream group, however, is still involved in the design of the part well before the downstream group begins its work. Thus,
while the downstream group develops insight about the emerging design and participates through feedback and interaction in the design process, it waits until the design is complete before undertaking problem solving in its own domain. The pattern of communication we envision here not only occurs earlier than it does in modes one and two but involves two-way communication of preliminary information.

The last mode- “integrated problem solving”-links the upstream and downstream
groups in time and in the pattern of communication. In this mode, down- * stream
engineers not only participate in a preliminary and ongoing dialogue with their upstream counterparts, but use that information ahd insight to get a flying start on
their own work. This changes the content of the downstream work in the early
phases of upstream design, and is also likely to change fundamentally the content of communication between the two groups. Whereas in mode three the content of feedback from downstream engineers must rely on past practice, theoretical
knowledge, and engineering judgment, under integrated problem solving that
feedback will also reflect actual practice in attempting to implement the upstream
design.

Question 3

How do we evaluate the sets of possible solutions?

Answer 3

Sobek (1997) defines SBCE as when engineers and product designers ‘reason, develop and communicate about sets of solutions in parallel and relatively independent’.
The definition can be well understood
through its three basic principles (Sobek et al., 1999): (1) ‘Map the design space’, or the principle of exploration,
which aims to achieve a thorough understanding
of the sets of design possibilities for the subsystems; (2)
‘Integrate by intersection’, or the principle of set-based
communication, which ensures that subsystem solutions defined are workable/compatible with all functional
groups involved and (3) ‘Establish feasibility
before commitment’, or the principle of convergence,
that allows the aggressive elimination of inferior design
solutions from sets and guarantees the arrival of high value system solutions.
Another benefit of SBCE is that the design teams can learn even from the designs that are disregarded.
This creates a knowledge base for future projects.