An Industrial Case Study of Design Methodology and Decision Making for Automotive Electronics

Automotive Electronics ◽

Industrial Case Study ◽

Development Teams ◽

Decision Methods ◽

The growth rate of R&D activities in automotive industry brings an increased need for transfer of design knowledge. This, in combination with growing complexity of the product puts new demands on the decision process. In this paper, decision methods used within the R&D department of an international vehicle manufacturer has been investigated through interviews and surveys. The main focus has been to identify and analyze methods used by the individual roles within different development teams. The survey reveals that a majority of the respondents use unstructured methods for resolving decision issues. When respondents were asked about their preferences there was an expressed need for more structured methods. Among these, two methods are elaborated that are well established within the product development process: expert support and guidelines, but also on methods training in general. A third conclusion is to redirect the current decision process to build on more structured methods through training. This work has contributed also by identifying the company best practice. The long term goal is to have all development teams adopt one common development process at the team level.

Manufacturing Documentation for the High-Variety Products

Management and Production Engineering Review ◽

10.2478/mper-2014-0027 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 53-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Janusz Mleczko ◽

L'uboslav Dulina

Keyword(s):

Mass Customization ◽

Manufacturing Systems ◽

Best Practice ◽

Development Process ◽

Current Availability ◽

Paper Form ◽

Modern Manufacturing ◽

Labor Resources ◽

Abstract In the last years researches in engineering have moved towards customer-oriented manufacturing. The individual customer’s requirements are very important for the company’s activities. It results in high-variety production. High-variety production like mass customization is facing the challenge of effective variety management. Applying methods of mass customization to the empirical process can improve the efficiency of product development process and reduce time and cost. The manufacturing process requires documentation of the production. Very often, the documentation process and the time of its formation is limited. One possible way to solve this problem is to automatically create documentation in electronic form. Then, without having to print, distribute them directly to the panel of the machine. In the process of creating manufacturing documentation, this method takes into account alternative manufacturing processes and the current availability of labor resources The article is an attempt at the analysis of the modern manufacturing systems and answering the question, how it is possible to produce without having documentation in paper form. The presented solution is used for the high-variety products manufactured in the SMEs. The method was validated in the conditions of best practice high-variety production.

Entscheidungsfindung für einen internationalen Freiwilligendienst – Welche Rolle spielen soziale Herkunft und Bildungsverlauf der Freiwilligen?

International Dialogues on Education Journal ◽

10.53308/ide.v4i3.93 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Henrike Genzel ◽

Anja Franz

Keyword(s):

Decision Process ◽

Educational Background ◽

Structural Barriers ◽

Soziale Herkunft ◽

Voluntary Service ◽

The People ◽

The Individual ◽

Rational Choice Theories ◽

International Voluntary Service

Henrike Genzel & Anja Franz: Decision Making for a Long Term International Voluntary Service – Which Role Do Social and Educational Background Play?): The article attempts to reveal differences in the decision process for a long term international voluntary service. Those differences are analyzed with regards to the social, as well as the educational background, of the people making the decisions. The findings are discussed in view of rational choice theories based on Boudon (1974). Guided interviews with future or former “traditional” and “non-traditional” volunteers from the organization “Aktion Sühnezeichen e.V.” are used as data basis. The results show that the motivation, as well as the decision process, are influenced by the individual access to voluntary services. “Non-traditional” volunteers often structure their decisions based on occasions whereas the “traditional” volunteer’s decision are mostly shaped by rational arguments. Financial costs and an inflexible flow of information are identified as structural barriers.

Toward the development of new product ideas: asymmetric effects of team cohesion on new product ideation

Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing ◽

10.1108/jbim-02-2014-0042 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 30 (7) ◽

pp. 855-866 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Tanawat Hirunyawipada ◽

Audhesh K. Paswan ◽

Charles Blankson

Keyword(s):

Product Development ◽

New Product Development ◽

Development Process ◽

New Product ◽

Content Type ◽

Team Members ◽

Development Teams ◽

Task Cohesion ◽

Relational Aspect

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate asymmetric effects of team cohesion and team members’ relational qualification on the creativity of new product ideas. Design/methodology/approach – Structural equation modeling was conducted on survey data collected from 195 new product development practitioners in various US high-technology industries. Findings – The study suggests that creative and potentially successful product ideas include three dimensions – usefulness for customers, and novelty for customers and usefulness for the firms (i.e. enhancement efficiency and effectiveness of companies’ new product development process). By focusing on a relational aspect of new product development teams, the study shows that team task cohesion mediates the relationship between the antecedents (team members’ organizational commitment and social competency) and the three outcome dimensions of a successful product idea (novelty, usefulness to customers and usefulness to the firm). The team members’ interpersonal relationship has no positive association with task cohesion and the desirable qualifications of product ideas. Research limitations/implications – An ideation team’s socially competent members who identify with their organization are likely to be attracted to a given task. This task cohesion, in turn, enhances the creativeness of the development of product ideas. Practical implications – To generate fruitful product ideas using a team approach, companies should make sure that their new product ideation teams achieve a sense of mutual commitment to the given ideation tasks, develop a feeling of belongingness and ownership toward the firms and include members who have good social and interpersonal skills. However, the possession of strong social cohesion is not essential for the teams. Originality/value – This study provides novel insights concerning the relational aspect of product development teams assigned to the initiation phase (front end) of a new product development process.

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part D Journal of Automobile Engineering ◽

Virtual powertrain development

10.1177/0954407020936797 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 234 (14) ◽

pp. 3288-3301 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Peter Fietkau ◽

Bruno Kistner ◽

Jérôme Munier

Keyword(s):

Electric Motor ◽

Development Process ◽

Individual Component ◽

Design Parameters ◽

Structural Components ◽

Development Environment ◽

Load Spectra ◽

Digital World ◽

This article presents the new system of virtual powertrain development introduced at Porsche AG that incorporates all phases of the development process, as well as all components and simulation disciplines. The system enables a powertrain in its entirety to be designed and tested virtually. Most activities can be planned and budgeted at the beginning of the project, and interactions that occur are systematically taken into consideration. The hardware-driven development process used until now is completely transmitted to the digital world. Powertrain development is divided into thirteen digital powertrain systems (DPSs), which contain different components and disciplines and are developed throughout the entire product development process. For each DPS, tasks, links, time schedules, reporting scopes, and responsibilities are precisely defined. Finally, a digital vehicle prototype is built from several DPSs. The results are aggregated in several stages, ensuring that core statements are consistently incorporated at all assessment levels, from the individual component to the overall vehicle. Furthermore, this article discusses in detail DPSs that are especially important for battery electric vehicles. For most of the examples, the powertrain of the Porsche Taycan is used. The Driving Performance and Load Spectra DPS provide the necessary design parameters for a new drive system. In the Electric Motor DPS, active parts of the electric motor are designed and all structural components are verified. In the Transmission DPS, all gear set parts are designed and verified. In the Cooling, Lubrication and Actuation DPS, all temperatures are calculated and the lubrication circuit is designed. The Powertrain Dynamics DPS provides information on powertrain vibrations. The article closes with a look at future development trends. The aim is not just to design and verify components but also to completely virtualize function and software development. Therefore, this article presents a system for creating and using a virtual development environment and tracking the results.

Design-driven innovation: exploring enablers and barriers

European Business Review ◽

10.1108/ebr-07-2018-0122 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 31 (5) ◽

pp. 721-743

Author(s):

Heleen De Goey ◽

Per Hilletofth ◽

David Eriksson

Keyword(s):

Product Development ◽

Development Process ◽

Content Type ◽

Internal And External Factors ◽

Changes Over Time ◽

A Company ◽

Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to explore the enablers and barriers to design-driven innovation, defined as the innovation of product meanings, in the product-development process. Previous research provides some insights into what enables and hinders design-driven innovation; however a detailed understanding of these factors is missing. Design/methodology/approach A long-term case study was conducted at a furniture company between 2009 and 2016. Interviews were conducted with respondents within the company, as well as with partners such as retailers and designers. Findings This paper presents an overview of the identified enablers and barriers. The results demonstrate that enablers and barriers occur in all phases of the product-development process. Second, the connections between enablers and barriers are presented. These are found both within and across different phases, and extend beyond the company’s influence. Research limitations/implications This study demonstrates how the innovation of product meanings is influenced throughout all phases of the product-development process. Therefore, there is a need to go beyond the mere identification of enablers and barriers. More is gained from generating a thorough understanding of the causes and connections of these factors, including the changes over time. Practical implications This study demonstrates the need for companies to be able to map what enables and hinders design-driven innovation in their product-development process, where a distinction needs to be made between internal and external factors, to enhance value creation. Originality/value This study presents a rare long-term case study on design-driven innovation. This study provides new knowledge on the enablers and barriers a company faces while adapting its product-development process to accommodate design-driven innovation.

Relationship and dependencies between factors affecting new product development process: an industrial case study

Procedia CIRP ◽

10.1016/j.procir.2021.05.086 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 100 ◽

pp. 367-372

Author(s):

Afifa Rahatulain ◽

Tahir Naseer Qureshi ◽

Antonio Maffei ◽

Mauro Onori

Keyword(s):

Product Development ◽

New Product Development ◽

Development Process ◽

New Product ◽

Industrial Case Study ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

New Product Development Process

Volume 4: 20th International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology; Second International Conference on Micro- and Nanosystems ◽

Design Team Framing: Paths and Principles

10.1115/detc2008-49383 ◽

2008 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jonathan Hey ◽

Jonathan Yu ◽

Alice M. Agogino

Keyword(s):

Product Development ◽

New Product Development ◽

Development Process ◽

New Product ◽

Two Dimensions ◽

Design Team ◽

New Product Development Teams ◽

Development Teams ◽

Product Development Teams

This paper addresses two major challenges new product development teams face in making a product people want. The first challenge is to frame the design situation based on a real need of a customer. The second challenge is to get everyone on the team in agreement about what that framing is — everyone needs to be on the same page about what it is they’re doing. Yet these two challenges are not independent, they are intertwined with each other, connected by the concrete research and sharing activities the teams perform. We introduce a framework to help understand the path of a design team along these two dimensions as well as illustrations of the three most common paths observed among graduate multidisciplinary new product development teams as supported by interviews and survey data. These case studies form the basis of four themes to help teams navigate the new product development process.

Proceedings of the Design Society: International Conference on Engineering Design ◽

An Innovative Framework for Managing the Customization of Tailor-made Shoes

10.1017/dsi.2019.389 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 3821-3830

Author(s):

Marco Marconi ◽

Alessandra Papetti ◽

Martina Scafà ◽

Marta Rossi ◽

Michele Germani

Keyword(s):

Product Development ◽

Information Exchange ◽

Development Process ◽

Production Costs ◽

Time To Market ◽

Industrial Sectors ◽

Design And Manufacturing ◽

Product Customization ◽

AbstractProduct customization aims to consider individual customers preferences in the design of new products, in order to directly involve them in the product development process and to maximize their satisfaction. It can be considered a key competitive factor and a “hot topic” in several industrial sectors, including luxury apparel goods and high-end footwear products. However, currently the design and manufacturing of customized shoes are carried out through artisanal and non-standardized processes, based on the individual expertise of operators.The objective of this study is to define an innovative framework to support the different processes affected by customization. This framework is enabled by different digital technologies, as CAD-based tools, virtual/augmented reality systems, etc., opportunely integrated in the product development process. The main benefits related to the framework implementation in real industrial contexts are an increase of flexibility, the repeatability of processes, a higher efficiency in information exchange, a more effective involvement of final customers, and, as a consequence, the reduction of time to market and production costs for tailor-made shoes.

TOWARDS AGILE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT – AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON AN E-BIKE DRIVE

Proceedings of the Design Society ◽

10.1017/pds.2021.582 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 3209-3218

Author(s):

Damijan Zorko ◽

Borut Černe ◽

Jože Tavčar ◽

Ivan Demšar

Keyword(s):

Empirical Study ◽

Product Development ◽

Critical Review ◽

Development Process ◽

Development Phase ◽

Development Teams ◽

Design Requirements

AbstractToday's rapidly evolving and changing market dictates constant changes in design requirements during the development process of a product. If development teams are unable or unwilling to adapt to these changes, this will ultimately lead to an uncompetitive product. How the change in requirements will affect the development process depends on the complexity of the product and the development phase in which the change in requirements occurs. The principles of Agility and the methods that follow these principles help in the successful introduction of changes in the product development process. The paper provides guidelines for the development of complex physical products taking into account the principles of Agility. The guidelines were set based on a critical review of the e-bike drive development process.