ABSTRACT
In implementing a concurrent engineering (CE) program, the first requirement is that the lead be taken at board level. Delco Remy found that elimination of physical barriers and the establishment of an environment of minimal bureaucracy were essential in fostering CE. Personnel in the corporation must be made aware of the difference between what they perceive as quality and what the customer perceives. Once a corporation has established a culture for change with the accent on quality and business performance, it will have a base on which to build CE. Product design engineers need to be trained in production processes; the amount of detail will depend on the size of the company. As a small starter project, a company that supplies many different companies should investigate the time taken for orders placed by the customer to find their way through sales to the production schedule.
