ABSTRACT
Concurrent engineering is currently being applied to a broad range of industrial manufacturing environments, e.g. a conceptually static product environment, where the manufacturing plant is already in place, or a fully dynamic product environment, where the manufacturing or process system required cannot be specified until the product characteristics emerge, Pugh (1990). Whilst the principles of concurrent engineering have existed for many years, the present drive towards integration of the design and manufacture of related processes ensures that all product elements are given suitable consideration. The entire product life cycle must therefore be closely examined. Traditional ‘over the wall’ design currently found in many industrial companies greatly restricts the interactive design process causing an increase in the associated design time, overall cost and possibly a reduction in final product quality, Wilson and
Greaves (1989). By employing concurrent engineering, interaction between design, manufacture, purchasing and sales during the actual design stage ensures the derivation of a cost effective solution.
