ABSTRACT
The technique of design-to-cost goes back a long way and, if not a formalised method, was endemic to some industries from their earliest days. It appeared in the products of the volume car makers during the intense sales battles that took place in the lean interwar years. Design-to-cost is not solely a design activity but should be thought of as a management concept that permeates the whole development process. It has evolved as a technique, distinct from design-to-cost, that aims not only to generate items of low cost but, more importantly, of high value for the price that is paid. Value engineering is a solution to this and it now finds a place in the development and production strategies of many companies. Value engineering provides a systemised method for establishing the design that gives the best value for any product. Value engineering challenges fundamental precepts of design and production and seeks improvements.
