The PowerPoint that describes holistically about the concurrency in industry and also the relationship between Concurrent Engineering and Sustainability. The aim of the PPT is to impart knowledge regarding CE.

1. Concurrent Engineering in
Industry
Done By:
Prashanth Selvam A,
16PW27
M.Sc. Software Systems

2. 2
Concurrent Engineering
 How would you define concurrent
engineering (CE)?
 Definition: “Integrated approach to product-
design that takes into account all stages of a
product’s life cycle from design to disposal –
including costs, quality, testing, user needs,
customer support, and logistics”.

3. 3
CE Illustration
Manufacturing lifecycle

4. Elements in CE
1. Cross-functional teams
“Cross-functional teams include people from
different area of the workplace that are all involved
in a particular process, including manufacturing,
hardware and software design, marketing, and so
forth.”
4

5. Elements in CE – Contd.
2. Concurrent product realization
“Doing several things at once, such as
designing various subsystems simultaneously,
is critical to reducing design time and is at the
heart of concurrent engineering.”
5

6. Elements in CE – Contd.
3. Incremental information sharing
“Incremental information sharing helps minimize the
chance that concurrent product realization will lead to
surprises. "Incremental" meaning that as soon as new
information becomes available, it is shared and
integrated into the design. Cross-functional teams are
important to the effective sharing of information in a
timely fashion.”6

7. Elements in CE – Contd.
4. Integrated project management
“Integrated project management ensures that
someone is responsible for the entire project,
and that responsibility is not handed-off once
one aspect of the work is done.”
7

8. 8
Sustainability Defined
 What is sustainability?
 What makes something sustainable?
 Definition: “Ability to maintain or support an
activity or process over the long term”

9. 9
Questions to Consider
 How can they be related?
 What makes them related?
 Why is there a need for either concept?
 Is the relationship mutually beneficial or
mutually exclusive?
– Why or why not?

10. 10
CE vs. Sustainability
Concurrent Engineering
Product & Process
Long-term Goals
Resources
Others?
Sustainability
Social & Economic
Constraints
Long-term Success
Manage Limited Resources
Others?

11. 11
Why Engineers Care
 We are working in an expanding world with
finite resources
 One approach = Innovation + Conservation
(Simultaneously, in parallel)
 Engineers are the ones who influence the
utilization of resources with process design,
therefore we are also the professionals
others look for solutions
– CE helps to accomplish these goals

12. 12
The Need for CE & Sustainability
 Environments are constantly changing
 Actions must be quick, effective, and responsible
 Things must be done correctly the first time
 Reduce reaction time and act
 “To be competitive, corporations must alter their
product and process development cycle to be able to
complete diverse tasks concurrently”
 Continuous improvement is always needed

13. 13
The CE Approach
 Focuses on optimizing and distributing
resources within a company or unit during
design and development
 Collaboration is required
 Involves implementation, appraisal, and
continuous improvement initiatives
 Must be applied throughout a system to be
successful (requires strong leadership)

14. 14
How to Apply the CE Approach
 Commitment, Planning, and Leadership
– Requires strong top-down leadership to
mandate organizational changes successfully
 Continuous Improvement
– CE is a process of objectives and goals with a
variety of implementation strategies, so
continuous improvement is needed
 Communication & Collaboration

15. 15
Why Use CE Principles
 Competitive Advantage
– Helps any size company (small or large)
 Increased Performance
– Improves quality, development cycle, delivery
time…etc
 Reduced design and production
(development) costs
– Respond better to customer’s expectations at
lower costs

16. 16
Examples of Sustainability & CE
 Minimizing environmental damage to provide
sufficient food, water, shelter, and mobility for
an increasing world population
 “Designing products and processes so that
wastes from one are used as inputs to
another”
 Including environmental and social
constraints with economic considerations to
make decisions

17. 17
Review of CE Principles
 Get a strong commitment from senior management.
 Establish unified project goals and a clear business mission.
 Develop a detailed plan early in the process.
 Continually review your progress and revise your plan.
 Develop project leaders that have an overall vision of the project and
goals.
 Analyze your market and know your customers.
 Suppress individualism and foster a team concept.
 Establish and cultivate cross-functional integration and collaboration.
 Transfer technology between individuals and departments.
 Break project into its natural phases.
 Develop metrics.
 Set milestones throughout the development process.
 Collectively work on all parts of project.
 Reduce costs and time to market.
 Complete tasks in parallel.

18. 18
References
 Dawson, R., & Tao, S. (2002, January). Concurrency: a system design approach to
environmental management and sustainability. Journal of Environmental Sciences (IOS
Press), 14(1), 63. Retrieved January 28, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.
 Concurrent engineering / Manufacturing lifecycle illustration:
http://www.similesystems.com.au/Manufacturing/ManufacturingLifeCycle.htm
 http://best.me.berkeley.edu/~pps/pps/concurrent.html
– Used for structure and info on several slides
 NASA definition: http://www.ansoft.com/workshops/aeroee/NASA_Ray_Beach.pdf
 http://www.csengin.org/

19. Thank You!
19