Abstract

A Conceptual Framework and Enabling Technologies for Computer-aided Concurrent Engineering (CACE)

Madni, A.M.

Abstract

In today's competitive industrial environment, a major priority is the development of new and novel approaches for dramatically reducing product development times while improving overall product quality. The concept that has become pivotal to achieving these objectives is concurrent engineering (CE). CE offers several advantages over traditional sequential engineering including shorter product development times, superior product quality, dramatically higher acceptance, lower cost, and higher assurance of meeting time-to-market requirement. CE calls for early and regular collaboration among engineering, manufacturing, management and support personnel during the product planning and design processes. This paper provides a conceptual framework and process for CE and discusses four key components that can promote and naturally enforce the principles and practices of CE. These include: a collaborative design environment, "executable" process models that reflect the different perspectives and constraints of design, manufacturing, management and support activities; a formal approach to human-machine integration, and computer-aided concurrent engineering tools for facilitating for practice and methods of CE.

From:

Madni, A.M., Plenary address and Invited Paper, Second International Conference on Human Aspects of Advanced Manufacturing and Hybrid Automation, Honolulu, Hawaii, August 12-16, 1990.