TY  - JOUR
AB  - The research reported here derives from a recently completed
questionnaire survey of the UK mechanical engineering industry and a
series of follow‐up case studies. The case studies investigated the
product design strategies adopted by firms for achieving competitive
edge. It was found that companies were consolidating their product
ranges and increasing the use of bought‐out components. There had thus
been a shift from internal manufacturing (hierarchy) to bought‐out
manufacturing (market). This was complemented by the changes, over the
last few years, in the production system. That is, the adoption of
manufacturing, or FMS, cells. Here, companies were feeding more
components through these machining cells rather than using other, more
expensive, manufacturing techniques, such as die casting. Thus, product
design has had to match these changes in manufacturing strategy.
Increased competition from Japan had also led companies to reduce lead
times on product introduction. The research identifies the product
design strategies the firms had adopted to achieve competitive edge.
These were the better management of the product design process through
project teams or project management. The use of design reviews for
tailoring designs for efficient manufacture and early consideration of
manufacturability. The full utilization of prototypes to eliminate
production difficulties. These management factors and the ability to use
CAD/CAM‐FMS technology enabled the companies to maintain competitive
edge.
VL  - 3
IS  - 2
SN  - 0957-6061
DO  - 10.1108/09576069210011715
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/09576069210011715
AU  - Riedel Johann C.K.H.
AU  - Lewis Jacqueline
AU  - Pawar Kulwant
PY  - 1992
Y1  - 1992/01/01
TI  - Make or Buy: The Strategic Product Design Choice
T2  - Integrated Manufacturing Systems
PB  - MCB UP Ltd
SP  - 9
EP  - 14
Y2  - 2024/04/19
ER  -