Allchurch, M. J. (1998) Development of a manufacturing engineering system for the motor industry : executive summary. EngD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

Manufacturing Engineering is concerned with converting a product specification
into the most appropriate method of manufacture to produce the product to the
correct cost and quality. Lack of integration and 'over the wall' engineering
between design and manufacturing engineering adds to the time and cost of
product development, and has significant effects on the subsequent cost and quality
of the product. Because of the size and complexity of manufacturing engineering
within the motor industry, the task is often divided between disparate, isolated,
departments that traditionally have their own goals and objectives, supported by
different business processes and systems. The adverse effects of the lack of
integration between design and manufacturing engineering re-emerge within
manufacturing engineering itself.
As a part of this research, the author analysed the existing information flows
through manufacturing engineering within Rover Group, and showed that the
business processes and systems generated a high duplication of effort and data, and
reinforced functional demarcation between the departments. The new Rover
Integrated Manufacturing Engineering System (RIMES) has been developed to
address these issues. RIMES has been developed using TQM techniques and
evolutionary delivery, new to Rover, to involve the manufacturing engineering
customer in all aspects of business analysis and system development. The resultant
system deliverables have therefore more closely met the customer requirements
and have consequently been implemented with greater customer support. The
subsequent changes to manufacturing engineering culture have been promoted
from within manufacturing engineering, with the RIMES system acting as a lever
for the change.
The research has been primarily concerned with the analysis and development of
appropriate solutions in three main areas: integration of design and manufacturing
engineering, change control procedures to maintain data integrity, and business
processes to improve efficiency of manufacturing engineering and the quality of its
output. These are all issues that are important for supporting concurrent
engineering but were found not to have been adequately addressed, either in the
research literature or in commercial systems, for applications involving large,
complex products.
The new system provides support for the electronic integration of design and
manufacturing engineering information, which is based on a technique developed
that combines data 'push' and 'pull' principles, and enables the efficient
communication of product specification to manufacturing engineering. It provides
a single system and repository of manufacturing engineering knowledge, a common
fundamental business process, and a common and consistent way of presenting
manufacturing engineering information and reports. Concurrent engineering is
promoted through early availability of information for downstream processes and
strict change control procedures have been developed to maintain data integrity.
The previously disparate departments of process engineering and industrial
engineering are now working concurrently from the same data which has improved
the accuracy, consistency and understanding of information both internally and in
external reporting. The time to market has been reduced because product
specification information is provided earlier and simultaneously to all
manufacturing engineering functions. The manufacturing engineering process and
its output have been redesigned. New working methods introduced through the
RIMES system have promoted reorganisation and the elimination of demarcation
within manufacturing engineering to further facilitate concurrent engineering.
Newly designed multi media forms for communication of process information to
manufacturing, developed in consultation with the RIMES user community, has
promoted team working on the shop-floor.

Item Type:	Thesis (EngD)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Industrial engineering -- Computer programs, Motor vehicle industry -- Computer programs, Rover Group (Firm), Reengineering (Management)
Official Date:	October 1998
Dates:	Date Event October 1998 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	School of Engineering
Thesis Type:	EngD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Roy, Rajat
Extent:	99 leaves
Language:	eng

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