| In the last 20 years, manufacturing industry has found that over-specialisation
of particular functions leads to significant problems. Primarily these
problems tend to result from the separation of design, engineering and
production functions, and the consequent inability of these functions to
communicate effectively. This situation results in the lengthening of development
times on projects and, significantly, costs rising dramatically. In order
to resolve these problems, manufacturers have introduced new methods of
working and organisational structures which facilitate an integrated approach
to design, development and production. These techniques have resulted in
a myriad of acronyms, but one of the foremost approaches is that of Concurrent
Engineering (CE). This relatively new philosophy of design and manufacture
has sought to re-introduce the flexibility and adaptability of the craftsman
on a macro-scale, using multi-disciplinary teams, organised by process
rather than function, to continuously consider all factors involved in
production. This multi-disciplinary approach creates a truly integrated
product of the craftsman whilst simultaneously retaining economy of scale
needed for profitable manufacturing. Such increased ‘responsiveness’ to
customer demand - ‘agility’ in manufacturing parlance - has now become
a watchword amongst world class manufacturers, and is gaining in importance
all the time. |
