Tape/Vol. 7: Concurrent Engineering Strategy (IBM). Principles and Management Problems. World Class Manufacturing Processes

Tape/Vol. 8: Concurrent Engineering and Quality (IBM)

Additional reading on Object Oriented Concurrent (hardware and software) Engineering: as a new development, view the free, electronically published R&D journal, ADAM with IT (Advanced Design And Manufacturing with Information Technology) at this web site, as well as enjoy the hotlinks to other web sites via ADAM's WebCorner; both just a click away...

Topics covered in this program include the following:

• Concurrent Engineering Strategy
• Principles and management problems
• World class manufacturing processes
• The manufacturing enterprise and communication
• Taguchi principles
• The ideal planning model
• CE/SE system specification and comperative analysis methods, tools and examples
• Focus items and results (IBM Havant plant)
• Industrial examples and case studies
• Interactive team and/or individual exercises.

When wieving this program, try to imagine that you are a member of the concurrent engineering team. As you can see, there are several different engineering, manufacturing, total quality, information technology/ computing science, marketing, management and other expertise represented in such teams.

• Characterize IBM's concurrent engineering strategy: What are the fundamental goals and principles? What are the lessons learned for engineering, computing and management?
• Describe the main components/ sub-systems of IBM's concurrent engineering strategy. What objects and communication of objects can you detect?
• Illustrate the manufacturing and communication complexity of a large enterprise such as IBM, including its international operations. How do computer networks and software systems support these efforts? How can the Internet/ intranets and extranets help?
• What are the core drivers behind marketing, design, production and finance?
• What is the ideal planning model and the most important focus items?
• Illustrate some of the quality improvements achieved at IBM due to the introduction of concurrent engineering
• Illustrate some of the cycle-time reduction improvements achieved at IBM due to the introduction of concurrent engineering. What are the implications on design, manufacturing and marketing?
• Compare the Japanese versus the US Engineering change management practices of the 1990s. What are the lessons learned?

(Please note, that this discussion and the IBM case studies are continued in Tape 8).

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Topics presented by by Mr. G. Edgar, Manager, IBM, Havant, UK, covered in this program include the following:

• Concurrent Engineering and Quality (IBM)
• The Japanese quality evolution
• Quality effort by activity; Strategic focus items
• Continuous Flow Manufacture, CIM, and Manufacturing Early Involvement (MEI, meaning the same what we refer to as "concurrent engineering" in this package)
• Quality and People
• Networking and Engineering Data Management issues
• A Manufacturing Early Involvement strategy at IBM Havant
• Opportunity to get-it-right-first-time through synergy
• IBM Havant hard disk manufacture/ assembly plant visit
• Industrial case studies
• Interactive team and/or individual exercises

When wieving this program, try to imagine that you are a member of the concurrent engineering team. As you can see, there are several different engineering, manufacturing, total quality, information technology, marketing and other expertise represented in such teams.

• Management and teaming issues with engineering, design, quality control, manufacturing, IT and other professionals is essential. (How can you assure that teams can and do collaborate on a global basis?)
• Process development is as important as product development, mostly due to cost and quality reasons.
• The key to IBM's success was that process design started to drive product design.
• Designing for infrastructure became a critical part... explain the engineering, computing and management implications in the Internet/ intranet age.
• "Redwing" product assembly and test shopfloor tour in the IBM factory. What are the major assembly/ test processes. How does this flow oriented system work?

Note throughout the interview the engineering terminologies used for object oriented design, and the importance of developing a layered (integrated product and process design) information system architecture in which objects and classes of objects enjoy inheritance and polymorphism. As a computing student explain these object-oriented principles with specific examples of this program as well as your own business (if available).

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