At its most recent meeting, the Industrial Engineering working group of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Wirtschaftliche Fertigung (AWF) focused on assembly-oriented product design as a relevant economic factor. The focus was on ProKon (production-oriented design), the MTM-based process for analyzing and evaluating design solutions with regard to their suitability for assembly. Roland Stopp, Deutsche MTM-Gesellschaft mbH, explained to the participants the advantages of using MTM in the early phase of the product creation process, i.e. in development and design: “Tracking cost drivers with ProKon is the key”.
Challenges in the assembly line
Using many practical examples, the MTM expert described the challenges on the assembly line and the positive impact of production and assembly-oriented design on productivity in general. The main points:
- Design-related issues & cost drivers:
How do we manage ease of assembly/buildability, cost management, process stability and technology requirements? - Impact on product development and design:
When is what information available and how do we establish a standard process? - Responsibility for assembly-friendly design:
Do we have the expertise to find efficient and practical solutions? - Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement:
How do we transfer knowledge from production back to development to continuously improve our processes?
Bringing planning, design, and production closer together
The members of the Industrial Engineering working group agreed that the early recognition and transparent presentation of deficits not only increases the efficiency of the entire planning process, but also sustainably promotes the interaction between planning, design and production. Here, too, there are many good examples of the practical application of ProKon. One of them is the Mercedes-Benz (now Daimler Truck) plant in Wörth. Read here how ProKon helped to reduce the design-related production time eHPV (engineered hours per vehicle) by identifying production potentials.
Contact:
For further information on the MTM application along the entire product development process and on productivity management with MTM, please contact Ralf L. Jaehnke, Business Unit Manager Consulting, Deutsche MTM-Gesellschaft mbH. E-mail: ralf.jaehnke@mtm.org
Are you interested in joining the AWF’s Industrial Engineering working group? Then contact AWF Managing Director Thomas Schöppler, e-mail: schoeppler@awf.de