Concurrent engineering : what's working where

Concurrent Engineering aims to maximize profitability through the shortening of new product introduction time. But, whilst the overall philosophy may be clear, the precise details of what form of Concurrent Engineering is most appropriate for any given set of circumstances is not so well defined. Specific cases of successful implementation need to be understood within their context to ensure success if repeated elsewhere. This work addresses this issue by developing a framework within which all the influencing pressures acting on a company can be considered. The framework shows how these pressures can be categorized and then related to the elements which come together to form the Concurrent Engineering solution. The core of the text is a series of case studies written by industrialists. In each chapter companies which have employed similar approaches to Concurrent Engineering are compared. The case studies range from multinationals, such as Rolls-Royce, IBM and Marconi, through to smaller enterprises. By reference to these real examples, executives concerned with evaluating or implementing Concurrent Engineering can see how the most appropriate techniques can be selected and introduced into their own compnay.