The Volvo Robust Engineering System: how to make robust design work in an industrial context

The Volvo Robust Engineering System (VRES) is an adaptation of the robust design concept in an industrial context. It consists of five different principles as a basic value system, and eight practices that contribute to the implementation of system, parameter and tolerance design. VRES was developed through a learning alliance between Volvo and Chalmers University of Technology. This paper presents VRES and discusses it in relation to the literature-based robust design methodology, which has been a major inspiration for VRES development. VRES has expanded and validated the concepts previously developed in the literature by adding the elements needed for practical application.

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