System Design Optimization for Product Manufacturing

The current ultra-competitive manufacturing arena demands that a multitude of factors be considered during product design and manufacturing, in addition to core concerns such as product performances, product qualities, and manufacturing costs. Safety aspects, environmental impact, recycling issues, and the satisfaction of product consumers and users must all be addressed for a product design to be successful. Optimum system technologies that can concurrently consider a broad range of factors pertaining to product manufacturing, and streamline decision-making for product design and manufacturing are required. This article describes a total system design optimization method that assists decision-making across the entire spectrum of product manufacturing processes, from the conceptual design stage to final product realization. System design optimizations for advanced product manufacturing are discussed, starting from historical changes in manufacturing methodology paradigms and product manufacturing criteria, and the roles of concurrent engineering and collaboration concepts are then clarified as technological concepts that form the basis for innovative product manufacturing from the standpoint of system optimization. Next, aspects of people's involvement in product manufacturing are classified and technologies that support product manufacturing are summarized from the standpoint of providing sophisticated decision-making assistance to design and manufacturing personnel. Finally, based on the foregoing discussions, new methods for optimal decision-making technologies are proposed, with the aim of facilitating effective decision-making during the task of designing sophisticated products for manufacture.