Current Issues in Design - Survey 1995/6

REVIEW MEETING

SUMMARY NOTES

Notes on Discussion meeting held at IMechE London 20 Feb 1996

Those present

• S.J.Culley Chairman, School of Mech. Eng., University of Bath
• Dr. G.W.Owen School of Mech. Eng., University of Bath
• Helen Tubbs IMechE
• Ken Dangerfield Design Consultant
• John Simms MOD, Director of Marine Engineering
• Eric Goodwin Designer in Industry
• John Cullen IEE Manufacturing processes
• Michael Glyn Ex DH, runs a breathing equipment manufacturing company
• Bob Young Loughborough University
• Malcom Hind Associate director, ERA Technology
• Trevor Broughton Warwick University
• Richard Woods Director, Spirax Sarco, C'nham - Mech/Electro-mech design
• Ken Poulter DTI Manufacturing best practice and technology transfer

The following are a selection of comments made during the meeting. They are both general and specific to the report

There is a need to think about the process not the organisation. Think not about how the company should be structured but about how the design process should happen and then individuals and teams should then think in terms of a contribution towards the design process.

Training should not just be about the enhancement of an individuals career. It should be viewed as a way by which the process can be improved.

Design Council is funding two projects on design auditing, so is the Royal Society.

Is there something to learn on auditing from competitive benchmarking that has been done in the manufacturing area?

The following comments were made around the table at the end:

KD Interdepartmental problems are the key. Team locations with empowerment. We should look at the improvements in performance of companies who have already done this

JS Lack of recognition around the table of the need for the service engineer to feedback to the design engineer

Design is now too difficult for one person to do.

Need to support team approach

EG How do you get over the conflict between departments even when they are co-located? Need to look at the links and information flow between departments

JC Attitude survey need to look again at the conclusions and further work required on the soft data

Perception problem

BY Concurrent engineering - lots in the results of the survey showing its not working

OP/CQ view of constraints - there is a contrast

CQ views there is a lot of potential

OQ think they know it all

MH British companies do not have engineers leading marketing

More consideration of through life costing (Lease hire on increase BR rolling stock)

Not enough data to reach conclusions on the soft data

How do you put engineering in the design process

TB Need steps need to be getting integrated design process efficient and then selecting the appropriate IT system to support this.

Need extension of KBE to incremental design

What happens in 10 years if you still have teams. You still need a core specialisation function for the generation of new ideas/products/services

RW Agrees most points

Training needed at all levels (board room too)

KP Interesting levels of co-location, hoping to use as the cure.

Written comments have also been received, with much appreciation, from:

• T. Broughton
• Dr. M.A. Hind
• Dr.R. Woods
• J.E. Simms
• Dr. P. Leaney
• Prof. K.K.Schwartz

Produced by Dr G W Owen, G.W.Owen@Bath.ac.uk, Last update 9th July 1996