School of Applied Sciences (SAS) (2006-July 2014)

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Open Access
A3 thinking approach to support lean product and process development
(Cranfield University, 2013-03) Mohd Saad, Norhairin; Al-Ashaab, Ahmed; Shehab, Essam
This research project aims to develop a novel A3 thinking approach to support knowledge driven design that aids the generation of decision making within a Lean Product and Process Development (LeanPPD) environment. This research comprises the development of a new A3 template as a technique of problem solving in product design, the adoption of a reflection practice structured in a new A3 template for knowledge capture and sharing, and the generation of the process of using the A3 thinking approach for effective implementation. Providing useful knowledge as a design reference to generate decision making at the initial stages of product development in product design helps the designers to prevent recurrence of the same problem, eliminate design mistakes and enhance design decision. In order to achieve a novel A3 thinking approach, a research methodology consisting of four phases was developed. The first phase synthesises the A3 best practice through literature and documentation reviews. The gap analysis and results from the reviews have identified several problem-solving approaches and learning cycles that have to be considered in the research. The second phase is to evaluate the approaches and their impacts and applications in product design. In order to complete this, several research methods are selected and performed (e.g. focus group and semistructured interview) within the collaborative companies. The third phase is to develop the A3 thinking approach by utilising the LAMDA learning cycle, developing a new A3 template or so-called A3LAMDA, adopting the reflection practice and generating the process of using the new A3 thinking approach. Finally, the validation of the new A3 thinking approach through industrial case studies and expert judgements have been performed. This approach has been implemented in the automotive sector and was applied to four industrial case studies and six A3LAMDA reports were collected. As a result of the findings of this research, the utilisation of the A3 thinking approach aided the generation of knowledge driven design in product design by integrating the knowledge management capabilities; knowledge creation, capture and sharing.
Open Access
A benchmark study of the independent quality validation techniques of product design and development
(Cranfield University, 2009-09) Adeniji, Moyosore; Al-Ashaab, Ahmed
As we move ahead in the 21st century, quality validation techniques need to be based on principles of long term safety as consumers are now more aware of safety issues surrounding product design and development and globalisation has brought about competition within the manufacturing industry. Quality is seen as a reality for all manufacturing organisations and if quality standards are ever compromised, the immediate benefits in terms of cost savings, efficiencies and enhanced profitability are often lost. The study aims to capture and analyse the industrial best practices of independent quality techniques to evaluate and validate product design and development. The project introduces various techniques used in testing hardware components of products and what the pros and cons of these testing techniques are. Due to the information that was to be gathered during the research process, an inductive approach was taken. This approach consisted mainly of five major phases; the literature and industrial research, data collection & analysis at the sponsor company, the benchmark study, the final proposal and validation of the project by experts at the sponsor company. Academic literature and various online resources were consulted and reviewed to identify the various hardware testing techniques and for overall insight into the common issues and challenges faced by manufacturing organisations involved in the use of the identified testing techniques. Comparisons were made between academic literature and reality in industry. The results revealed that the sponsor company was operating within the best practices of the manufacturing industry and conclusions were drawn from the entire study stating that although the sponsor company was operating within the best practices, there was room for improvement. The documented benefits of the testing techniques will provide factual information to the senior management team enabling them make strategic decisions on the new techniques that could be implemented into their hardware testing plan.
Open Access
The construction of a model for lean product development
(Cranfield University, 2012-08) Khan, Muhammad Sharjeel; Al-Ashaab, Ahmed; Shehab, Essam
‘Lean’ or ‘lean thinking’ refers to an improvement philosophy which focuses on the fulfilment of customer value and the reduction of waste. This philosophy is credited with the extraordinary rise of Toyota, one of the largest and most profitable automotive companies in the world. This thesis presents a pioneering study investigating how lean thinking should be applied to product development (PD). The aim of the research was to construct an innovative model which supports the implementation of lean thinking in PD. This was achieved through progressive collaboration with practitioners from European manufacturing companies. The model provides a process for the conceptual development of an engineering project, and is composed of phases and activities for which methodologies have been defined. The construction of the lean PD model was preceded by a systematic literature review and an industrial field study, wherein 36 semi-structured interviews were conducted in five manufacturing companies in Europe. The constructed model was later implemented on two real-life case studies via action research. The two conducted case studies involved the product architecture design for a car audio head unit and the development of a helicopter engine. It was concluded that the lean PD model addresses various industrial challenges including customer value, communication, and innovation. Furthermore, by focusing on conceptual design, the lean PD model is expected to reduce design rework. As a result of the positive effects of the model, one of the companies involved intends to implement the lean PD model further, and wishes to extend the model to the rest of the organisation. This research makes four main contributions: (1) a novel lean PD model; (2) a number of tools developed to support the model; (3) a framework for lean PD enablers; and (4) a categorisation of challenges faced by PD in industry used to verify the relevance of the lean PD model.
Open Access
The Development of Methods to Estimate and Reduce Design Rework
(Cranfield University, 2012) Arundachawat, Panumas; Roy, Rajkumar; Al-Ashaab, Ahmed
Design rework includes unnecessary repetition in design tasks to correct design problems. Resolving design matters in advance, through in-depth understanding of the design planning and rework issues and development of effective predictive tools could contribute to higher business profit margins and a faster product time-to-market. This research aims to develop three novel and structured methods to predict the design rework occurrence and effort at the very early design stage, which may otherwise remain undiscovered until the testing and refinement phase. The major contribution obtained from the Design Rework Probability of Occurrence Estimation method, DRePOE, is the development of design rework drivers. The developed drivers have been synthesised with data from interview results, direct observations, and archival records obtained from eleven world-class aerospace and automotive components manufacturers. To predict the probability of occurrence, the individual score of each driver was compared against historical records utilising the analogy-based method. The Design Rework Effort Estimation method, DREE, was developed to interconnect functional structures and identify failure relationships among components. A significant contribution of The DREE method is its capability to assess the design rework effort at the component level under the worst-case scenario. Next a Prioritisation Design by Design Rework Effort Based method, PriDDREB, was developed to provide a tool to forecast the maximum design rework given the constraint. This method provides a tool to determine and prioritise the components that may require a significant design rework effort. The three methods developed were validated with an automotive water pump, a turbocharger, and a McPherson strut suspension system in accordance with the validation square method. It is demonstrated that DRePOE, DREE, PriDDREB methods can offer the product design team a means to predict the probability of design rework occurrence and assess the required effort during the testing and refinement phase at the very early design phase.
Open Access
Enhancing product quality control through applications of FMEA
(Cranfield University, 2011-01) Yang, Tianli; Al-Ashaab, Ahmed
Product quality is the most vital factor for manufacturers’ survival. As an effective quality control technique, FMEA (Failure Mode Effect Analysis) has been put into widespread use. However, improper, unsystematic and isolated FMEA applications in product design and manufacturing process design have lowered its effectiveness greatly. This research aims to develop an integrated FMEA framework which can guide correct FMEA applications. The focus of the research is to interrelate and provide traceability of the potential failures of functions of product design and the manufacturing processes. The objectives are to: (1) synthesise the best practices of FMEA applications through a comprehensive literature review; (2) identify the gap between FMEA application performances and best practices through document research, staff interviews and questionnaire in an aerospace company; (3) develop an integrated FMEA framework designed to interrelate and provide traceability of potential failures of functions of product design and manufacturing processes; (4) validate the framework through expert judgement in collaboration with the aerospace company. This research has proposed an integrated FMEA framework. It has five parts, which mean 5 stages for applying FMEA. To guarantee enough management support and required resources, it is first necessary to establish management awareness and commitment; then the system for mandatory, systematic and correct FMEA applications must be established; subsequently, staff training to develop a sound understanding of FMEA applications, FMEA implementation for risk assessment and elimination and auditing process for continuous improvement are proposed sequentially. According to the expert judgement, the framework can guide correct and systematic FMEA applications in the collaborative aerospace company, focusing more attention on defect elimination and thereby enhancing product quality control.
Open Access
Integrating failure documentation with A3 template to improve product design quality
(Cranfield University, 2012-01) Zhu, Linjia; Al-Ashaab, Ahmed; McLaughlin, Patrick
Design quality always has great impact on the competitive attribution of companies. Knowledge Management has become an important process which could help companies to accumulate the knowledge created in the past, and use it to solve the current problem and for future use. Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) has been widely implemented as a technique for identifying potential problems, whilst A3 Thinking, has been developed by Toyota as a tool to help solve problems. However, no research exists regarding integrating these strategies for the purposes of knowledge creation, capturing and provision. This research focuses on integrating an A3 Thinking Template and FMEA-based Failure Documentation which will be used to document the problem, solve the problem, allowing knowledge creation, capturing and provision. The objectives are to: (1) Synthesise the good practices of using FMEA and A3 thinking through a literature review; (2) Analyse the role and capability of FMEA and A3 thinking in capturing and communicating knowledge to support the generation of an improved design solution; (3) Design an integration between FMEA-based Failure Documentation and the A3 Thinking template for problem solving during the design stage to support knowledge visualisation and capturing in a dynamic manner; Then develop a checklist to present the knowledge captured; (4) Validate the integration via case study on product development process in collaborating company. The proposed integration of FMEA-based Failure Documentation and A3 Thinking template has 3 stages. Firstly, problems will be documented into FMEA-based Failure Documentation template. Secondly, the A3 Thinking template with its procedure will enable users to follow the instructions to find out the solution and correct the problem. And the solution and experience in problem solving, which is the knowledge, will be generated in A3 report to be provided to users for avoiding problem recurrence in future.
Open Access
Lean knowledge life cycle framework to support lean product development
(Cranfield University, 2013-07) Maksimovic, Maksim; Shehab, Essam; Al-Ashaab, Ahmed
This research thesis presents the development of a novel Lean Knowledge Life Cycle (LeanKLC) framework to support the transformation into a Lean Product Development (LeanPD) knowledge environment. The LeanKLC framework introduces a baseline model to understand the three dimensions of knowledge management in product development as well as its contextualisation with acclaimed LeanPD process models. The LeanKLC framework comprises 23 tasks, each accomplished in one of the seven key stages, these being: knowledge identification, previous knowledge capture, knowledge representation, knowledge sharing, knowledge integration, knowledge use and provision and dynamic knowledge capture. The rigorous research methodology employed to develop the LeanKLC framework entailed extensive data collection starting with a literature review to highlight the gap in the current body of knowledge. Additionally, industrial field research provides empirical evidence on the current industrial perspectives and challenges in managing product development knowledge. This research was part of a European FP7 project entitled Lean Product and Process Development (LeanPPD), which provided the opportunity to involve industrial collaborators in action research to support practical aspects during the LeanKLC framework development. The synthesis with the current LeanPD paradigm is accomplished by demonstrating the LeanKLC stages in two distinct streams related to the development of A3 thinking for problem solving and the development of trade-off curves to facilitate set based design at the conceptual stage. The novel LeanKLC is validated in two case studies providing the industry with detailed insights on real product development applications. In particular this research highlights that the LeanPD knowledge environment is a wide subject area that has not yet been thoroughly understood and that industry engagement in empirical research is vital in order to realise any form of LeanPD transformation.
Open Access
New product introduction process improvements in an automotive company
(Cranfield University, 2008) Williams, Omolade Sanu; Al-Ashaab, Ahmed; Shehab, Essam
New product development is an important strategic decision for an automotive company. The need for a structured method of early project planning is herein enforced due to competitive advantage and global market expansion. Client satisfaction constitutes a major challenge that requires the employment of a structured process for turning around a product within a short lead time. To maintain a recognisable and respected position in the market, early and accurate planning and allocation of adequate relevant resources for a successful project is required. A well defined New Product Introduction (NPI) Process will support this concept. It is imperative to ensure that an improved process is aligned to varied project portfolios consistently and integrates seamlessly into the NPI process. Therefore the aim of this study is to enhance the current NPI process within an automotive company and to cover state of the art practice of automotive product development, by accomplishing the following set of objectives: 1. Capture automotive NPI best practice through intensive literature review and industrial applications; 2. Carry out performance measurement survey to identify opportunities of improvement within the current practice of NPI; 3. Propose enhanced NPI process model (addressing the key opportunities for improvement) adapting principles of NPI process best practice; 4. Propose a standardised list of criteria to measure the success of NPI projects; 5. Validate the proposed NPI through expert judgment opinions. The approach adopted in this research is exploratory due to the “how” and “why” questions raised. Supported by comprehensive literature review and supervision, the current NPI process was examined by conducting out a qualitative and quantitative research following a three stage plan. With the use of performance measurementquestionnaire and semi-structured interviews, this thesis sought to respond to three core questions: 1. How applicable is the NPI process? 2. How does Project Management impact the NPI process? 3. What are the areas of opportunities for improvement? The key areas identified, were limited formal procedures, supported by inefficient communication. As a result, this study identified the areas of opportunities for improvement, thereby facilitating the possibility for drivers to successfully implement, adopt and adapt the process.
Open Access
Set-based concurrent engineering applications
(Cranfield University, 2013-09) Autzen, Matthias; Al-Ashaab, Ahmed; Shehab, Essam
Engineering companies must improve their product development performance in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century where R&D activities are coming more and more under pressure of productivity demands. Lean thinking is an improvement philosophy, which focuses on the creation of customer-defined value and the elimination of waste. The application of lean techniques to manufacturing and production processes has helped western engineering companies to stay competitive against their counter-parts from low- wage countries in the last 20-30 years. However, compared to lean manufacturing, relatively little research has been conducted in the field of lean product and process development. Set-based concurrent engineering is advocated to be one key enabler for lean product and process development and seemed to be a promising approach to enhance product development projects with several potential benefits in relation to conventional approaches. This research project focuses on synthesizing the good practices of set-based concurrent engineering within the context of lean product development, formally embedding certain set-based methodologies into an existing product development process of a company whilst defining a step-by-step guideline how to do it. Finally the new transformed development process model shall be applied in a case study in order to evaluate its practical applicability as well as the advantages and disadvantages. After synthesising the good practices of lean product development and set- based concurrent engineering through an extensive literature review a field study in the collaborating company has been conducted. With the help of a developed questionnaire the current practices have been analysed against the SBCE principles with the goal to identify the challenges and opportunities for improvements. Considering the results of the field study a new transformed set- based product development model has been defined guided by a developed step-by-step transformation methodology. Finally the new transformed product development process model has been evaluated in a real industrial case study in order to give an assessment of the practical applicability as well as advantages and disadvantages of the SBCE approach. This research provides a practical approach of a step-by-step transformation methodology to support companies to integrate the SBCE good practices into their traditional PD model. The transformed product development process model contains several new aspects that enforce innovation and creativity as well as decreasing the risk of rework at later stages of the process.

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Browsing School of Applied Sciences (SAS) (2006-July 2014) by Supervisor "Al-Ashaab, Ahmed"

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