Integrating Design and Manufacturing for Competitive Advantage Hardback - 1992

With more emphasis being placed on the cost and quality of new products and on reducing the lead time to develop them, attention is turning to the increasingly important topic of design for manufacturability (DFM). This involves the collaboration among research and development, manufacturing, and other company functions and is aimed at accelerating the new product development process from product conception to market introduction. A company can create a competitive advantage for itself by managing the process and its related organizational dynamics effectively. This book includes chapters by experts who focus on the development of strategic capabilities, such as the systematic development and introduction of new technologies into products and processes, as well as the use of appropriate tools and techniques to facilitate communication and problem-solving between design and manufacturing. Other topics covered include learning from experience; the social, political, and cultural contexts within which key players interact; and the degree to which management of information and development of an effective structure are critical to new product development success. The information-intensive nature of the product development process is demonstrated throughout the book. The final chapter contains a model that links the role of information in the development of products to a company's capability to organize, process, and learn from that information.