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By Kami Buchholz, Detroit Editor Design for innovation drives assembly.
I
nitial vehicle designs drive profit manufacturing
margins. "Product design, which ac- engineers, mate-
counts for only 5% of a product's rial engineers, fi-
total cost, actually dictates about 75% of nance represen-
the product's total accounted manufac- tatives, and sup-
turing cost," stresses Sandy Munro, pliers - trained
President of Munro & Associates, Inc., a and practiced
Troy, MI-based concurrent engineering over a six month-
consultant firm. In workshops with period on design
automakers and suppliers, Munro and for assembly dy-
staff hark a simple message: always con- namics. "Wehad
sider the total picture. "You cannot stop progressive
the design process. Once you've passed minded people
gates, you can't go back. It's a one-way pa rticipa ting,
trip early on," Munro says. and that was fur-
Workshops by Munro & Associates ther supported
challenge product engineers to assemble by good leader-
their own designs. Class time also is de- ship," explains
voted to pooling the input and resources of David Grieco, Manager EVl-5.0 Product central tunnel and rear cross member).
engineering and manufacturing to im- Engineering for GM Advanced Technol- Single and multi-cell extrusions comprise
prove an existing product. For instance, ogy Vehicles. "One of the keys to our another quarter of the parts, while the re-
about six years ago a class assignment had success was combining the training with maining structural components are cast-
a product design engineer, a manufactur- application. In the first (training) session ings. The entire structure, secured by spot
ing engineer, an hourly factory worker, we developed some metrics, well before welds, rivets, and aerospace adhesive
and finance and purchasing represen- there were any designs. The foundation bonding, has a mass of 131 kg. Conven-
tatives redesigning an ll-piece armrest of manufacturing teclmical specifications tional stampings were used for half of the
bracket assembly into a one-piece entity is influenced by design for assembly re- vehicle's total part count. Because manu-
(currently on a number of General Motors quirements," notes William Szkodzinski, facturing aspects spurred part consolida-
vehicles). Manager Manufacturing Engineering for tion and reduction, EV1's space frame ex-
The ll-piece steel and aluminum arm- GM Advanced Technology Vehicles. emplifies simplicity. Consider, for ex-
rest bracket required a stamping die, a Training time allowed product devel- ample, the integration of 24 separate sheet
swage tool, a riveting tool, a high-speed opment teams to address assembly re- metal pieces into four castings, which at-
production press, a secondary swage, a quirements up front. "DFA (design for tach chassis springs and shock absorbers to
secondary press, a palletized conveying assembly) flushes out a lot of issues," says the space frame. In total, EV1 uses 165
system, and ample factory floor space. In Grieco. "It has to do with team consensus, formed parts.
contrast, the one-piece armrest bracket and listening to the ideas of people out- The multitude of one-piece snap-on
condensed manufacturing's contribution side the engineering group." Interlocking parts, extrusions, and foldings that make
to a plastic blow molding machine. The product engineering with manufacturing EV1 an engineering benchmark are pos-
design change also reduced costs by 76%. provided the framework for new tech- sible because design engineers looked at
"You can always fix a design at any nologies. (EV1 carries 23 new patents.) manufacturing considerations from day
stage, but it's impossible to make modifi- For instance, the 1997 EV1's patented one. "The principles of DFA can be used
cations later in the process without those front and rear shock towers are a single from the concept phase up. Others may
changes resulting in huge capital expendi- piece as opposed to a conventional say, 'You have to have the designs in place:
tures and an expensive product," Munro multipiece construction requiring several But you really don't," Szkodzinski says.
asserts. Early involvement of suppliers is stamping welds. Although the entire ve- EV1 also realized plant floor benefits as
also critical. "It's very important that the hicle was subjected to the process, three the design of tooling was driven by
supplier be involved. They know things areas where DFA had great influence on manufacturability. "If we didn't design for
the OEM doesn't. Supplier participation is EV1 were: structure, chassis, and interior. assembling the EV1, then the plant layout
part of the design process." EV1's structural elements are joined would be radically different - probably
Design for assembly drives innovation, by 2000 spot welds, 40% fewer than a twice as large and more complicated," as-
especially with a new vehicle program. At typical steel structure. About one quarter serts Grieco. The Lansing (MI) Craft Centre
the onset of the $350 million EVI program, of the electric car's all-aluminum struc- assembly area for EV1 covers 10,200 m 2
150 people - including GM engineers, ture is made of folded parts (including the Layout of the assembly processes - paper
Reprinted with permission from Automotive Engineering, August 1997
to production - took eight months as at the process level," Heithaus says. By
opposed to the typical industry time involving manufacturing early, prod-
frame of three to four years. "The plant uct engineers were able to evaluate
has a modular design. There is no part and tooling designs while consid-
assembly line. There are no conveyors, ering the aspects of assembly line mo-
except in the paint oven area, in- tion and line height.
volved in the 45 minute job cycle," "The key is the timing, so engineer-
Szkodzinski says. EV1 is the first pro- ing can see early on what needs to be
duction vehicle to be made using refined," Kingsley says. Lessons
epoxy draw dies, and those dies were learned by using a paper factory have
up and running in 20 weeks, com- been incorporated into a best practices
pared to the typical 45 to 48 weeks for lean manufacturing guidebook for
metal dies. other GM plants. Although computer
Another General Motors example software programs playa valuable role
of data-driven engineering unfolded in the design process, GM's "paper
during planning sessions for the de- wall" is considered invaluable. "From
sign of five new minivan brands an engineering standpoint, it's always
(Chevrolet Venture, Pontiac Trans visible. If it's in a computer, many
Sport, Oldsmobile Silhouette, Opel times you only bring it up when you're
Sintra, and Vauxhall Sintra). The 1997 in that section. You have to see what's
minivans cover two wheelbases, four going on with both sides, and 'the wall'
engine families, two sliding doors, left provides the opportunity to see the en-
or right hand drives, and automatic or tire sequence of how parts are put on a
manual transmissions - all from a vehicle," Kingsley says. Concurs
single platform at a single assembly Heithaus: "As programs get to faster
plant in Doraville, GA. "It's the com- and faster timetables, you don't have
plexity that drove a very early time to argue whose point is valid.
manufacturing presence," says Rick With this ('the wall'), there's an under-
Heithaus, Program Manufacturing standing of engineering and manufac-
Manager. turing and what they do. The whole
The process began with engineering process is enhanced beca use both sides
and manufacturing representatives are meeting together, and both sides
coming together in an area peppered GM's EV1 assembly. see what is actually going on."
with paper drawings of engineering re- back for low running options - such as Ford Motor Company's integrated
leases. As the design process unfolded, the manual windows," says Heithaus. computer-aided design, engineering,
wall became a paper replica of the Doraville The 1997 model year build combina- manufacturing and product information
assembly plant. "When you're not looking tions equal 5600, compared to 312,000 management system - known as C3P -
at what's going on around a part, you could build combinations for previous models gives the automaker the distinction of be-
miss critical things. If an engineer doesn't - and that drastic drop includes the addi- ing the first auto manufacturer to use com-
understand how a part will be built and tion of four divisions, three powertrains, puter simulations for designing its final
assembled, the outcome can result in ergo- and right hand drive. "The real gains vehicle assembly processes globally. The
nomic and/or quality problems," explains we've achieved in productivity are the digital vehicle buck and the digital factory
Chuck Kingsley, Total Vehicle Integration result of manufacturing's early involve- are two elements of C3P that link engi-
Engineer. With engineering drawing re- ment in this program. The practice of neering and manufacturing. "Manufac-
leases being viewed early in the process by involVing manufacturing at the begin- turing can communicate clearly and effi-
purchasing, quality, production, and mate- ning of a program is not new. But what's ciently early in the program to reflect any
rial departments as well as plant workers, unique is how well the team used this manufacturing constraints without com-
the time-to-production table shrank. opportunity to allow engineering to un- promising designs," says Mark Phillips,
"Engineers watched operators assemble derstand and experience manufacturing Manufacturing Systems Supervisor, Paint
cardboard mock-ups to see how practi- and Final Assembly Engineering.
cal or impractical the process was. This "Assembly techniques now
was especially important in the trim can be developed at the same time
area because the process can be ana- components are designed - both
lyzed before a mold is cut," explains on the computer simultaneously
Heithaus. Give-and-take design exer- - reducing reliance on expensive
cises netted various simplified assem- prototypes early in the product de-
bly methods. For instance, instead of velopment process to assess
multiple door plug harnesses, a single manufacturing feasibility. If you
door plug serves a dual role. "Door make a design change later in the
plugs come equipped with a high pen- product development or tooling
etration option - such as power win- cycle, you put your timing at risk
dows. The electrical lead comes to (an and you pay premium costs," says
operator) taped back. It canbe brought Bruce HettIe, Large/Luxury Car
forward for insertion when the option Vehicle Center Manager, Ford
content demands it, but remains taped Door plug assembly at GM's Doraville plant. Global Final Assembly Engineer-
vidual training sessions with designers/
www.munroassoc.com changes. We made those changes early
Ford Motor Co. 's virtual factory. prototyping, Chrysler considered thou-
predictive modeling and rapid
engineers on digital buck methods. The
Fax: 248-362-5117 enough that there were no added costs to sands of computer-generated design itera-
CATIA-based software for
digital buck/web-based site provides us-
Phone: 248-362-5110 change the design, but there would have tions. "The interface of engineering and
input from manufacturing,
ers a tool for evaluating system-to-system been significant costs if that change was manufacturing allowed us to get all the
Munro & Associates, Inc months.) And by utilizing
interfaces. "From a computer worksta-
Munro advises. made later in the process. In this example, bugs out of the process in the very begin-
approval to launch was 24
tion, an engineer can graphically pull to-
room, not on the manufacturing floor," we realized the need for a design change ning. The manufacturing process, the
opment time. (Project
gether - in a full vehicle environment -
designing for annil1ilation in the design before the first physical prototype," casting process, the machining process
shaved 26 weeks off the devel-
system interfaces before doing a physical
time and win the battle for market share by notes Hettle. was optimized before the tooling was all
gines (2.7-L, 3.2-L, and 3.5-L)
prototype. The digital buck allows us to
"Take the extra effort to do it right the first Full service suppliers to Ford will be built, bought, and paid for. So we bought
first paperless-designed en-
see aspects like interference / clear-
involves utilizing manufacturing input. it once, and we bought it right. We
V6 engines. The industry's
ance, packaging and assembly in
fied by automakers' evolving practices - didn't have to go back and keep
ing costs) three new alunUnum
real time," explains Ray Byrnes,
The best design strategy - as exempli- changing things, which costs
velop (including manufactur-
Digital Buck Methods Vehicle CAE /
Concorde, Chrysler LHS, and Eagle Vision. money," explains Burke Brown, Ex-
less than $625 million to de-
CAD /PIM Integration Advanced
power the 1998 Dodge Intrepid, Chrysler ecutive Engineer of Large Car Plat-
Chrysler Corporation spent
Vehicle Technology.
andTrenton,MI,inAugust. The engines will form Powertrain Engineering.
year 2000 and beyond.
Because the computer simula-
duction of engines begins in Kenosha, WI, More than 1000 intake manifold
all Ford cars and trucks, model
tions reduce the number of needed
Engine Manufacturing Engineering. Pro- iterations were done on computer
manufacturing processes for
physical prototypes, Ford projects
for years," says Bruce Coventry, manager of all involved saw that we needed design before a prototype was built.
tory are being utilized to develop critical
savings of more than $200 million
it' cycle that we used to have in this industry efficiently install the design concept, and (NOTE: Previous engine programs
months. The digital buck and digital fac-
annually. Digital buck and digital
testit, break it. ..designit, build it, test it, break "We showed that a small person couldn't viewed three or four design itera-
to production) from 36 months to 24
factory concepts are expected to re-
true. It eliminates the old'design it, build it, would not be able to complete the task. tions.) Computer files of the intake
velopment time (from program approval
duce by 20% manufacturing-driven
for a manufacturing guy that's a dream come proved that two-thirds of the population manifold's design were also sent to
prototypes has helped compress the de-
design changes during a new vehicle
parts have been dramatically reduced. Now signed door system, the simulation the supplier of the plastic composite
stage. Reducing the number of physical
launch. "In the past, product design
"Downstream design changes on actual generated worker assemble a newly de- part. "The files gave them access to
cal prototypes for the final! confirmation
engineers would design a compo-
completion as in the past," Brown says. ample, when engineers had a computer- the process. Suppliers are part of our
neering design stage, necessitating physi-
nent, a prototype part would be
posed to analyzing at 70% of design sizes - complete their tasks. In one ex- extended enterprise, and access to
prototypes formerly needed in the engi-
made, and then manufacturing engi-
sign these engines simultaneously as op- assembly lines workers - of varying that information allows them to de-
ceptual/styling stage and the physical
The operator (left) explains to the engineer the
neers and hourly product specialists problems he experiences on the assembly line of the
our working structure to analyze and de- In the computer-simulated factory, velop a process so that they could
now eliminate clay models from the con-
would work to make the assembly product.
ing our first prototypes, we reorganized Phillips. manufacture this thing and take cost
hicle Technology. Computer simulations
process feasible. Making engineer-
simultaneous engineering. Prior to build- on expensive prototypes," explains out," Brown says. In another ex-
CAE & PIM Project Office Advanced Ve-
ing changes for ease of assembly was an
ginning of the design process as partof our trained on the digital buck. "It's important
build the vehicle without relying entirely ample, the measurement process being
says Richard Riff, Manager CAD/CAM/
expensive prospect. Now engineering
already set up in the computer in the be- to get them the right training because soft-
the input of manufacturing who has to used in the plant to manufacture the cylin-
wrong solutions if it's not used properly,"
changes can be made sooner, quicker, with
der head is stored in a computer file. "It's ware will very quickly provide you the
changes can be made sooner, quicker, with der head is stored in a computer file. "It's
ware will very quickly provide you the
the input of manufacturing who has to
used in the plant to manufacture the cylin- wrong solutions if it's not used properly,"
expensive prospect. Now engineering already set up in the computer in the be-
to get them the right training because soft-
build the vehicle without relying entirely
ample, the measurement process being says Richard Riff, Manager CAD/CAM/
ing changes for ease of assembly was an ginning of the design process as part of our
trained on the digital buck. "It's important
on expensive prototypes," explains
out," Brown says. In another ex- CAE & PIM Project Office Advanced Ve-
process feasible. Making engineer- simultaneous engineering. Prior to build-
Phillips.manufacture this thing and take cost hicle Technology. Computer simulations
would work to make the assembly product. ing our first prototypes, we reorganized
In the computer-simulated factory,
velop a process so that they could now eliminate clay models from the con- our working structure to analyze and de-
neers and hourly product specialists problems he experiences on the assembly line of the
The operator (left) explains to the engineer the
assembly lines workers - of varying
that information allows them to de- ceptual/styling stage and the physical
made, and then manufacturing engi- sign these engines simultaneously as op-
sizes - complete their tasks. In one ex-
extended enterprise, and access to prototypes formerly needed in the engi-
nent, a prototype part would be posed to analyzing at 70% of design
ample, when engineers had a computer-
the process. Suppliers are part of our neering design stage, necessitating physi-
engineers would design a compo- completion as in the past," Brown says.
generated worker assemble a newly de-
part. "The files gave them access to cal prototypes for the final/confirmation
launch. "In the past, product design "Downstream design changes on actual
signed door system, the simulation
the supplier of the plastic composite stage. Reducing the number of physical
design changes during a new vehicle parts have been dramatically reduced. Now
proved that two-thirds of the population
manifold's design were also sent to prototypes has helped compress the de-
duce by 20% manufacturing-driven for a manufacturing guy that's a dream come
would not be able to complete the task.
tions.) Computer files of the intake velopment time (from program approval
factory concepts are expected to re- true. It eliminates the old'design it, build it,
"We showed that a small person couldn't
viewed three or four design itera- to production) from 36 months to 24
annually. Digital buck and digital test it,breakit. ..designit,buildit, test it,break
efficiently install the design concept, and
(NOTE: Previous engine programs months. The digital buck and digital fac-
savings of more than $200 mi..llion it' cycle that we used to have in this industry
all involved saw that we needed design
before a prototype was built. tory are being utilized to develop critical
physical prototypes, Ford projects for years," says Bruce Coventry, manager of
iterations were done on computer manufacturing processes for
tions reduce the number of needed Engine Manufacturing Engineering. Pro-
More than 1000 intake manifold all Ford cars and trucks, model
Because the computer simula- duction of engines begins in Kenosha, WI,
form Powertrain Engineering. year 2000 and beyond.
Velucle Technology. and Trenton, MI, inAugust. The engines will
ecutive Engineer of Large Car Plat- Chrysler Corporation spent
CAD/PIM Integration Advanced power the 1998 Dodge Intrepid, Chrysler
money," explains Burke Brown, Ex- less than $625 million to de-
Digital Buck Methods Vehicle CAE / Concorde, Chrysler LHS, and Eagle Vision.
changing things, which costs velop (including manufactur-
real time," explains Ray Byrnes, The best design strategy - as exempli-
didn't have to go back and keep ing costs) three new aluminum
ance, packaging and assembly in fied by automakers' evolving practices -
it once, and we bought it right. We V6 engines. The industry's
see aspects like interference/ clear- involves utilizing manufacturing input.
built, bought, and paid for. So we bought first paperless-designed en-
prototype. The digital buck allows us to "Take the extra effort to do it right the first
Full service suppliers to Ford will be
was optimized before the tooling was all gines (2.7-L, 3.2-L, and 3.5-L)
system interfaces before doing a physical time and win the battle for market share by
notes HettIe.
casting process, the machining process shaved 26 weeks off the devel-
gether - in a full vehicle environment - designing for annihilation in the design
before the first physical prototype,"
ning. The manufacturing process, the opment time. (Project
tion, an engineer can graphically pull to- room, not on the manufacturing floor,"
we realized the need for a design change
bugs out of the process in the very begin- approval to launch was 24
interfaces. "From a computer worksta- Munro advises.
made later in the process. In this example,
manufacturing allowed us to get all the months.) And by utilizing
ers a tool for evaluating system-to-system been significant costs if that change was
Munro & Associates, Inc
tions. "The interface of engineering and input from manufacturing,
digital buck/web-based site provides us- change the design, but there would have
Phone: 248-362-5110
sands of computer-generated design itera- CATIA-based software for
engineers on digital buck methods. The Fax: 248-362-5117
enough that there were no added costs to
Ford Motor Co. 's virtual factory. predictive modeling and rapid
prototyping, Chrysler considered thou- vidual training sessions with designers/ WWW.ffiunroaSSOC.COffi
changes. We made those changes early
Munro
&
Associates,
®
CHANGE AGENTS FOR
MANUFACTURING COMPETITIVENESS
900 Wilshire Drive, Suite 301
Troy, Michigan 48084
Phone: 248-362-5110· Fax: 248-362-5117
www.munroassoc.com
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