IEN: How much progress do you see toward integrating the different segments of product development -- design, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain? What major hurdles remain, and how can they be addressed?
Raab: The progress is different depending on the sector and companies within those sectors. The more competitive the markets, the more crucial this type of collaboration has been. The primary impediment is not technological -- it is philosophical. Management has to make a commitment similar to the company-wide attitude toward quality that''s necessary when implementing ISO 9001.
When upper management understands that quality is a prime factor affecting future success -- and when all management understands that collaborative product development leads to quality -- then it will begin to happen.
IEN: How can/will collaborative manufacturing management strategies address problems related to integrating design with the industrial enterprise?
Raab: Collaborative strategies can overcome those challenges if and only if they address the key obstacles to a smooth, reliable product launch, which are manufacturability, customer expectations, vendor/supply quality, reasonable specifications from engineering, etc.
IEN: Will Product Lifecycle Management play an increased role in design? Why/Why not?
Raab: Lifecycle management means being aware of the evolution of the product and the specific marketplace. All of the elements of quality, manufacturing, delivery, service, and upgrades must be considered in the design. Service today is a very hot topic and is dramatically affected by the inherent quality and serviceability of design, not to mention the delivery processes for products and services.
IEN: What innovations are in store for users of CAD?
Raab: Amazingly enough, major CAD suppliers have only recently begun to add the tolerancing layer into the CAD file in recognition of the ultimate use of the CAD data in the manufacturing process. Therefore, CAD users will be forced into considering manufacturability despite any lack of focus by management.
IEN: What advances do you see in collaborative design? How can it be more seamlessly tied to the plant floor?
Raab: CAD is used in tool design and quality control on the plant floor. CAMM products allow the practical penetration of CAD into the production environment in combination with practical measurement tools such as the FaroArm and the Faro Laser Tracker. The tools for measurement anywhere by anyone on any size product with the use of CAD and irrespective of computer, CAD, or metrology experience is crucial to the final collaborative step.
IEN: What role will rapid prototyping play in collaborative design?
Raab: Rapid prototyping plays a crucial role in collaborative design by not only allowing it to start earlier, but also in that it allows manufacturers to immediately respond to customer perception/wants/needs AND determine the manufacturability of the product or part.