This book is intended to introduce and familiarize design, production, quality, and process engineers, and their managers to the importance and recent developments in concurrent engineering (CE) and design for manufacturing (DFM) of new products. CE and DFM are becoming an important element of global competitiveness in terms of achieving high-quality and low-cost products. The new product design and development life cycle has become the focus of many manufacturing companies as a road map to shortening new product introduction cycles, and to achieving a quick ramp-up of production volumes. Customer expectations have increased in demanding high-quality, functional, and user-friendly products. There is little time to waste in solving manufacturing problems or in redesigning products for ease of manufacture, since product life cycles have become very short because of technological breakthroughs or competitive pressures. Another important reason for the increased attention to DFM is that global products have developed into very opposing roles: either they are commodities, with very similar features, capabilities, and specifications; or they are very focused on a market niche. In the first case, the manufacturers are competing on cost and quality, and in the second they are in race for time to market. DFM could be a very important competitive weapon in either case, for lowering cost and increasing quality; and for increasing production ramp-up to mature volumes.
