Concurrent engineering enablers-engineering libraries

Concurrent Engineering (CE) can be considered to be a philosophy of engineering methodology and management, aided by an infrastructure of enabling technology and techniques. As such, it can be viewed as an added dimension to all other processes, functions, and procedures in the engineering cycle, as well as to all other supporting groups that are affected by decisions during the entire life cycle of the product. As designs become more complex, more decisions affect more secondary decisions, and more design details become important. Thus, automation becomes more important in enabling the CE concept as complexity and detail increase. Engineering libraries that supply on-line, integrated, current, and comprehensive information on parts, methodologies, and processes are a key enabler to any design process and especially to a concurrent design process. But technology alone will not solve the problems. The key to successfully implementing CE that will produce designs on first pass, will meet cycle-time reduction goals, lower development and manufacturing costs, and still produce Six Sigma designs depends on broad-based cooperation across the design, design support, manufacturing, and testing functions. People make it happen; systems do not