Concurrent engineering — A case study involving university and industry

Time to market, competition and manufacturing costs are only some of the reasons why concurrent engineering is an increasingly used methodology for product development. The present paper deals with a case study of university-industry cooperation to develop an improved part for an automotive application, with three main concerns: economic, performance and environmental. Four universities gathered to attack this problem with an automotive company, joined by a technology research center. The very short time span of the project called for the application of concurrent engineering project planning and execution. The brainstorming that ensued resulted in, among other significant outcomes, a new methodology for materials selection. Also, the application of concurrent engineering methods to university-industry collaboration was very successful, regardless of the usual different timings of industry and university.