Concurrent engineering offers small firms chances for big savings

Drs. John Usher and Chuen-Lung Chen, both of industrial engineering, designed a course in concurrent engineering for Martin Marietta Energy Systems of Oak Ridge, Tenn.

The course, which began in April and concludes next month, has been available to small and medium-sized manufacturers by satellite. It has been broadcast from the studios of Mississippi State's Television Center.

"The implementation of concurrent engineering within smaller manufacturing companies has been sparse, but the benefits it offers are independent of size," Usher explained. "Mississippi, in particular, has many manufacturers with fewer than 500 employees."

Concurrent engineering emphasizes the development of cross-functional teams that work together during the early stages of engineering design.

"Decisions made in the early part of the design process are cost critical," Usher said. "By involving a number of people representing the various areas of the plant in the early phases of design, companies can reduce the time it takes to bring a product to market, helping capture more market share. The process also can save companies money by reducing the number of changes at later stages."

Concurrent engineering practices have been adopted by many major companies, including Xerox and Hewlett Packard. Small companies also can realize savings gains, Usher said. "Every time there is an engineering change, there is a cost. One of the biggest gains is reducing the number of changes."

Usher said his experience teaching the course will benefit Mississippi State students as well. "We're working with faculty members in mechanical engineering to develop a similar course for our campus.

"We think providing interaction between students in different engineering disciplines while they are still in school will have dividends for their employers once they graduate," he said.