modelling, testing, marketing and scheduling

MODELLING AND TESTING

handmade models normally take lots of time and require highly-skilled workers, as a result it is hard to do destructive test to them. instead CAD can be used as it can be tested multiple time and the model can be edited very quickly increasing efficiency and decreasing the costs. virtual testing can be done before manufacture and is very accurate allowing very small errors to be fixed and tolerances to be changed, it decreases the cost for a production run

FEA (finite element analysis can be used to look at stresses and looking at load capacities, it can be sued to measure forces and vibrations on materials, it can be used to spot weaknesses and quickly edit them to iterate designs, this allows longer warranties which may make a product more desirable

CFD (computational fluid dynamics) can be used to test products and their interaction with fluids (liquids and gases) this can be used for aerodynamic analysis and looking at engine tanks

virtual modelling can be done before a very expensive product is made, such as car or submarine production, this saves time and money and stops a run starting before any mistakes are spotted

rapid prototyping can be done using CAD and CAM to produce models quickly out of cheap materials, this can be automated. some methods are 3D printing, selective laser sintering and stereolithography

selective laser sintering is where a laser fuses powder that is lowered over time

stereolithography uses a laser to cure resin in layers

3D printing uses a melted polymer (often PLA) to be layered on top of each other, this can also be called FMD (fused deposition modelling), where the melted filament dries as soon as it is extruded, this uses thermoplastics

MARKETING

market research can be done online to reduce time taken , using data collection and cookies you can quickly build large databases, survey can collect date automatically, and quicker then paper surveys, focus groups can also be digitalised and so can video conferencing

EDI (electronic data interchange) can be used with cloud based sharing to move data quickly around a company. this can be used with EPOS (electronic point of sale) this allows inventories to be tracked and customer behaviour to be monitored, it can track workers efficiency and can reorder stock when need, it can also give data to be analysed

customer profiling can be used via loyalty cards and newsletters, this allows trend analysis and social media advertising to be more accurate and effective

SCHEDULING

PPC (production planning and control) monitors activities to ensure market demand it met, data looks at logistics, labour and machines to streamline manufacturing, this can be used in QRM. an MPS (master production schedule) can be used to prioritise the tasks and avoid delays, by looking at down-time and bottlenecks to work out how to increase efficiency, this also reduced resource wastage and creates efficient shifts. it can also be used on orders to reduce transport costs and improve customer experience