Monday 9 March 2015

Benchmark The Rapid Design & Manufacture Process

Rapid Manufacturing provides advantages in the areas of speed and cost .


Rapid Manufacturing (RM) can be associated with any process that produces manufactured goods in an effective and efficient manner. This method was originally developed from a technology known as Rapid Prototyping. Rapid Prototyping (RP) processes played integral roles in reducing production time, and have resulted in the creation of Rapid Tooling. However, Rapid Manufacturing has eliminated the need for Rapid Tooling. When coupled with batch production, Rapid Manufacturing provides competitive advantages in the areas of speed and cost in comparison to other manufacturing methods.


Instructions


1. Your organization must consider its strategic direction.


Consider the strategic direction of your organization. Identify and assess your organization's strengths and weaknesses. For example, a company can choose to be a high quality producer in its market. However, the decision to be a high quality producer is a strategic position that would expose strengths and weaknesses within the organization. An organization can discover its competitive gaps according to its internal and external assessment.


2. Rapid Manufacturing analyzes business practices.


Identify product development and best time-to-market methods.This information is derived from meetings, focus groups, workshops and company visits. Implement your Product Development Best Practices and Assessment (PDBPA) software to supply a better understanding of product and best time- to-market techniques. This type of software will assist you with expediting your benchmarking and improving your business processes.


3. Computer software is involved in the process.


Focus on one or two aspects of competition. In order for an organization to remain successful it must be focused on its one and best aspect of business. This will keep an organization current and competitive. An organization must have a specific target market it serves because its products may not be suited for all markets. However, a company should have the ability to reach various markets, but always have a specific consumer profile as its priority. Competitive dimension consists of low develop cost, quality, agility and ease of use. These dimensions are in relation to the company's priorities, objectives and target market.


4. Performance ratings are indicators of sucess.


Develop an overall performance rating. Assign weighting factors to your categories based on their level of significance to your business and product. Weighted factors or performance ratings provide an indication of where improvements are needed. High weighting factor indicates a high level of importance with regard to your development and improvement success. However, low performance ratings signify larger gaps between the organization priorities and its strengths. A gap analysis is implemented to focus the attention on opportunities that will result in the highest payoff. Strategic alignment analysis combined with gap analysis are the building blocks for identifying implementation actions and priorities.

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