Intelligent Manufacturing € October € 1996 € Vol. 2 € No. 10

Manufacturer's Library

Product Design Review: A Methodology for Error-Free Product Development, compiled by Takashi Ichida, edited by Edward C. Voigt, Productivity Press, 360 pages, $85, ISBN 1-56327-041-2

The increasing sophistication and variety of product functions and consumer values have made design work more complicated. Design review (DR) offers a systematic way to manage this process better. While new product development may follow certain standard steps, DR comes in as many shapes and sizes as companies themselves. This book provides a review of the basic steps in DR as well as a variety of approaches to DR that highlight the nuances of this quality assurance method.

Design review is primarily a cooperative group activity that can be used to foresee and circumvent virtually all problems that come up during the product development process. This book highlights the procedures where problems arise in the interfaces between design, manufacturing and inspection departments, emphasizing the importance of reconciling discrepancies through a unified flow of communication.

Corporate Diagnosis: Meeting Global Standards for Excellence, by Thomas L. Jackson with Constance E. Dyer, Productivity Press, 100 pages, $65, ISBN 1-56327-086-2

Strategic planning in many manufacturing companies neglects the essential step of diagnosing the company's actual state at the beginning and end of an improvement cycle. This book provides a systematic evaluation of the factors that support a company's strategic capabilities. This management workbook presents a step-by-step methodology for assessing an organization's strategic health and measuring its overall competitiveness against world-class standards.

The book supplies detailed audit questions in nine key areas of manufacturing excellence as guidelines for developing a customized survey.

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