Technology and manufacturing process selection: The product life cycle perspective

摘要: In a global market, competitive advantage lies not only on the mastering of existing processes and methodologies, but most of all on the ability to pursue different avenues, with an increased value. This can only be achieved with an upto-date technological knowledge and scientific principles materialized in the design and manufacturing of new products, with the goal of protecting the environment and conserving resources, while encouraging economic progress, keeping in mind the need for sustainability. Design and process engineering problems are frequently of an ill-defined nature, demanding for the analysis and evaluation of complex alternative solutions, in which environmental, economic, and functional performance criteria interact in a complex net of influences, with an emergent behavior. Moreover, even when decisions are made in a well-defined and narrow timeframe, their effects are normally felt over a …