Rapid Prototyping
for Competitive Advantage:
Technologies,
Applications and Implementation
for Market Success
Paul T. Kidd
1997, ISBN 1-901864-00-6
Chapter 5 - Purpose and
Summary
- This chapter will provide
readers with insights into the major factors affecting the choice
of approach used to assess and to implement rapid prototyping
technologies. These major factors are: the interrelationship
between strategy and technology; the pace of technological change;
complexity of the issues; and potentially high capital costs.
- A structured and systematic
assessment and implementation process based on stage-gate concepts
is described. This process can be adopted more or less as given
or customised to meet specific circumstances.
- General advice on managing
technical and organisational change is provided. The key issue
here is to gain commitment, which can best be achieved by involving
those affected by the changes in the organisational redesign
exercise, through the use of a structured and systematic process
of the type suggested.
- To properly specify rapid
prototyping technologies many types of knowledge are needed —
strategic, marketing, design engineering, tooling, manufacturing,
information technology, etc. Specifications should not be prepared
by one group or one person, because all these specialists need
to interact to share information and to explore issues and adjust
their ideas.
- Advice on assessing rapid
prototyping bureaux from a supply chain management perspective
is provided. This deals with the issue of choosing a supplier
to work with on a clear understanding that the relationship will
be based on the supplier cooperating to improve the product delivered
to the final customer and reducing overall costs.
- A number of tactics to
deploy when faced with difficulties or doubts are described.
These include: demonstration projects; adopting bureau services
as a starting point; benchmarking other industries; and research
and development projects.
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