Tomohiko Sakao

Applying Quality Function Deployment to environmentally conscious design

Presents a methodology for applying Quality Function Deployment (QFD) for environmentally conscious design in the early stage of product development. This methodology has been developed by incorporating environmental aspects into QFD to handle the environmental and traditional product quality requirements simultaneously. The “QFD for environment (QFDE)” proposed consists of four phases. Designers can find out which parts are the most important in enhancing environmental consciousness of their products by executing QFDE phase I and phase II. Further, a methodology is developed to evaluate the effects of design improvement on environmental quality requirements as phases III and IV. The results obtained from the case study of IC package show that QFDE could be applicable in the early stage of assembled product design, because the most important component from the viewpoint of the environment is clearly identified and multiple options for design improvement are effectively evaluated.

A QFD-centred design methodology for environmentally conscious product design

As our society becomes more environmentally conscious, manufacturers must incorporate ‘environmental qualities’ into products. This paper proposes a general design methodology to effectively support environmentally consciousness design of products. The methodology employs three tools: LCA (life cycle assessment), QFDE (quality function deployment for environment), and TRIZ (theory of inventive problem solving). QFDE is a tool developed by modifying and extending QFD, and is extended further in this paper. In addition, connecting two consecutive tools is realized by established relations among those tools. The presented methodology is proved through application to a hair dryer to effectively support the product planning and conceptual design stages. For instance, designers could utilize one of the LCA results that the product has a high impact on global warming through energy consumption during its use phase to define a requirement objectively in QFDE, ‘reduce the energy consumption’ with a high weighting. TRIZ allowed designers to generate four improvement solutions. The most highly evaluated was using resonance frequency on the motor. This was obtained from a QFDE result that ‘dry quickly’ and ‘dry quietly’ have a contradiction. The methodology has a larger benefit than is obtained from utilizing those three tools independently.

Modeling design objects in CAD system for Service/Product Engineering

This paper proposes a new type of service CAD system utilized in Service/Product Engineering (SPE), a much-needed and novel engineering discipline within the background of servicification. In this research a design-object model was defined, and a prototype named Service Explorer was implemented. The model represents critical concepts such as value, costs, functions either of products or of service activities, and entities. Through its application to business cases such as selling washing machines, providing pay-per-wash service, and cleaning washing machines, the Service Explorer was proven to support designers as they describe and operate design objects. In the future we expect that the Service Explorer can help designers with generating new ideas.

Introduction to product/service-system design

The growing need for companies to address service design, as well as product design, in an integrated manner is becoming increasingly important across a number of industries. Product/Service System ...

Framing research for service orientation of manufacturers through PSS approaches

Purpose - In order to respond to the industrial trend towards service design and delivery, research must address a vast area partially related to value creation, marketing and network theories. How ...

Quality Engineering for Early Stage of Environmentally Conscious Design

Purpose - This paper proposes application of quality engineering in the early phase of environmentally conscious design (Ecodesign). Methodology/approach - Utilizing Kano Model and willingness to pay, it presents a framework for classification of environmental characteristics of products/services (i.e. offers) in two dimensions. The framework is connected to design management, i.e. design itself and external communication, where strategies for companies are given. The integration of the classification and the strategies is applied to three environmental characteristics against Japanese markets. Findings - The classification framework was proved to be effective as it generates much richer implication than other existing methods. In addition, it works well especially for environmental characteristics. Generation of strategies was also found to work effectively. They suggested some potential of using quality-engineering oriented methods/tools to deal with customer perception in the early phase of Ecodesign. Research limitation/implication - The results imply the needs for research on further utilizing quality-engineering approach and methods in the early stage of Ecodesign. This would be effective as how customers perceive offers has been neglected in the research and practice of Ecodesign and the focus of Ecodesign has been rather in its technical aspects. This research, in a broader sense, exists in integration of marketing and design disciplines. Originality/value - This paper has brought light into the arena where customer aspects in Ecodesign are addressed and has proved some potential for quality-engineering approach and method to tackle the aspects.

An effective and efficient method to design services: empirical study for services by an investment-machine manufacturer

Knowledge in practice on how to design offerings of services and products effectively and efficiently is demanded in manufacturing industries. This article discusses some empirical results obtained from designing services at a manufacturer, who had implemented information-communication networks to their customers and adopted a structured method to design services. It demonstrates that the method worked for a real-scaled problem to generate several effective solutions with input of approximately five person-months. This is contributed largely by the technique addressing customer value through extension of quality function deployment. Simultaneously, it is pointed out that special efforts are needed to prepare the ontology used to describe the model.

Integrated Product and Service Engineering versus Design for Environment : A Comparison and Evaluation of Advantages and Disadvantages

The objective with this paper is to, from several perspectives including those found in the traditional Design for Environment (DfE) literature, compare and evaluate advantages and disadvantages between the concepts of DfE and Integrated Product and Service Engineering (IPSE). Lessons learned from the use of DfE have been integrated into the IPSE methodology.

Quality Function Deployment for Environment (QFDE) to Support Design for Environment (DFE)

This paper presents a methodology for applying Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to environmentally conscious design in the early stages of product development. The benefit of this approach is the simultaneous consideration of conventional design factors and environmental aspects during conceptual design. QFD’s main mission is to translate customer requirements to product characteristics and design attributes. QFD clarifies what is important for a product to be competitive in the market and identifies engineering specifications and designs that respond to the “voice of customer (VOC).” QFD for the Environment (QFDE) we propose could be applied to environmentally conscious design by including environmental aspects as quality requirements in addition to conventional VOCs. After discussing what kind of requirements and attributes of a product should be considered from the environmental point of view, we came up with a set of environmental quality requirements and engineering specifications, and their correlation factors. Design engineers can find out which parts are the most important parts to enhance environmental consciousness of their products by executing QFDE phase I through phase II. Further, we developed a methodology to evaluate the effects of design improvement concerning the parts on environmental quality requirements as phase III and IV.Copyright

A Design Process Model and a Computer Tool for Service Design

Manufacturers at present face new circumstances in terms of consumer services and serious environmental problems. An effective way to deal with these circumstances may be to pursue qualitative satisfaction rather than quantitative sufficiency. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the effectiveness of Service Engineering, including the service design process model, to increase customer satisfaction. The redesign of services offered by a global warehouse manufacturer is used as an example of the application. Four redesign options, such as rapid delivery of components and a robust electrical system, were generated. The effectiveness of the method was demonstrated by the application.Copyright