This thesis endeavors to answer to two specific questions. Is it possible to formulate a theory
of production? Does such a theory add to our understanding and lead to improved …

In an effort to improve company operations and their results, more firms are applying the
principles of “Lean”—not only to manufacturing but also to systems engineering processes …

Lean is not minimizing cost, cycle time, or waste. Lean is maximizing value. In product
development (PD), sometimes getting lean requires doing more, not less. Providing a …

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are now clearly a promising candidate to address the
environmental problems that are associated with conventional internal combustion engine …

In the planning and early design stages of new products, the value to the customer for the
alternatives under consideration need to be quantified in the same units as costs to make …

Among consumers and manufacturers alike, there is an increasing realization about the
need for fuel efficient vehicles. One effective way to accomplish this is through vehicle …

Customer-driven product design is initiated by an important step, acquisition of customer
requirements, which will characterize the concept of a product. In rapidly changing market …

Engineers, marketing specialists, and planners responsible for making the numerous
cost/benefit trade-offs that arise in the development of a new product need to understand …

Q (g)= quality level of a part or product due to attribute level g QI= ideal quality level of a part
or product RVik= revealed value for the ith product in segment kr= correlation coefficient s …

A method for making value tradeoff decisions between fuel economy and acceleration
performance is demonstrated. Attribute value as defined by the S-Model Theory of Quality [1 …