Browsing by Author "Alam, Rahman"

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    The Conceptual LeanPPD Model
    (2012-06-30) Al-Ashaab, Ahmed; Shehab, Essam; Alam, Rahman; Sopelanad, Amaia; Sorli, Mikel; Flores, Myrna; Taisch, Marco; Stokic, Dragan; James-Moore, Mike; Jerzy, Pokojski; Shuichi, Fukada; Jozef, Salwinski
    This paper is presenting the conceptual Lean Product and Process Development (LeanPPD) model which is a project funded by the EU-PF7. The project is addressing the needs of European manufacturing companies of a new model that goes beyond lean manufacturing, to ensure the transformation of the enterprise into lean environment. This is a respond to the market demand of value creation, incorporating sustainability and customisation as well as ensuring business growth through the development of high quality products in a cost effective manner at the shortest time. The authors believe that significant change in enterprise performance can be achieved through the adoption of lean thinking throughout the product life cycle. The paper presents the LeanPPD enablers which represent the building block of the model.
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    Development of a lean design framework for enhancing the application of product design
    (Cranfield University, 2015-07) Alam, Rahman; Al-Ashaab, Ahmed; Shehab, Essam
    Substantial benefits can be achieved through the adoption of lean type thinking earlier at the design stage to create more viable products. A complex design cannot be easily leaned out in production; therefore, the production of affordable and sustainable products requires effective lean design considerations at the conceptual level. The research presented in this thesis investigates and demonstrates the application of lean design for product enhancement. The aim of the research was to develop a novel lean design framework that would support the generation of product design with attributes such as maximise value, manufacturable, and operable with minimum waste and resources ensuring avoidable harm is eliminated. The framework consists of a systemised process which is organised in to phases and activities that provides a unique practical manner to lean out a design. The construction of the framework initiated with an extensive literature review and proceeded with an industrial field study which consisted of 34 interviews with 11 manufacturing companies in Europe. The findings were amalgamated to generate a lean design definition and principles which would form the foundations of the framework. A real-life industrial case study of an offshore oil/water separator was used to validate the framework. In conclusion, the lean design framework provides the necessary means by which a lean design can be achieved. As a result a functionally viable and enhanced design that is cheaper to manufacture through controlling waste and eliminating avoidable harm occurrence can be realised with minimal effort. The research makes the following contributions: (1) identification of essential elements in lean design, (2) generation of a lean design definition and principles, (3) Lean Design Framework development and (4) illustrative guidelines based on the framework to be used by designers in realising a lean product design.
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    Development of an open-source virtual design framework for medical device development
    (Cranfield University, 2009-09) Alam, Rahman; Roy, Rajkumar
    Economical and socio cultural changes have pressurised the health sector to become more sustainable. The sector is in need of a cultural change to bring more innovation in to new products and service developments. Diagnostic and therapeutic technologies need to be made available to the wider community. Allowing patients and clinicians to participate in the product development process has become essential; the current Intellectual Property model however does not accommodate this. Open source is an approach to designing, developing and delivering knowledge through the commitment and contribution of geographically dispersed individuals. Patents and other legislative property enforcements are unnecessary, making OS products free. Other benefits include the involvement of users from a wide range of backgrounds brining to the platform a spectrum of skills and specialist knowledge. The findings from this research detail the development of a generic concept creation model for medical device development in a virtual framework. Tools and techniques have been selected to ensure online collaborative development of the product is achieved through the concept creation stages. The biggest benefit of this research is the bridging between users and product developers in collaborative development. Limitations such as finding committed participants to continuously contribute through the concept creation process were also found.
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    An innovative cost modelling system to support lean product and process development
    (Springer Science Business Media, 2013-03-31T00:00:00Z) Wasim, Ahmad; Shehab, Essam; Abdalla, Hassan S.; Al-Ashaab, Ahmed; Sulowski, Robert; Alam, Rahman
    This paper presents a cost modelling system for lean product and process development to support proactive decision making and mistake elimination at the design stage. The foundations of the system are based upon three lean product and process development enablers, namely: Set-based concurrent engineering, knowledge-based engineering, and mistake proofing (Poka-yoke). The development commenced with an industrial field study of eleven leading European industries from the aerospace, automotive, telecommunication, medical and domestic appliance sectors. Based on the requirements of industrial collaborators, the developed system comprises six modules: value identification, manufacturing process/machines selection, material selection, geometric features specification, geometric features and manufacturability assessment, and manufacturing time and cost estimation. The work involved the development of a feature-based cost estimation method for the resistance spot welding process. The developed system was finally validated using an industrial case study. The developed system has the capability to provide estimates related to product cost and associated values concurrently, facilitate decision making, eliminate mistakes during the design stage, and incorporate ‘customer voice’ during a critical decision making stage.