An Iterative Approach to New Product Development

This paper describes an approach for optimization of manufacturing systems and facility planning by incorporating the use of analytical comparative techniques. The scope of this project emphasizes the optimization of facility design through the utilization of practical and theoretical processes in the an iterative engineering approach from prototype to advanced full-scale product manufacturing. The project objective is to minimize the cost of manufacturing processes through an optimized facility design, while successfully satisfying established constraints. Through the utilization of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), the design and adoption of established constraints enables adjustment for qualitative and quantitative considerations in both the manufacturing process and facility design. Through the AHP process, the identified constraints ensure that the final design works through a concurrent process in order to achieve optimal physical design and integrity specifications. This approach demonstrates the ability of a numerical hierarchical technique to increase efficiency and performance of the manufacturing system through multiple levels of development.