Enhancing Rural Manufacturers Competitiveness Through Design Automation For New Product Development

The competitiveness of third world manufacturing has placed pressure on U.S. manufacturers to create new products to survive. Computer aided solid modeling and rapid prototyping technologies accelerate new product development, but rural manufacturers are often left behind. This paper describes a cooperative venture between a state university and a federal agency to improve the new product development process of selected rural manufacturers by introducing them to leading-edge design automation technologies. Use of these tools allows better cross-functional communication among top management, marketing, designers, engineers, and manufacturing as they proceed through the new product creation process. Participating companies produced new product options, enhanced employment, and increased revenues