Concurrent Engineering: An Overview Regarding Major Features And Tools

Concurrent engineering is a methodology of work based on the parallelization of tasks - that means, to perform tasks concurrently. It refers to the approach used in product development in which the functions of design engineering, manufacturing and others, are integrated to reduce the total time required to bring a new product to market. It interacts with all elements of the product life cycle, from conception to disposal, including quality, cost, schedule and customer requirements. Th e concept of Concurrent Engineering has become much more comprehensive and should include cooperation and consensus among those involved in development and using computational resources (CAD / CAE / CAM / CAPP / PDM) and methodologies (DFx, QFD, etc.). The goal of this paper is to show the current state of the art and propose new directions for future research in CE giving special relevance to customer and process requirements as well as time restrictions and quality constrains