Open design as sustainable competitive advantage

Abstract: The sustainability of the quality and rate of the design process has always posed challenges. Initial open design concepts evolved from the need for an even faster rapid product development process and the desire to have co-creative platforms. Innovative open design platforms and toolkits ensure a continuous interchange of knowledge between many and diverse stakeholders from a community with a common vision. Companies continuously research social strategies to attract volunteer’s attention and keep their interest so as to contribute to the company’s objectives. Doing this can create significant value for the company’s customers and shareholders. Nowadays, within this wave of the Internet of Things (IoT), the innovation process has totally opened up to global communities in which everybody can participate. Everybody can access and use existing design tools and solutions on these platforms and co-create even more solutions. There is a large focus, industry wide, on social manufacturing and on the business model of several innovative manufacturing companies. In addition the effects of social manufacturing on rapid product development are discussed in this research study as well as the support it can provide to local suppliers. The objective of this research study was, therefore, to understand the main reasons for contributing to these open design platforms. An investigation regarding the changes in societal needs, markets, business models and enabling technologies of the different manufacturing paradigms is undertaken in the thesis. Both community- and company-driven open design platforms were studied and the benefits and challenges for utilising these platforms discussed. As a result, boundary conditions were identified as areas to be exploited, without compromising the constraints of current design systems.M.Phil. (Engineering Management