subject: Reducing Costs Through Design Optimization [print this page] The design of a product is affected by numerous factors. Some of which include what the product is designed to do, the time it takes to manufacture the product and get it to market, the way the product is engineered, where it will be made (plus the necessary tools, manpower and facilities), marketing considerations, and, most importantly, the cost of manufacturing it. Considering that one of the simplest ways to increase profits is to reduce production costs, it makes sense for manufacturers to apply design optimization principles to lower costs.
Although there are a number of different ways that businesses can reduce costs, design optimization is perhaps the best because, when done right, you will not only end up cutting costs of production, but can also end up creating a superior product. The more you can incorporate manufacturing considerations into the design of your product, the more able you will be to produce your products with speed and efficiency. This can be easily achieved by incorporating cost and manufacturing considerations into the design optimization process.
Perhaps the best way to reduce manufacturing costs is to go back to basics when designing your products. Overly complicated designs will slow the production process, raise costs, and in general eat into bottom line profits. No one is saying you should cut corners in the manufacturing of your product, but rather that each component should be carefully considered, with your designers asking the question, 'is there a simpler piece that would work?'
Another method of design optimization to reduce costs is to outsource the manufacture of as many of the components as you can. The more your design can make use of parts that have already been designed and are already being manufactured, the easier and less expensive it will be to obtain the parts whenever you need them, and the less need you'll have to keep an overstock of the components, both factors will cut down your production costs.
One more thing your design team can do to cut down on your expenses is to analyze the needs and demands of your potential customers. Which do they like about the product? What attributes could they live without? The more you can focus on the needs of the consumer, and the more you can eliminate those parts of your product that customers don't really care about, the more money you will save and potentially garner more business too.
Last but not least, as the old adage says, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. One of the last things that a manufacturer does before production begins is to thoroughly check the design to make sure it is both optimal and that the product will still do what it is designed to do. CAD software can sometimes be employed to identify flaws in a product's design, potentially saving your company a great deal of time and expense. Design flaws can potentially cost you a lot of money through lost sales, product recalls and redesigning the product.
