Monday, June 20, 2011
Ergonomics
It can’t be just me who gets annoyed when stuff isn’t quite where you’d expect it. It doesn’t matter if it’s the supermarket that has shuffled the aisles or a new piece of equipment that doesn’t work in the same way as the old. Some of these really stick in your mind. Twenty years ago I drove a Austin Montego, remember those? It had electric mirrors, that was pretty spectacular back then. The trouble was you had to lean forward to reach the adjustment switch…. I’ll leave you to think that through. Another car that sticks in my mind was a Honda Legend. It had electric seats with preset buttons . The problem here, was my wife always had the seat right forward so every time I drove the car I had to stand in the rain until the seat had wurred back far enough for me to jump in. A manual seat can be banged right back in fractions of a second and adjusted in the dry.
When you’re writing a PDS you can make sure the design complies with the 95 percentile man etc but it the application that always catches you out. Back in my early Girling days I remember my boss panicking because another actuator had snapped off a Twinstop brake fitted to a Ford Transcontinental. It had sailed through it vibration test without an issue. After much heartache he discovered drivers were using it as a step to get into the cab because the steps weren’t convenient!
When you’ve finished the design there’s always a modification or cost down waiting to mess up your work.
A few years ago when my Peugeot 106 was designed the conversion to RHD involved fitting a couple of bell-cranks and a tension tube to operate the brake servo. This seems to work fine. I notice the Citroen C3 uses a torsion bar under the instrument panel. I guess this is probably cheaper but the tube is twice the diameter. Unfortunately on the Picasso version the passenger can push the operating arm with his foot and apply the brakes with a similar level of effort. Citroen are now recalling 20,000 cars to fix the problem.
I doubt very much if the PDS said “ensure the passenger cannot apply or prevent the brakes from actuation” but it will in future won’t it!
Has anybody done a crash test on a RHD car fitted with such a beam???
Monday, January 04, 2010
Environment
I’ve just heard a new word today ‘greenwashing’. It was in response to an electricity company sending out loads of free long live light bulbs to their customers, irrespective of whether they needed, wanted or could use them.
I, along with many others think we should start by reducing waste…
On the same news bulletin was a family who recycled almost all their packaging waste. No mention about how they reduced waste but to be successful I’m sure they purchased low packaging products. My bin seems to be full every week despite recycling everything we’re asked and putting most paper waste in the log burner.
Now that’s enough of personal crusades and the likes, in many cases there is a financial benefit to thinking about the environment. When I started working for Honda in 1996 all components sourced from the EU were delivered in returnable plastic boxes. Yes, the boxes were plastic but in most cases they outlasted the supplier! I figure if the supplier is delivering full boxes, he can usually return with empty boxes at no additional cost.
On the other hand JCB received most components in cardboard boxes, in itself recyclable but often boxes were damaged, fell off of pallets, got punctured of squashed, causing rework, late deliveries and general heartache.
Of course how you package the product isn’t the only thing to be concerned with, what about the product itself?
One lesson I learned was don’t compromise the design for ‘green’ benefits, the customer won’t thank you and at the end of the day the product life will be reduced loosing the green battle anyway.
All engineers with an ear to the ground will be aware of the problems caused by lead free solder; the Xbox 360 is a well documented example.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360_technical_problems
The use of trivalent chrome in the zinc plating process has also caused many issues, inconsistent performance due to handling damage, torque differences in fasteners and the likes. Of course it can be done properly for a price but the learning curve can be expensive.
I also remember a plastic trim part that was made from recycled plastic, unfortunately it soon became damaged by the seat belt clip, try explaining that to your customer…
Remember, I didn’t say don’t try out these new ideas, not that you often have a choice, but DON’T compromise the design. If it’s a new process make sure you fully understand it and have tested it thoroughly.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Energy Consumption
In the West we never consider how much energy a product uses until you don’t have enough of it.
When we tried to run a compressor from a generator and couldn’t start it, the size of the motor became obvious.
I spent a couple of years living in a caravan (14’ 6” touring van) whilst working away from home. Now the choice of a tourist site in Cirencester or a little farm in Minety was an obvious one to me but electric hook-up wasn’t available. It wasn’t a problem as the heating, water, oven and hob were all gas but lighting and TV all consumed electricity. I fitted a 12V inverter to run my satellite receiver and had a small B&W TV. I had a company car so hooking up a good battery was a quick job each night but by the morning it was pretty low. Power consumption suddenly became a real issue, leave the light on OR have a shower in the morning. I don’t know if LCD TV’s are any better, I suspect not.
It seems like the government are finally starting to realise that our old nuclear power stations really need to be shut down but they don’t have the guts to make a decision on the future.
They’ve just about banned traditional light bulbs, to save energy but my new super efficient house appears to be full of 12V 50W spotlights, 300W in the kitchen alone! Why are they still available and promoted? Maybe they think 12V electricity is more efficient? They produce poor lighting and shadows too so one 4’ fluorescent tube would win on all counts, except style.
I remember when Sky TV first launched their Digibox, the engineering magazines were all moaning about having to leave them in standby. Now of course Sky are a ‘carbon neutral’ company (not including the Digibox)!!! and they run adverts telling customers to switch the box into standby. Why can’t they design a box with an off switch like most digital receivers? Sadly, for them, I’m no longer a customer.
I bought a nice AAA rated washing machine but it uses so little water the silicone door seal keeps going mouldy and a replacement is expensive and time consuming.
We burn carbon neutral wood at home instead of sulphur laden coal but now the roof is covered in moss and has to be scrapped off every couple of years.
Anyway when you design a product you really ought to consider how much power it will require and take steps to minimise it, you’ll be thanked in the end.
I do have one proviso though; consider the whole system lifecycle costs and KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid. I guess I’m a bit of a Luddite but don’t add £500 of complex equipment to save £100. Hybrid cars are probably a good idea but step one ought to be to reduce the basic complexity and mass, my 13 year old Peugeot 106 does 60 mpg (UK) diesel and doesn’t have an electronic controller at all. In fact it ran for 3 weeks with a failed alternator one summer. If a Toyota hybrid system was fitted in a 106 without all the crappy TV screens, electric windows, seats and other rubbish then it could be a useful design but bogged down in customer comfort features it won’t suit me so I’ll sit the scrappage scheme out if you don’t mind.
I think I might just expand this section and let you have my thoughts on solar water heating next time, it’s a bit of a diversion but it should be said…..
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Disposal
When you’re designing a product you don’t need to worry about disposal do you? In the car industry it’s easy; just make sure a certain percentage of the plastic bits have the correct recycling mark and the jobs done!
I for one will be a little unhappy when all the supermarkets stop giving away free plastic bags.
Why….
because we always reuse them. Mainly as kitchen waste bin liners, but also to keep stuff dry in our rucksacks or canoes or inversely to prevent our wet swimming towels wetting everything else.
Cynically I’d suggest supermarket bin liner sales have increased in line with the reduction of free bags.
We’ve just got a new Morrisons supermarket and the plastic carrier bags are about 2cm bigger than Sainsburys but so much easier to pack resulting in far fewer bags being required…..
I remember a brake friction chemist saying that at one time all bar four or five solid materials that exists in the ‘real’ world were used in friction materials, when in came to deleting Lead and Antimony on health grounds all they needed to do was miss them out!!!
(They’ll all tell you Asbestos gave a better brake than we’ve got today but as they all retire, we’ll forget).
When it comes to it, I think you need to consider reuse first, followed by remanufacture and recycling but don’t forget the obvious question; Do we actually need the product or all it’s features? If I have to repair another plastic toy within 1 day of purchase I’ll go mad, that’s real waste.
One of my previous employers got a bit upset when a few companies started remanufacturing their new brake caliper. I can understand that, as they still had the original name on the castings, however testing these dubious parts came as a bit of a shock. Some, not all, were better than the originals. The use of Stainless Steel slide pins was prohibitive at OE prices but perfectly acceptable at aftermarket prices and volumes. Providing the parts are remade with care and understanding then it’s got to be good for society and the world. If the OEM gets upset about it they should catch the copying bug rather than crying about all the development costs and the likes. If the original lasted the life of the vehicle there would be no market anyway.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The CUSTOMER
Many years ago we took a brake that had been designed and was in series production in Germany to a Swedish company in the hope of persuading them to buy the same kit.
We were laughed out of the place.
“If you take the cover off you needed 23 very thin fingers to reassemble it.”
“How is a truck repairer meant to rebuild it?”
In Germany, we replied, “The brake housing is a replacement part and not serviceable…”
“but it costs £1500” (1990)
The German truck makers were very happy with the product but the Swedes (and me) would not consider it as it stood and a serious redesign was ordered.
I guess they were happy with the redesign, eventually:-
http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/jpodocs/repts_te/14349.htm
So who really knew their CUSTOMERS?
Well I suspect they both did, to a point. In Germany, German truck makers were king but in Sweden the Swedish manufacturers ruled.
The problem comes when trying to sell outside their comfort zone. European truck makers never really succeeded in the USA until they started buying the companies and likewise US companies in the EU. We’ve still not seen a world car that’s been successful worldwide.
The key to good design is to really understand the customer and if the market is very wide to customise the product to offer different variations in different regions.
Of course you can force the market if you’re big enough.
Does nobody want a kettle that last more than a couple of years?
The UK is full of shops selling cheap tat, we’ve just got another one in Oswestry. So much so that you couldn’t buy a good kettle if you could recognise one.
Recognising a good product is also difficult, I almost bought an expensive cake mixer until I found out everybody I knew who had one had had problems.
Putting a big price tag and a Union Jack doesn’t necessarily bring in repeat customers.
Sochiro Honda was full of wise words like all good company founders I suspect, but one I remember was called ‘Sangen Shugi ‘
Study the actual place, the actual part, the actual situation.
How many times have you spent weeks discussing something only to find you solved it within 30 seconds of seeing the actual situation.
YOU CAN’T SECOND GUESS THE CUSTOMER, GET UP AND FIND OUT WHAT THEY REALLY WANT!
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Understanding the Competitors Design Process
We’ve all heard about reinventing the wheel and no doubt I’ll come to it again when we come to the patent section – but do you REALLY know who your competitors are and how they tick?
In the information age you don’t need to go to the library and trawl through Kelly’s to find similar companies, the internet can produce a whole lot of information in a very short time.
Before you start designing your new product spend a day on the net studying the competition. You WILL discover new competitor all set to steal your market. You may find someone already doing it in a different part of the world.
I discovered a company I’ve been working with had a fringe competitor in New Zealand who had some product in use here in the UK – a phone call and visit produced an excellent learning opportunity.
Since both you and you competitors are both in business one would assume the product has customers and makes money, that’s a bit more difficult to find out but use you imagination, it isn’t impossible. Why do customers buy from you competitors? What can they do that you can’t?
It’s not always design related it could be price (cost is a design issue), service support, delivery etc.
How do these competitors market the product? Do they have features or options you can’t supply? Do they integrate better with other systems?
Of course you’d like to wipe out your competitors but that’s unlikely to happen so designing more openly could give an advantage forcing competitors to design components to suit your basic architecture.
Study their design carefully; there will be a reason for everything they’ve done. Why spend your precious design resource on areas that have already been solved successfully, don’t be too proud to copy their best features, (legal issues aside).
I’m a great fan of Geomag but I hope they know their competitors. My kids have some of the real stuff and some cheap copies. As an adult into serious construction the original is superior, better moulding shapes, stronger magnets etc. BUT it’s twice the price and the kids spend more time rolling it round the floor than actually building so they don’t really care.
Take a look on the Amazon website, 220 pieces of Geomag for £44.99
or 240 pieces of Supermag for £19.99
I don’t know if we have Supermag or some other brand and I’m not suggesting Supermag is inferior but with that huge price difference one would assume they are not really competing for the same customers.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
The Effect of Company Constraints on Product Design
This can be very wide ranging but I think you'll get all these for yourself.
If you're creating a product for a factory in Northern Spain that happens to be at 3000 feet (1000m) above sea level. You ought to be aware that the air pressure is going to be 100mBar below ISA (International Standard Atmosphere) - If that's a problem you need to understand the options.
The company may have done deals with competitors to sell in certain territories or not to sell particular features.In one case I'm aware of this was following a patent infringement settlement.
The automotive trade unions in Spain and Germany have strict wage policies, this impacts the design of cars and makes the use of modules more appealing. I suspect you can ignore the smokescreen of improved quality, reduced inspection etc. and replace it solely with reduced cost. Assembling a complete instrument panel in a factory whose workers are affiliated to the plastic moulders union is much cheaper than assembling it 'in house'.
Of course some assemblies are better build 'offline' but the extent of modularisation is more to do with cost than assembly time and often has a negative impact on serviceability.
> Back to the point - if the product is to be included in a module you need to get it in the PDS.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Styling Industrial Components
Number one in my alphabetical list of things to consider when writing a PDS is Aesthetics.
So you design industrial components for a living and its function that’s important not aesthetics.
Well I can’t deny that the function is pretty serious but if aesthetics isn’t relevant why do RS, Farnell, Screwfix and the like, put photographs next to their descriptions? Of course it’s for identification but I bet you’ve been swayed by the beauty of a product before?
Even with very functional components aesthetics play a part. I remember visiting a potential customer with a big air brake caliper knowing the previous week they’d been to Italy to see a competitors offering. Fortunately for us their function wasn’t quite up to it but it certainly looked good.
Remember everybody’s affected a little bit by aesthetics.
For an engineer it’s function followed by looks. For a buyer it’s price followed by look. Good looks won’t win over the first criteria but they’ll go a long way to winning the business.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Design Specification Considerations
I said I’d write a long list so I’d better get on with it. In future blogs I’ll try and give some examples of each.
I’ve got 33 items in my list; I haven’t changed it for many years so I guess it’s pretty much set in stone. If you know of anything that doesn’t fit in, let me know.
The only ranking to this list is alphabetical and of course you can play with the title words if you want.
1 Aesthetics
2 Company Constraints
3 Competition
4 Customer
5 Disposal
6 Energy Consumption
7 Environment
8 Ergonomics
9 Installation
10 Maintenance
11 Manufacturing Facility
12 Market Constraints
13 Materials
14 Packing
15 Patents
16 Performance
17 Politics
18 Processes
19 Product Cost
20 Product Life Span
21 Quantity
22 Reliability
23 Safety
24 Sales Potential
25 Service Life
26 Shelf Life Storage
27 Shipping
28 Size
29 Standard Specifications
30 Testing
31 Time Scale
32 Users
33 Weight
Depending on your industry and products you can probably cross off a few straight away but don’t be too hasty. The makers of an MP3 player may ignore the ‘installation’ section believing it to apply to factory equipment or the like, with a bit of brain storming however I think I’d put in something about the ease of installation of the batteries or the data transfer interface – maybe the latter could be in the ‘user’ section?
Anyway ponder the list for a while and next time I’ll try and give some thoughts for some of the sections.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Let’s Get Started
So what’s the key to a good product? Well that’s easy isn’t it? You have to offer the product people want, at a price they are prepared to pay, when they want it and of course you have to make a good profit from it as well.
So how do you start the ball rolling then? You’ll know the answer, I suppose but I doubt you do it very well.
You have to write a design specification, brief, PDS or whatever else you may want to call it. It’s a pretty easy job you can give to the graduate trainee sitting in the corner; it should keep him busy for a couple of days at least. He can copy the previous one and just tweak a few paragraphs in the same way he did the FMEA for you.
Now being serious for a moment the PDS is THE MOST IMPORTANT document because it should cover everything you want in the product.
[If you work in an industry that does anything for a consumer i.e. personal buyers you can include loads of stuff they don’t want as well].
I guess that makes the serious bit last for seventeen words then.
I once had a car that had an electric armrest, I wonder who spec’d the motor durability for that?
How about the flex-fix bike rack for the Vauxhall Corsa? Great idea carrying around all that weight for the odd chance you’ll stumble upon a broken down cyclist. I bet they had to delete the spare wheel to save weight as well.
Oh, so it’s meant to be for your own bike is it? Maybe the rack should live in the garage with the bike then?
Of course you’ll have to differentiate your product from the competition but if you can’t do that by adding true value I’d vote for doing something else.
So what do you consider when you write a PDS then?
Well if you’re Airbus making wings in Chester for a fuselage being built in Toulouse then how you’re going to get them together has got to be part if the design spec.
If legislation in one of your sales regions restricts the use of Antimony for example, I’d suggest you get that written down as well.
If your competitors are about to switch from a hydraulic system to an electro-mechanical one you’d better be aware of it and unless it will not be acceptable to your customer you should have a good reason for disallowing it from your design.
I’m sitting next to an old Ferrograph Reel to Reel tape recorder at the moment, once pride of the BBC. It’s 45 x 45 x 22 cm. On my desk is a Creative Zen Nano which does a better job and is 65 x 30 x 15 mm. You did notice the unit change didn’t you? I’m in the process of digitising some old master tapes rather than copying the LP’s, which would be easier of course. Now my point is, if you worked for Ferrograph, could your designers come up with an MP3 player and still meet your PDS?
Ferrograph with Nano sitting on the Head Cover
Now when I said it was an easy job, I REALLY was joking. Writing a good PDS is very hard, takes a lot of time and involves a lot of people. If you don’t get it right the product is very likely to flop.
Next time I’ll give you a list of the things I’d consider.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Design - In the Beginning
For my first post I’ve decided to start at the beginning, Genesis! Yep, even God had a design spec, test spec and a timing plan so there’s nothing new is there. The trouble is we know better now and we have computers and project managers and the like. Well I suppose God didn’t have to worry about finicky customers did he?
Ah, customers, forget all that crap about internal customers in other departments, as far as I can see they’re all part of the same team aren’t they? Real customers pay hard cash for your goods or service, in case you hadn’t heard, credit’s a dirty word now. They also have a choice of buying from someone else, maybe not right now but at some time in the future, one former colleague, a Japanese buyer always used to remind his suppliers that an elephant never forgets, sorry Direct Line, Sky TV, Freedom 2 Surf, neither do I ;-)
The customer is always right isn’t he, so when the salesman comes back with a new idea the design department jump on it don’t they. This is an easy project isn’t it, the salesman is back to the customer in no time with a role of beautiful 3D renderings from the flashy new CAD system and prototypes are being knocked up for testing.
Well if the truth must be known the salesman isn’t some sort of marketing god, he picks up on your present customer’s requirements but he’s unlikely to know much about the customers you’ve lost or the new products from your competitors, or new technology etc. so you end up diluting your existing product base. Still he probably knows more that the big man who walks in and says ‘do this or that or else!’
We all know of the products that didn’t do well in the market, the Sinclair C5, Betamax and for the younger readers HD-DVD, the Toshiba rival to Blu-ray.
Of course all manufacturers worth their salt use some sort of gate review process nowadays so we can’t have product failures can we? In my opinion not enough time is spent fixing the requirements up front and the reviewers are too soft to stop a project at the early gates so development still trundles on at huge cost to the final gate when the shit really hits the fan.
That’s enough moaning, next time I’ll tell you how I’d do it…….