Product Design and Process Planning

This chapter introduces the activities of market research, forecasting, product design (what is going to be manufactured), process planning (how is the product going to be manufactured), and schedule design (when is the product going to be manufactured). These activities precede the facility design process and provide the data for analysis. Discussions include fundamental internal functions serving as the platform on which facilities planning strategies are developed and coordinated to reach the company’s goals. A product is chosen to illustrate through the various chapters of the textbook the six sections of the project. Sections I and II of the factory design project are illustrated in this chapter using the selected product.