Concurrent Engineering within British Industry

Abstract

Many companies, in British industry, are now familiar with the concept and the term Concurrent Engineering (CE), and many claim to practice it. However, the extent to which CE is applied in UK industry is not apparent. This paper presents the results of a CE sur vey addressed to 1400 UK engineering companies, from key industrial sectors, which are engaged in the development of new products. A postal questionnaire was sent, asking questions on facets such as teamwork, tools and techniques, and organisational issues, etc., in order to establish the product development practices conducted within these companies. The survey revealed that the spread of CE is non-uniform between sectors of industry. However, organisations that claim to be concurrent were practicing multifunctional teams, for mal processes, tools and techniques, and project management methodologies. Nevertheless, some small organisations claim to practice CE, without utilising some of the acclaimed methodologies.