Exploring the use of design-manufacturing integration (DMI) to facilitate product development: a test of some practices

This article reports results of a quantitative study of design-manufacturing integration (DMI) practices hypothesized to facilitate effective new product development (NPD). Results of a mail survey to manufacturing engineering managers indicate that effective NPD may best be facilitated by DMI practices such as group-based evaluation for design and manufacturing, and use of tools and techniques to transfer manufacturing information to design. However, some practices that are regularly cited as NPD facilitators in the literature (e.g., design-manufacturing rotation) are negatively and significantly related to NPD. These results may indicate that managers should be cautious when implementing DMI practices that integrate design and manufacturing directly. Results of further analysis indicate that DMI practices are significantly related to effective NPD for new products, but not for product enhancements. In addition, the DMI practices tested in this study tend to facilitate achievement of time and performance goals, but not cost and quality goals. Future research is necessary to examine the dynamics and intensity of different DMI practices with respect to different project types and goals.