Return on engineering: Design to cost for electric engine production

Producing companies for electric traction engines used in electric cars are faced with new challenges as production volumes and market demands change frequently. Missing standards in the product and production development process itself increase the expenses for development and production of an electric engine. As 70% of the product costs are determined by the product development and still generated solutions do not meet the required project cost targets, the focus of electric engine companies needs to be shifted to the product and process development. Therefore, the Return on Engineering approach pursues the maxim of forcing the cost target particularly in the early stages of development. This paper presents an approach to structure the product and process development process by modularizing the production process following the product architecture of an electrical engine. Thereby, the producing companies have the opportunity to decrease product costs and shorten their development process. The approach is being clarified with the aid of an exemplary development process of an electric engine for small city-cars. Especially technology chains for component production as well as final assembly are considered.