Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

MPhil StudyCAD Centre, University of Strathclyde

RPD2001 Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

ContentsContentsBackgroundMPhil ResearchContextDesign Process ComparisonImplementing VITALSummary

• Research Background – VITAL Project

• MPhil Research

• Automotive Design Process Context

• Comparison of Automotive Design Process against Published Design Process

• Improving Cosmetic Quality – Implementing VITAL

• Summary

RPD2001 Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

Research BackgroundContentsBackgroundMPhil ResearchContextDesign Process ComparisonImplementing VITALSummary

MPhil study builds on the research conducted within VITAL project.

VITAL Project is concerned with the development of tools for the Visualisation of the Impact of Tolerance ALlocation in automotive design.

Funded by: Data Supplied by:

Supported by:

RPD2001 Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

Hardware CentredDevelopment

Software CentredDevelopment

VITAL is assessingcosmeticquality

Future

Product Development & VITAL Project

RPD2001 Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

Overall GoalContentsBackgroundMPhil ResearchContextDesign Process ComparisonImplementing VITALSummary

•To enable multi-disciplinary design teams

•To visualise the external aspects of an automobile

•Within a realistic model of the physical environment

•At conceptual design stage

RPD2001 Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

Cosmetic QualityContentsBackgroundMPhil ResearchContextDesign Process ComparisonImplementing VITALSummary

•Can loosely be defined as the “Look” of the product.

•How can Cosmetic Quality be consistently assessed when it has no agreed definition?

•Considers Gap and flushness.

•Can dramatically affect customer perception of the product.

RPD2001 Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

Case Study – Rover 75ContentsBackgroundMPhil ResearchContextDesign Process ComparisonImplementing VITALSummary

RPD2001 Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

Cosmetic Quality - ExampleContentsBackgroundMPhil ResearchContextDesign Process ComparisonImplementing VITALSummary

Bad Good

RPD2001 Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

Real and Virtual Comparison

Real Virtual

RPD2001 Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

MPhil ResearchContentsBackgroundMPhil ResearchContextDesign Process ComparisonImplementing VITALSummary

• Investigate the implementation opportunities of such technology within both published and applied design/development processes.

• Compare general published design process models with those applied within the automotive industry.

• Consider the potential cosmetic quality improvements and business benefits of such technology.

RPD2001 Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

Design Process ContextContentsBackgroundMPhil ResearchContextDesign Process ComparisonImplementing VITALSummary

• Two automotive companies targeted for case studies– Rover

– Jaguar

• Investigate the automotive design/development process adopted in terms of,– The stages of the process

– Roles and responsibilities

– Information flows

– Related component/design sub-processes

– Departmental structure

RPD2001 Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

Rover Design/Development

Product Vision

Strategy & Planning

Concept Definition

Concept Development

Concept Confirmation

Design Development

Validation Maturation

0 1 2 3 B C D E

BUSINESS TEMPLATE

PRODUCT TEMPLATE

PRODUCT SELECTION

D-ZERO D-02 D-1

Target Review

VOLUME

RPD2001 Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

Design Process Model Comparison

ContentsBackgroundMPhil ResearchContextDesign Process ComparisonImplementing VITALSummary

Compare applied design process models (Jaguar & Rover) with accepted design process models.

• Similarities, irregularites

• Where and when is cosmetic quality assessed

• Stages, tasks where VITAL could be applied

RPD2001 Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

Implementing VITALContentsBackgroundMPhil ResearchContextDesign Process ComparisonImplementing VITALSummary

Evaluating VITAL highlighted the following issues:

• Concern about the number of processes & software tools that would be needed to be integrated.

• How and where would these processes and tools would be integrated within the automotive design/development process.

MPhil study should:

• Recommend an implementation plan for VITAL.

• State the areas where VITAL will impact upon in order to drive product cosmetic quality.

RPD2001 Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

SummaryContentsBackgroundMPhil ResearchContextDesign Process ComparisonImplementing VITALSummary

The potential benefits of VITAL are:• Business Case

– Design process impact• Shortened lead times• More centralised design teams• Earlier consideration of tolerances

– Reduced costs• Less design re-work• Less physical prototypes

– Training, process re-organisation

• Cosmetic Quality– Customer Perception– Higher Build Quality

RPD2001 Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

VITAL DemonstrationContentsBackgroundMPhil ResearchContextDesign Process ComparisonImplementing VITALSummary

RPD2001 Improving Cosmetic Quality in the Automotive Design Process

Stephen Taylor

QZ AuditingContentsBackgroundMPhil ResearchContextDesign Process ComparisonImplementing VITALSummary

QZ - ‘Qualitats Zahl’ - Zero Quality

• Assess the car from the customers point of view.

• Make the designer think about quality from the beginning of the design process

• QZ involves attaching a score to the vehicle being audited. It is a representation of the level of quality.

• It should be applied as early as possible in the

design process.