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bottom-up approaches. The former ensures that supply chain con gurations are in line with overall strategic ob- jectives and priorities; the latter that proper attention has been paid to detailed operational issues.
In many ways three-dimensional concurrent engineer- ing (3DCE) can be considered as a further extension of systems thinking. Product design was traditionally car- ried out in a highly sequential and silo-based manner. The inevitable result was excessively lengthy times-to- market for new products. The new product introduc- tion (NPI) process developed to adopt more of a focus on product manufacturability (design for manufacture or DFM) with the move to so-called concurrent (or si- multaneous) approaches. 3DCE extends this beyond the production process to incorporate a supply chain dimension. As depicted in Figure 2, 3DCE is concerned with the simultaneous design of products, processes and supply chains.
Figure 2: Three-dimensional concurrent engineering (3DCE)
This approach is based on the adage that “the supply chain begins on the drawing board”. It recognises that in addition to production processes being speci ed dur- ing the design process, supply chain components also need to be determined. These components include as-
pects of sourcing, supplier identi cation and supplier relationship management (SRM), as well as distribution network design, logistics service provider (LSP) identi - cation and customer relationship management (CRM). In this way, 3DCE extends DFM to “Design for Total Sup- ply Chain Management” (DFTSCM) and aims to create a more integrated NPI process. Such processes offer the potential of reduced time-to-market for new products, as well as other cost and customer service bene ts.
Some concluding comments
The dynamic and competitive business environment requires that rms continuously reassess their supply chain capability and performance. In the old adage – standing still equals falling behind! In other words, or- ganisations need to change to retain or enhance com- petitive advantage. This should never be about change for the sake of change; rather it should be focussed on the development of change processes that make de- monstrable positive impacts on key supply chain per- formance indicators in the areas of cost and customer service in particular. In this context, innovation across all aspects of the supply chain in the key, i.e. the identi ca- tion of new and better ways of doing things. However (and as noted above), there is evidence of a divergence between theory and practice in relation to SCM imple- mentation. This is where the engineering approach has the potential to make a big difference. The adoption of systems thinking in the design and reengineering of supply chain offers the potential of signi cant improve- ment as a result of tackling the challenges in a logistical and holistic manner. 3DCE takes this a step further by putting supply chain and logistics issues at the centre of new product design and introduction processes. This also offers huge potential given that the supply chain starts on the drawing board. Finally, my experience sug- gests that people and learning are the most important critical success factors in making this happen. The adop- tion of innovative approaches requires logistics and sup- ply chain professionals who are equipped with the right skills, knowledge and competencies. This has implica- tions for education and training, as well as for wider staff development initiatives in our profession.
Three-dimensional concurrent engineering (3DCE)
Edward Sweeney, BA, BAI, MPhil, PhD, PGCert, FCILT, FCMI, FRSA is Professor of Logistics and Head of the Engineering Systems and Management (ESM) Group at Aston University in Birmingham, UK. He was also recently appointed Director of the newly launched Aston Logistics and Systems Institute. He is a committee member of CILT West Midlands region and was elected Chair of the CILT’s Logistics Research Network (LRN) by his peers in 2015. He is a former winner of the “Member of the Year” award of CILT in Ireland and of the James Cooper Memorial Cup of CILT(UK) for the best PhD thesis on a supply chain or logistics topic in the UK or Ireland. Edward joined Aston from the National Institute for Transport and Logistics (NITL) in Dublin where he was Director. He has also held full-time academic posts at the University of Warwick and the University of Technology, Malaysia (UTM), as well as visiting positions at several institutions in Asia and North America. He is currently Visiting Professor at the University of Kuala Lumpur (UniKL). His research has been widely published and he sits on the editorial boards of several leading international logistics journals. Edward has worked in close collaboration with many of the world’s leading companies across many sectors including electronics, food and drink, life sciences and logistics. His current work focusses on the issues of supply chain sustainability and inte- gration, with particular reference to the divergence between theory and practice. This article is based on the invited CILT alumni lecture that he delivered at the Engineers’ club in Dublin in November 2015.
THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF LOGISTICS & TRANSPORT 21
EDWARD SWEENEY