Case Study:Utilizing Round-Table Plastic Design Reviews to Promote Plastics Engineering ExcellenceSPE ANTEC 2016David Tucker PMP, MBA, MS / May 24, 2016

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Contributing Authors- and Great Team Members

• Tristan Askman , HP Inc.• Gerry Lazo, HP Inc. • Michael Gadwell, Flex• Nicholas Wang, Flex • Kushagra Sharma, Flex • Ron Shapton, Flex

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Project Introduction

• The new product evaluated for this case study has the following project scope

– Introduction of 700+ custom injection molds

– Collaboration between 50+ design engineers

– Communication between 3 different Geographic Regions

– Aggressive Release Schedule

• The success of meeting product development objectives depends on the utilization of effective communication strategies from project initiation through production.

• The adoption of a the correct plastic part review process and release planning was at the crux of project.

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Mission, Objectives, and Goals

4 MOGSA Structure

1) Identify the Project Mission

2) Identify the Supporting Objectives

3) Identify the Supporting Goals

Miss

ion

Obj

ectiv

esSt

rate

gies

Actio

nsGo

als

Reduce Costs Make Quality Products

Best system for Plastic Part Design

Release

Enable parts on TIme

Timing Plan Increase

Communication

Reduce Variable

Costs

Reduce Fixed Cost

Provide Mentorship

Enable New Technologies

Relationships with

Stakeholders

Team Formations

Collaborative Team Formation

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Alternatives

Process: Strategies and Actions

MOGSA Structure6

4) Compare the Alternatives

5) Identify the resulting actions

Miss

ion

Obj

ectiv

esSt

rate

gies

Actio

nsGo

als

Reduce Costs Make Quality Products

Determine Gate

Placement

Determine Tool Criteria

Optimize Design for

Plastic

Best system for Plastic Part Design

Release

Enable parts on TIme

Timing Plan

Reduce Production

Issues

Increase Communicati

on

Validate Design Using Simulation

Reduce Variable

Costs

Reduce Fixed Cost

Provide Mentorship

Collaborative Team

Formation

Linear Release System

Provide Tooling DFM

Enable New Technologies

Relationships with

Stakeholders

Prioritize Workflow

The Round-Table Process

• To solve problems associated with project complexity, the plastic product development process evolved to utilize increased face-to-face communication as the primary method of communication

• The team used the term “Round-Table Review” to describe the collaborative team system and process that was implemented

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“noting or pertaining to a conference, discussion, or deliberation in which each participant has equal status, equal voice, and equal time”

Definition of Round Table

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• Guiding Visions– Organize a small team of peers

– Keep it Simple

– Have Respect

– Trust your team

– Focus on problem identification

– Evaluate using different perspectives

• Meetings are informal in nature, and do not use systematic rating systems or advanced evaluation techniques.

• Establish some discussion points to keep the review process flowing

About the Process

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Discussion Points

Perspective #1 Project Management– What is the schedule?

– Is there a prioritization for part or component?

– Assignment of a plastics owner to provide a point of contact

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Project Management | Tooling | Plastic Design | Plastic Processing

Discussion Points

Perspective #2 Tooling– What is the estimated usage?

– Is the part cosmetic?

– Establishment of gate strategy to obtain design objective

– Identification of any special requirements

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Project Management | Tooling | Plastic Design | Plastic Processing

Discussion Points

Perspective #3 Plastic Design– Discuss the part function?

– Natural Cavity/Core Split of the design

– Top level design rule violations

– Discussion on alternative plastic design solutions that better accomplish the design goals

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Project Management | Tooling | Plastic Design | Plastic Processing

Discussion Points

Perspective #4 Plastics Processing– Identification of the material

– General Processing Discussion

– Identify long term concerns with production

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Project Management | Tooling | Plastic Design | Plastic Processing

So… What Happened?

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We improved in key areas.

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100

Mold Simulation

Before

After

Spent more time performing simulations to support the Design

Develop an injection mold manufacturing strategy

– Developed and validated of Gating Strategy

– Identify thick and thin areas

– Validate the design details/features

– Predict cosmetic defects

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Face to Face communication of Simulation results enables non molding experts to understand the value of the tools.

Plan for Parts on Schedule

Project management and planning enables discussions regarding design release and production planning. Establishment of release schedule

• Clear communication with vendors to understand resource utilization and limitations

• Clear communication with engineers to understand resource utilization and limitations

• Parts released to vendors had improved manufacturability. Enabled to hit the ground running.

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Both internal and external stakeholders benefit from communication

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Schedule Improvements

Before

After

Explore using Alternate Methods to Solve Design Problems

Early discussion allows the team to focus on solutions up front and to plan for utilization of new production methods

Some of the new technologies adopted during this process were

– Two Shot Injection Molding

– Gas Assist Injection Molding

– Sequential Valve Gate

– Family Tooling

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Collaborative Review Process enables the Assessment and Implementation of New Ideas and Methods

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New Technology

Before

After

Collaboration Provides Mentorship to the Participants of the Group

Discussing and collaborating on technical issues resulted in team members learning and knowledge transfer.

The following skill areas showed improvement:

– Project Management

– Part Design

– Tool Design

– Processing

– Communication

– Mold Simulation

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Working together helps team members learn and share.

Making the team and product better

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100

Skill Level

Before

After

Benefits Summary

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0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Mold Simulation New Technology Schedule Improvements Skill Level

Before

After

ConclusionThe product quality, cost, and execution all benefited from the use of the Round-Table design review discussions. These improvements were measured by the assessment criteria discussed.

– Mold Simulation Utilization

– Improvement in Parts on Time

– New Technology Adoption

– Development of employee skillset

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Above all the group members and culture of the plastics organization of HP inc.improved. The change has enabled better technology assessment and planning within the organization.

Photo by: David TuckerDeath Valley NevadaAfter ANTEC 2015

Thank you

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PANEL DISCUSSION: Bridging the Departmental Divide Cross-functional empathy: Getting the interdisciplinary gears to mesh

MODERATOR: • David Dombrowski, Director – Industrial Design & Innovation, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare

PANELISTS: • Sam DuPlessis, Design Lead, GE Appliances & Director, FirstBuild • Denise Greenwell, Global Market Development Mgr., Berry Plastics Corp.• Albert McGovern, Director - Mechanical Engineering, Shure Inc. • David Tucker, Plastics Sourcing Engineer, HP Inc.

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