ME/ESD Seminar

A Decision-Based Design Approach for Integrating Enterprise Product Planning and Engineering Product Development

Abstract:
The Decision-Based Design (DBD) approach, along with the Discrete Choice Analysis (DCA) method for demand modeling, has been developed as a collaborative product design approach that provides a rigorous mathematical framework for integrating enterprise product planning and engineering product development. In this talk, the fundamental principles of DBD will be introduced. We will also introduce some recent developments in DBD approach, including the Product Attribute Function Deployment (PAFD) method that guides the translation or mapping of non-quantitative marketing preferences to quantitative performance measures for concept selection and engineering targets setting; the development of a Market-Driven Product Family Design (MPFD) methodology to systematically examine the impact of increasing the variety in product offerings across different market segments; and the development of a multi-level optimization formulation for managing the organizational and computational complexities in implementing the DBD approach.

About Dr. Chen:
Dr. Wei Chen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University. She is the director of the Integrated DEsign Automation Laboratory (IDEAL). Her research goal is to develop rational design methods based on mathematical optimization techniques and statistical methods for use in complex design and manufacturing problems. Her current research involves issues such as robust design, reliability engineering, simulation-based design, multidisciplinary optimization, and decision-based design under uncertainty. Dr. Chen received her Ph.D. from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1995. She is the recipient of the 1996 US National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Award and the 1998 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Pi Tau Sigma Gold Medal achievement award. She is the recent recipient of the 2005 Intelligent Optimal Design Prize and the 2006 SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational award. Dr. Chen is a member of ASME, AIAA, and SAE. She is an Associate Editor of the ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, a review editor of Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization, and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Engineering Optimization. She also serves as the Chair of the ASME Design Automation Executive Committee.