Integrated Evaluation of Design Task Assignment and Manufacturing Operation Distribution in a Multi-plant Collaborative System

In a multi-plant collaborative design and manufacturing system, the different parts of a product can be assigned to different design teams and designed at different plants. In addition, the parts of a product can be distributed and manufactured at different plants located at different geographical locations. There exist various ways for assigning the different parts to the different design teams and distributing the different parts to the available plants. If different ways are used for assigning and distributing the parts to the multi-plants, the cost for the product will be different. Moreover, if the parts are designed by different design teams, the total time for completing the design and the final functional performance of the product can also be different. In this research, assignment of design tasks and distribution of manufacturing operations are combined in an integrated evaluation model. The cost factors in a collaborative design and manufacturing system are identified and defined. The design related costs include design operational cost and design communication cost. The manufacturing related costs include manufacturing operational cost, setup cost, transportation cost, machining cost, assembly cost, and labor cost. The main constraints are set by the final total completion time and the final product performance of a product design case. A mathematical model is formulated to assign the design tasks and distribute the manufacturing operations with an objective of minimizing the total design and manufacturing cost. Implementation and test results of example products are presented.