Applying systematic design: the flight refuelling probe project

This report is a product of close industry-academia collaboration between British Aerospace and the Cambridge Engineering Design Centre (EDC). British Aerospace designs and integrates some of the most complex systems in the world, and its expertise in this field has enabled the company to become the United Kingdom's largest exporter. However, to stay at the forefront of the highly competitive aerospace industry it is necessary to seek new ways to work more effectively and more efficiently. The Cambridge EDC has played a part in supporting these needs by providing access to the methods and tools that it has developed for improving the process of designing mechanical systems. The EDC has gained an international reputation for the quality of its work in this subject. Thus, the collaboration is between two organisations each of whom are leaders in their respective fields. The central aim of the project has been to demonstrate how a systematic design process can be applied to a real design task identified by industry. The task selected was the design of a flight refuelling probe which would enable a combat aircraft to refuel from a "flying tanker". However, the systematic approach, methods and tools described in this report are applicable to most engineering design tasks. The findings presented in this report provide a sound basis for comparing the recommended systematic design process with industrial practice. The results of this comparison would enable the company to define ways in which its existing design process can be improved. This research project has a high degree of industrial relevance. The value of the work may be judged in terms of the opportunities it opens up for positive changes to the company's engineering operations. Several members of the EDC have contributed to the project. These include Dr Lucienne Blessing, Dr Stuart Burgess, Dr Amaresh Chakrabarti, Major Mark Nowack, Aylmer Johnson and Dr Paul Weaver. At British Aerospace special thanks must go to Alan Dean and David Halliday for their interest and the support they have given. The project has been managed by Dr Nigel Upton of British Aerospace during a 3 year secondment to the EDC.

Developing a framework for make-or-buy decisions

The make-or-buy question represents a fundamental dilemma faced by many companies. Companies have finite resources and cannot always afford to have all manufacturing technologies in-house. This has resulted in an increasing awareness of the importance of make-or-buy decisions. This paper reports on the development of a make-or-buy framework to address the make-or-buy decision for either a specific individual part or family of parts. Firstly, a literature review of the principal make-or-buy approaches is discussed. Secondly, the development of a make-or-buy framework is described and the framework is explained and illustrated using case studies. Thirdly, the operationalisation of the framework is outlined. The paper concludes with a discussion of its contribution to both the academic understanding of the subject, and the improvement of industrial practice.