Concurrent Engineering Model for the Implementation of New Products in the Textile Industry: A Case Study

Concurrent engineering (CE) aims to provide a collaborative environment in which all involved parties work simultaneously to optimize resources. However, some aspects can make it hard to implement in organizations. This study presents the development of a CE model and its implementation in a Mexican textile maquiladora. The information about the process was obtained using administrative and quality tools (brainstorming, Pareto and Ishikawa charts, flowcharts, spreadsheets). A CE model based on the management of new products was designed, in consideration of the enterprise culture. The workgroup evaluated the proposed model in two projects to verify the functionality. The time for the development and approval of prototypes was reduced from three months to one. Now the process has a robust design, having identified design problems, potential operator errors, and bottlenecks. Losses from raw material replacements and reworks decreased by 39.4%, and there was an additional cost saving of 22.86%. CE implementation is not easy; the firsts steps are to change the organizational culture and the training of employees to work collaboratively.