The research is to study the implementation of design methodologies used for an innovative material handling process to be built by a forest products company. It is an opportunity to interact with an actual industrial design process as it occurs in industry, and to document that process. Design criteria include quality, cost, and functional requirements. New design tools are being used in this process. Tools used in the design process include, among others, a new approach under development by the principal investigator called "Design for Fragmented Groups." Development of more accurate, tested quality and cost models, especially at the preliminary or conceptual design stages, is essential to support effective concurrent design.
