Generate VA / VE Ideas Using Visualization Tool 

 Challenge & Selection 

 I am a product design engineer , member of a manufacturing company in the automotive industry .   Our clients are some of the top OEM ’s worldwide , therefore we compete against some of the   market ’s world class suppliers .   The quality and functionality of our product is always assured , which   results proportional to the cost of our products . So here is the challenge , how can we lower our   costs to make a solid impact on the market and make a statement with our current customers for   their upcoming platforms ? The answer we came out was VA / VE ideas ( Value Analysis / Value   Engineering ) , this are cost reductions whether making changes on current product and/or current   process , seeking for a feasible cost saving , without affecting the product ’s quality . 

 The tool selected for this activity is the Visualization Tool , the main reason is because , as the video   said , “ visualization is really the core component of the way we communicate ” . We needed to find   the right way to transmit our ideas to the operations team , and more important , receive feedback   from them , find the areas of improvement , that exist on the day - to - day process . 

 Application 

 We started the process by clarifying to ourselves the following questions : What composes a VA / VE   idea ? How many types of VA / VE exists ? Which ideas can apply to our product / process ? 

 Then , we created a chart with the 10 Target Points we considered as opportunities that can exist in   our process . We named each point as following and added a brief description of what it consists . 

 1 . Replacement : Component or material replacement by another of minor cost with the same 

 function and quality . 

 2 . Size reduction : Reduce component or part size / gauge dimension . Must affect the final 

 condition of the product to be deliver . 

 3 . Abolition : Eliminate a component / part without final product function affectation .   4 . Integration : Modified one component design to integrate two or more functions replacing 

 other part or components , and eventually eliminate . 

 5 . Communization : Implement one component or part , instead of other / s different product 

 with similar characteristics . 

 6 . Relaxation : Minimize acceptance criteria and spec . definitions . Could be dimensional 

 tolerances , coating requirements , test requirements , etc . 

 7 . Waste reduction : Reduce the material utilization for production process ( material ratio 

 improvements are not considered ) . 

 8 . Sourcing Change / Localization : Cost reduction related to tier I or II , replacement , 

 changeability . Include Parts , Assy , Raw material , Std . parts , 

 9 . Process improvement : Operational improvements , welding , assembly & coating process 

 with not affectation or changes in the product delivered . 

 10 . Logistics improvement : Improvements in material handling , internal and external logistics , 

 modules , etc . 

 After determining which where going to be out target points , and applying this methodology   internally on the design department , next step was making a workshop collectively with all the   operations team ( stamping , assembly , quality , welding , logistics , commercial , etc . ) .   We printed big   posters with our Target Points Chart , one for each component that was intended to be reviewed on   the workshop . 

 Additionally , we brought the physical components and prepared visual aids with their corresponding   sub - assemblies . Then , we delivered sticky notes to each of the participants and explained them the   VA / VE principle .   We made three teams , every team was indicated to review each component as a   group and leave sticky notes with their ideas or comments on the corresponding section of the chart ,   some of them even left additional sticky notes directly on the component , which was also   acceptable . Every team consisted of a specialized member of each department ; therefore , we could   warranty that we can consider the perspective and experience from every department on the   activity . 

 Insight & Approach 

 The information obtained applying this tool on the workshop can not be compared to the original   ideas we had with our regular methodology , not in quantity nor quality . For me , the biggest   difference was the way the information was clarified .   We gave the participants specific points to   look at , clarification of each one , with examples and visual aids included , and a specific place to   plasm their thinking . This helped us to manage easily the information and look at it from a point of   view different than the one usually applied on the design department . 

 As lesson learned for further projects , the intention will be prepare more activities based on the   same principle , but this time on a different stage of the process , rather than cost savings from   current production , look for projects that are still on the implementation stage , attack this target   points since the beginning . It ’s easier to negotiate with the customer at this stage , and obviously a   bigger cost benefit is involved . 


EMAIL: 
ID_NUM: 
NAME_STUDENT: 
PHONE_NUM: 
STREET_ADDRESS: 
URL_PERSONAL: 
USERNAME: 

### Task: You are a PII (Personal Identity Information) Detection. Given a essays written by students, you have to identify ONLY the following:
NAME_STUDENT - The full or partial name of a student that is not necessarily the author of the essay. This excludes instructors, authors, and other person names.
EMAIL - A student’s email address.
USERNAME - A student's username on any platform.
ID_NUM - A number or sequence of characters that could be used to identify a student, such as a student ID or a social security number.
PHONE_NUM - A phone number associated with a student.
URL_PERSONAL - A URL that might be used to identify a student.
STREET_ADDRESS - A full or partial street address that is associated with the student, such as their home address.
### Input: Generate VA / VE Ideas Using Visualization Tool 

 Challenge & Selection 

 I am a product design engineer , member of a manufacturing company in the automotive industry .   Our clients are some of the top OEM ’s worldwide , therefore we compete against some of the   market ’s world class suppliers .   The quality and functionality of our product is always assured , which   results proportional to the cost of our products . So here is the challenge , how can we lower our   costs to make a solid impact on the market and make a statement with our current customers for   their upcoming platforms ? The answer we came out was VA / VE ideas ( Value Analysis / Value   Engineering ) , this are cost reductions whether making changes on current product and/or current   process , seeking for a feasible cost saving , without affecting the product ’s quality . 

 The tool selected for this activity is the Visualization Tool , the main reason is because , as the video   said , “ visualization is really the core component of the way we communicate ” . We needed to find   the right way to transmit our ideas to the operations team , and more important , receive feedback   from them , find the areas of improvement , that exist on the day - to - day process . 

 Application 

 We started the process by clarifying to ourselves the following questions : What composes a VA / VE   idea ? How many types of VA / VE exists ? Which ideas can apply to our product / process ? 

 Then , we created a chart with the 10 Target Points we considered as opportunities that can exist in   our process . We named each point as following and added a brief description of what it consists . 

 1 . Replacement : Component or material replacement by another of minor cost with the same 

 function and quality . 

 2 . Size reduction : Reduce component or part size / gauge dimension . Must affect the final 

 condition of the product to be deliver . 

 3 . Abolition : Eliminate a component / part without final product function affectation .   4 . Integration : Modified one component design to integrate two or more functions replacing 

 other part or components , and eventually eliminate . 

 5 . Communization : Implement one component or part , instead of other / s different product 

 with similar characteristics . 

 6 . Relaxation : Minimize acceptance criteria and spec . definitions . Could be dimensional 

 tolerances , coating requirements , test requirements , etc . 

 7 . Waste reduction : Reduce the material utilization for production process ( material ratio 

 improvements are not considered ) . 

 8 . Sourcing Change / Localization : Cost reduction related to tier I or II , replacement , 

 changeability . Include Parts , Assy , Raw material , Std . parts , 

 9 . Process improvement : Operational improvements , welding , assembly & coating process 

 with not affectation or changes in the product delivered . 

 10 . Logistics improvement : Improvements in material handling , internal and external logistics , 

 modules , etc . 

 After determining which where going to be out target points , and applying this methodology   internally on the design department , next step was making a workshop collectively with all the   operations team ( stamping , assembly , quality , welding , logistics , commercial , etc . ) .   We printed big   posters with our Target Points Chart , one for each component that was intended to be reviewed on   the workshop . 

 Additionally , we brought the physical components and prepared visual aids with their corresponding   sub - assemblies . Then , we delivered sticky notes to each of the participants and explained them the   VA / VE principle .   We made three teams , every team was indicated to review each component as a   group and leave sticky notes with their ideas or comments on the corresponding section of the chart ,   some of them even left additional sticky notes directly on the component , which was also   acceptable . Every team consisted of a specialized member of each department ; therefore , we could   warranty that we can consider the perspective and experience from every department on the   activity . 

 Insight & Approach 

 The information obtained applying this tool on the workshop can not be compared to the original   ideas we had with our regular methodology , not in quantity nor quality . For me , the biggest   difference was the way the information was clarified .   We gave the participants specific points to   look at , clarification of each one , with examples and visual aids included , and a specific place to   plasm their thinking . This helped us to manage easily the information and look at it from a point of   view different than the one usually applied on the design department . 

 As lesson learned for further projects , the intention will be prepare more activities based on the   same principle , but this time on a different stage of the process , rather than cost savings from   current production , look for projects that are still on the implementation stage , attack this target   points since the beginning . It ’s easier to negotiate with the customer at this stage , and obviously a   bigger cost benefit is involved .
### Output: 