How did IBM change the way Manufacturing engaged during the product life cycle?
Originally, products were initially funded by the laboratories until the Initial Business Proposal. Manufacturing was typically not involved until after the Business Review and its role was to develop a process for a product that was already set. The phrase “we can develop a process for anything you can throw over the wall at us” was an informal slogan at that time. However, the competition pushed IBM to move Manufacturing’s involvement earlier in the cycle. Now, there is an integrated team from the start in an integrated product team. This has led to shorter product development cycles and improved design for manufacture. Question 10: Why did IBM decide to shift more to designing the product for the manufacturing process instead of designing the manufacturing process around the product? This occurred because the advances in manufacturing processes as well as competitive demands dictated this change. The need for a shortened product development cycle meant that the manufacturing process
