Analyzing design activities which affect the life-cycle environmental performance of large made-to-order products
The conceptual design of large Made-to-Order (LMTO) products and processes is the primary stage at which material choices, energy consumption and waste production are committed. Decisions made during conceptual design activities will determine the life-cycle environmental performance of the product system throughout its life-cycle. These decisions will be governed by the transfer of environmental information during design activities, such as client environmental objectives, to the engineering disciplines and individuals within those design disciplines. The LMTO design process is complex involving a large design team that must interact over the course of several months. This paper reports on two case-study companies in the large made-to-order engineering sector. The research establishes how environmental requirements are incorporated into key design activities during the design process and what the main barriers are to improving product environmental performance. Key design activities and associated information flows discussed during semi-structured interviews are schematically modelled in order to identify barriers to environmental design during the large made-to-order design process.
design activity modelling environmental design engineering design environmental impact