Cost-optimized planning of changes in the production of safety-critical components through systematic manufacturing change management

Manufacturing companies are exposed to a variety of circumstances that make it necessary to adapt existing products and the components that these products are composed of. Shorter product life cycles, fluctuating customer requirements and dynamic markets are examples of this. However, the adaptation of existing components can only be achieved by adapting the existing manufacturing process sequence on the basis of which the components are manufactured. Adapting an existing manufacturing process sequence to implement a required component change is a particular challenge for manufacturers of safety-critical components for medical technology and aerospace. On the one hand, legally required certifications must be carried out after adjustments to the components as well as the manufacturing process, which can account for a significant portion of the modification costs. On the other hand, it must already be ensured in the planning phase of the manufacturing changes (MCs) that the required component change can be implemented without endangering the component functionality. In order to make the planning of MCs for safety-critical components cost-efficient, it is therefore necessary to integrate necessary certification efforts as well as the guarantee of component functionality into the planning process. The objective of this project is to investigate the interrelationships between required changes of features of safety-critical components and their cost-optimized implementation by adapting existing manufacturing process sequences.  Based on the research of the correlations, the development of a methodology for the identification, evaluation and analysis of MCs is aimed at. It should be emphasized that not only the most economical MC for the implementation of the component change should be designed, but also the planning process itself should be designed cost-efficiently.