Streamlining Engineering Change Processes

CHALLENGE: Manual NPDI Change Processes Take Too Long

Manual change processes make it hard to track and approve changes quickly, leading to delays in getting products designed under cost and delivery targets. Manual or paperbased engineering change request/order (ECR/ECO) processes also do not support parallel team reviews unless you meet physically as a change control review board (CCB). With distributed teams, physical meetings are no longer practical. With manual serial review processes, companies struggle to track, review, and collaborate effectively around the latest design. Slower and siloed review processes delay product launches and result in issues ranging from increased scrap and rework to higher product development costs.

SOLUTION: Automating Change Approvals

Arena helps streamline the ECO approval process with automated routings and review cycles based on specified criteria like change types, priorities, and product lines. All internal and external reviewers are notified through automated email and application notifications. All edits are made to a single, shared version visible to all impacted groups. Impacted teams collaborate around the latest change information and can view cycletime performance, while monitoring change progress across multiple product lines. External supply chain partners can easily participate in the ECO process with read only, edit, and/or approval rights based on the access policies assigned. Automated reviews accelerate early NPD and provide better collaboration with production teams during NPI.