A Model-Based Approach to Trade-Space Evaluation Coupling Design-Manufacturing–Supply Chain in the Early Stages of Aircraft Development

Product design and supply chain management are research domains extensively explored
in literature. In the last decades, many studies have highlighted that the integration of these
two main domains is a key competence for manufacturing companies to increase profitability
and efficiency. However most of these studies optimize the supply chain after freezing the
design of the product, still considering the supply chain as the following step in product design.
This paper presents a value-driven model-based approach that concurrently links product
design to supply chain in the frame of aerospace system design. The modelling of the
information flow exchanged between three domains - Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Overall
Aircraft Design – represents the first challenge addressed in this paper. Support decision
makers in finding the best alternative in a tradespace of proposed solutions, based on measures
coming from multiple domains, is the key role of the value model usage. Hence, the challenge
of formalizing and modeling the selection criteria in accordance with the decision makers’
expectations. The main output is the “utility-cost” trade-space in which the global design
solution combines manufacturing and aircraft performance with the main aspects of the
supply chain. Case studies set-up with the support of the industrial partners demonstrate the
strengths of this methodology, the possible applications and improvements. According to the
industrial partners, this method could represent a key support tool that aerospace companies
might use during the early stages of aircraft development when strategic decisions have to be
taken.