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In the last 20 years lean thinking has found more and more applications in areas beyond manufacturing. Although the benefits of lean thinking in product development have also been widely recognised, a more fundamental set of principles is required that has been derived from established lean enterprise values. In this paper the authors discuss the complex nature of the development or product creation process and derive these principles accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the diagnosis and therapy of human heart diseases, the KAHMO (KArlsruhe Heart MOdel), a patient-specific numerical model of the human heart has been developed. KAHMO consists of the left and right ventricle, the adjacent vessels and the cardiac valves. The movement of the ventricular geometry is prescribed by segmentation from MRI recording sets. Starting from these MRI data sets topologically identical grids for each MRI trigger step are generated. During the simulation a third order approximation between these grids is performed. Blood is regarded incompressible and Non-Newtonian. The simulations were performed using a commercial Navier-Stokes finite-volume (FVM) code (STAR-CD®). With the unsteady boundary conditions provided by a circulation model, the simulations have revealed the three dimensional fluid structures in a healthy human heart as well as in a pathological human left ventricle. For the first time, not only the modified blood flow in the left ventricle but also the flow in the right ventricle was considered. By identifying the changes between the three dimensional flow patterns of the healthy and the pathological human heart, a major opportunity for planning ventricular surgeries is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapid changeover capability is central for today’s thinking concerning responsive, small batch manufacturing. The customer-driven mass customization paradigm places emphasis on satisfying market demands, particularly in terms of product individualization and ready delivery. Changeover capability is prominent in such a time-based manufacturing environment, where successful companies have to be able to adapt swiftly to market turbulence and at the same time avoid the traditionally high unit costs associated with custom made or small volume products. Existing tools to improve changeover performance primarily address retrospective improvement, which can be achieved with an emphasis either on refining the activity of those conducting the changeover or changing the hardware that is worked upon. Although there is a choice as to where emphasis might be directed it has been found that retrospective programs are in practice very often led with a strong emphasis on low expenditure and organizational change. Equipment modification opportunities can be significantly undervalued. Beyond retrospective improvement an excellent changeover capability can also be provided at the outset as an element of overall process equipment capability. The OEM’s challenge to build and market changeover-capable equipment is potentially greatly assisted by the availability of a coherent design for changeover (DFC) methodology, Drawing lessons from the development of various DFX methodologies, including design for assembly and design for variety, this chapter discusses the early development of a design for changeover methodology to assist OEMs and other groups responsible for the design and adaptation of process hardware. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]