All profitable companies have the desire to create and maintain
a competitive advantage; however, actually achieving this initiative in the
product design industry has become more challenging than ever. Today’s competitive landscape, combined with
the pace of technology advancements, emerging markets, product compliance and
employee retention, are taking their toll on product quality. Compounding the issue is consumers’ demand
for greater performance at a lower price.
Design optimization is no longer a nice-to-have, but rather, a
fundamental necessity for effectively competing in today’s environment.
CFD analysis has become a more integral part of the product development strategy given the ability to assess and gain confidence in design performance prior to investments in testing and tooling. However, is CFD tool capability alone enough? Or is it only one prerequisite for efficiently introducing CFD analysis into the design process? Is experience and expertise with CFD analysis even more instrumental when leveraging for rapid design optimization and launching products with superior first-time quality and innovation?
It’s becoming clear for many organizations that leveraging strengths is a critical component to product development success and operational efficiency, and they have begun embracing a collaborative consulting model for CFD analysis. Why is that? Maybe it’s because the analysis process is left to the analysis experts and the design process left to the design experts. Or maybe it’s because it ensures the designer’s historical product knowledge is combined with the design insight provided by the CFD analysis expert to produce a viable design solution in an efficient and timely manner.
Organizations are seeking a process that encourages a continuous flow of bi-directional information between subject matter experts to ensure all design guidance and ideas exchanged fit within product constraints for cost, manufacturability, size and aesthetics. With respect to maximizing the benefits of CFD, it seems these organizations may have found what they’ve been looking for in collaborative consulting for CFD analysis!