Partnership between Value Engineering and the Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages Community to Reduce Ownership Costs

摘要

Value engineering (VE) is a systems engineering tool that employs a structured innovative problem-solving methodology to reduce cost and improve quality and performance of Department of Defense (DoD) systems and processes. It develops solutions by eliminating unnecessary functions and establishing new combinations of functions to be more responsive to the needs of the customer. Diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages (DMSMS) is defined as the loss or impending loss of manufacturers of items or suppliers of items or raw materials. Under DMSMS conditions the resources required to perform a function are increasing or are about to increase significantly. Commonality is high between the DMSMS risk management process and the VE methodology since VE systematically finds innovative solutions that reduce such costs and increase value. This paper discusses eight principal DMSMS resolution options and how VE can make a significant contribution to them using real-life examples. Recommendations are made in several broad areas to institutionalize the relationship between the two communities.