The role of manufacturing is threefold; influence the design; prepare for production (plan); and execute the manufacturing plan. The manufacturing plan should reflect the design intent, ensure repeatable processes, and focus on continuous process and product improvement. The goal of manufacturing is to deliver "uniform, defect-free product that provide consistent performance at an affordable price (life cycle cost). Figure 4-1 illustrates how the role and goal of manufacturing fits into the acquisition life cycle framework. In the early phases the role is to influence the design, that is to accomplish the producibility engineering tasks. Producibility engineering is recognized as one of the major factors in being able to achieve affordability targets. The second role is to plan for production. This requires an assessment of manufacturing feasibility and the identification of manufacturing risks and gaps. Then the development of a manufacturing strategy and plan for reducing the risks, maturing the manufacturing processes and for filling the gaps. As you move out of R&D you need to continue to reduce manufacturing risks by maturing the manufacturing processes to the point that as you approach Milestone C and Low Rate Initial Production you should have demonstrated all manufacturing processes in a pilot line and by now should have "no significant manufacturing risks." Then once you enter production it is a matter of executing the manufacturing plan and delivering uniform, defect-free product. Product that delivers consistent performance (predictable) and is affordable. Many manufacturing and quality assurance processes, such as variability reduction, have a direct correlation to long term performance (reliability) and to the ability to get a product back into serviceable condition after a failure (maintainability). Achieving high reliability with low maintenance costs will drive down life cycle costs and the logistics tail required by the warfighter.
Figure 4-1 The Role and Goal of Manufacturing
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