The number of parts in an product is one of the major cost drivers. TeamSET helps to reduce the number of parts by identifyng the ones which must be separate from all the other essential parts ('A' parts). This gives a measure of theoretical minimum number of parts, and guidance as to which could potentially be combined or eliminated.
There are three fundamental reasons why a part must be separate:
Each part is examined in this way. If you answer 'yes' to all three questions in a row you have an essential 'A' part. Answering 'no' to a question in each row makes it a non-essential 'B'part, and a candidate for elimination. Some parts are obviously 'B' parts. These can be declared without working through the analysis.
We assess the effectiveness of a design by calculating the design efficiency. This is the ratio of 'A' parts to the total number of parts. The acceptable value of design efficiency varies depending on the type of product, but 60% is a good target to aim for.
