3675. Weight Management During Engineering Development – 2016 Sawe Survey Results

Paper

Abstract

This is the report of a survey on product weight management during engineering development. The objective is to understand the size, organization and influence of weight engineering teams on a product’s engineering development. The survey was given to members of SAWE (the International Society of Allied Weight Engineers) in the aircraft, spacecraft, marine and land vehicle industries during the 2016 international conference. Data was gathered on:* Weight engineering staff size, experience and documented work instructions* Engineering team reporting structure and responsibility for product weight* Weight goals and weight reduction activities during product development and their impact on the project* The weight engineering focals’ influence on the product design35 responses were received, representing the full range of targeted industries, with most respondents from the aircraft and marine industries. Small (fewer than 100 engineers), medium (100 to 500) and large organizations (more than 500 engineers) are represented.Limited by such a small data set, analysis focused on broad trends and relationships. Common themes are small, aging weight engineering staffs and poor documentation of work instructions, which could hinder knowledge transfer to the next generation. The person the weight engineers report to may not be responsible for meeting the development project weight goal, possibly diluting ‘ownership’ of the weight. Most respondents accept a weight challenge in their projects which may require weight reduction activity to achieve, even when they don’t have a complete understanding of weight risks. Despite challenging weight goals and weight reduction activities, most respondents indicate the weight engineer has little or no influence on the product design.