Abstract
An Engineering Change (EC) to a product can be defined as any modification to the parts, drawings, or software after the product has been released to the market. To drive continuous product improvement and innovation, organisations must engage in and promote engineering changes. Engineering changes are generally born from customer complaints (warranty claims) and or form part of the product lifecycle [1].
The research presented in this minor dissertation aims to study the factors that positively contribute to an effective and efficient engineering change management strategy and understand if automotive manufacturing organisations have a structured approach to managing engineering changes.
A narrative literature review was conducted for this minor dissertation to find key themes around engineering change management in the automotive manufacturing industry. Key themes and findings from the literature was then compared with key themes and findings from the data collected by conducting qualitative interviews with 8 participants from the researchers professional network.
The data suggest that the following factors contribute to successfully managing engineering changes in the automotive manufacturing industry: 1. An Engineering Change Management process should be a standardised business process in the automotive manufacturing industry. 2. A structured Engineering Change Management strategy needs to be documented and rolled out across the automotive manufacturer’s organisation for all employees to follow. 3. An organisation should appoint an Engineering Change Management Committee that follows a standard cadence that includes all organisational stakeholders, and 4. Engineering Change Management tools should be utilised by automotive manufacturers to effectively manage engineering changes.
In conclusion, the data suggest that even though there is evidence of automotive organisations having a structured approach to managing engineering changes, there is a significant gap in employees completely understanding and applying the process. The data also suggests that the current ECM processes employed by automotive manufacturing organisations present room for improvement and refinement.