**3. Testing across product lifecycle: an industry example**

This section outlines testing and associated activities at various stages of the product lifecycle as observed in a major international company which designs and manufactures automotive diesel engines. First, the company-based product lifecycle management process model is described. Next, types and sequencing of testing in the product development process of the company is examined. The scope of testing is then broadened to include other aspects of PLM, especially maintenance and new generation product design.

It is a UK based diesel engine design and manufacturing company, that offers a wide range of diesel and gas engines and power packages from 8.2 kW to 1886 kW and has the capacity to produce up to 800,000 units per year. There are product families with different power ranges to meet the requirements from different markets. Products also vary in families depending on the number of cylinders, aspiration and control mechanism. **Figure 4** shows the series of engines in the company's product range. Eighteen semi-structured interviews were carried out at the company premises from February 2011 to February 2014. Eight engineers including a senior engineer, a development engineer, a business manager, a verification and validation Testing and PLM: Connecting Process and Product Models in Product Development http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80364 79

**Figure 4.** Company's product range (taken from [4]).

design and performance are particularly relevant for PLM management. The definitions for

*Product description* is the explicit result of a design process, which is the information for defining the product [18] usually in the form of drawings and CAD models. Design information is of two types. First, background information, such as the design requirements, design methods and design standards and second foreground information on the details of the product. The latter is the product description. *Design description* covers the information from which the product can be manufactured [19]. *Performance description* is the realistic system-level performance description. This can be based on several different physical models. For example, heterogeneous models covering mechanical, fluid and electronic dimensions are needed to

This section outlines testing and associated activities at various stages of the product lifecycle as observed in a major international company which designs and manufactures automotive diesel engines. First, the company-based product lifecycle management process model is described. Next, types and sequencing of testing in the product development process of the company is examined. The scope of testing is then broadened to include other aspects of PLM,

It is a UK based diesel engine design and manufacturing company, that offers a wide range of diesel and gas engines and power packages from 8.2 kW to 1886 kW and has the capacity to produce up to 800,000 units per year. There are product families with different power ranges to meet the requirements from different markets. Products also vary in families depending on the number of cylinders, aspiration and control mechanism. **Figure 4** shows the series of engines in the company's product range. Eighteen semi-structured interviews were carried out at the company premises from February 2011 to February 2014. Eight engineers including a senior engineer, a development engineer, a business manager, a verification and validation

these descriptions vary and for this research the following definitions are adopted.

**Figure 3.** Levels of information flow achieved between the different product lifecycle phases [15].

describe the performance of complex products [20].

78 Product Lifecycle Management - Terminology and Applications

**3. Testing across product lifecycle: an industry example**

especially maintenance and new generation product design.

manager and a validation team leader were interviewed. The case studies involved a series of interviews ranging from 40 to 180 minutes in duration.

**Figure 5** presents the view of the diesel engine company on their product lifecycle management process model. The top layer of the model shows key stages of the product lifecycle from the business strategy to the disposal of the product. The beginning, middle and end of life (BOL, MOL, EOL) classification, introduced in Section 2, is shown on the bottom layer. The middle layers show key activities that are undertaken during the stages of product

**Figure 5.** Product lifecycle management process model.

development. Although, this chapter will only discuss the product design and development activities but it is important to highlight that development of the company's product support starts in parallel with product design and development. Further, to aid support, the product is monitored by the company during its operation and up to its disposal.
