Value Engineering (Engineering Design Handbook)

Every body ought to be interested in Value Engineering (VE)! As wage-earners, the application of VE is helping American industry maintain its economic position in world markets, thereby protecting our jobs and careers. As taxpayers, the Department of Defense (DOD) VE program has come to the defense of the Defense dollar, with audited savings to us of over $1.1 billion for fiscal years 1963 through 1966. As consumers, we today purchase many products at not only lower prices, but with greater value as well, because the manufacturer of those products is applying VE as an effective management tool. And all of these VE economic benefits have come rapidly. As recently as 1960-the application of this cost saving technique is dated back to 1947-wherever the technique had been intelligently and open-mindedly applied, it had been successful. With this acceptance and practice of the methodology have come rapid developments in the state of the art, and in the point of its application to the product cycle. What was once considered second look, Value Analysis-whereby the methodology was applied only after the entity of the product was well established-began moving back in the product development cycle for a first look into the design aspects of the product. Thus what was originally christened Value Analysis, synonymously became known as Value Engineering (VE)-a confirmation that served to justifiably raise the status of (and respect for) the technique. Value Engineering is therefore no longer on trial. It has proved itself repeatedly. But in spite of its name, its success has not come as a technological technique, but as a potent economic tool for management. Why? Because the record shows, without reservation, that the technique must have the rigorous and unqualified backing of management. Where VE has received this kind of support, management has reaped a return on investment in the order of 15:l. This kind of performance, management understands!