Application of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis to Support Product In-Use Information Feedback

Due to their increasing responsibility for the total lifecycle costs associated with their products, manufacturers are investing increasingly more efforts in their reduction. One way in which this can be achieved is through the elimination at the design stage of possible in-service issues. This can be supported through the feedback of product in-use information obtained from testing, prototyping and in-service lifecycle stages towards the earlier stages of the development process. In order to facilitate the feedback of this information to design, the idea of complimentary product structures is introduced. The relationships between these structures provide a link between product information across the various lifecycle stages. The similarities between the product structure and the FMEA structure are also examined. As the FMEA organizes its information on a component basis, it is suggested that it provides an adequate basis for the organization of the product in-use information in order to facilitate its association with the product structure. Based on these ideas, a full framework for the feedback and reuse of product in-use information is described.