Extension of the virtual customer inspection for distant collaboration in NPD

Abstract

The usage of holographic virtual customer inspections for gathering feedback during the production in the aviation industry was successfully demonstrated in Airbus, which implied the assessment of the requirements spanning the Kano dimensions and conjoint analysis of satisfaction and importance. A further extension is proposed here as a research in progress to enclose early phases in New Product Development throughout the manufacturing. Consequently, collaboration achievement is targeted here by the virtual inspection of digital mock-ups, semi-/ and finished products to enable the circulation of knowledge and exhibiting design iterations in set based models. Nevertheless, challenges are associated to the virtual inspection, which are derived from technological constraints or based on the nature of distant collaboration. An assessment of these challenges is made by means of a hierarchical aggregation to discuss conceptually the applicability of the extension, highlighting future research areas for this field as well.