Good Example Of Engineering Essay

Olivier De Weck, Christopher Magee, and Daniel Roos, (2012), the authors of Engineering Systems: Meeting Human Needs in a Complex Technological World, write about systems engineering and its relevance to mankind in the complex contemporary technological world. There are eight chapters in all, and the authors cover topics such as “what is an engineering system, rethinking systems engineering and design, engineering systems research and education, what the future holds for engineering systems and so on. The book looks at everything that technology does in our lives today, and why it is important to keep abreast of latest developments in technology to enhance better living conditions Be it our communication networks, our transportation networks, the cargo, energy or healthcare, technology plays a very important role in our survival. From dwelling about the past to thinking about the present and future, mankind has to stand up to the challenges they face and seek remedies to overcome them. Since this is a continuous process, systems engineering holds the key to its success and sustainability.
The book begins by looking back in time, when great inventions like the development of automobiles attributed to Karl Benz, the telegraph attributed to Samuel B. Morse, and the telephone to Graham Bell for example, led to a better and more comfortable lifestyles. It was in the middle nineteenth century, when Louis Pasteur discovered a medicine that killed deadly bacteria that led to a healthier life. These developments signified the importance of technology in human lives. As the world population grew, communication and transportation systems had to be strengthened to meet the growing demand, and technology played an important role in doing this as well. Cars began to hit the roads, and as new cars made their way into the market, competitors began to look at ways to increase their models to increase their profit. GM was ruling the roost in the U.S auto industry, until Toyota entered the U.S market. This was an obvious choice for Toyota, as the U.S had the largest consumer base for car sales. Toyota, with their unique Toyota Production System (TPS), broke the GM bastion. TPS organized manufacturing and logistics into one umbrella of operation, which included customer and supplier interactions (Ch.1, p.6). This was the beginning of a new era in technological war for supremacy in manufacturing and selling.
Chapter 2 answers the question, “What is an Engineering System?” The authors answer this complex question by illustrating an example of the history of the watch industry. They look at why watches were made, and how they evolved over time to incorporate new features to meet the growing expectations of the consumer. They describe the complexities in making a watch by illustrating the various parts of a watch through a diagram (p.25). Later in the chapter, the authors talk about the importance of education. “Education has evolved as the increasing complexities of systems grow” (p.29), and what transportation engineers thought earlier was all they needed to know to build highways, has now been supplemented by a host of new areas of knowledge, such as “transportation systems analysis, transportation demand, economics, logistical planning methods, transportation policy, traffic flow theory, and environmental impacts” (p.29). Similarly, change in the epoch of engineering systems can be seen by the way the manufacturing world has evolved to accept new technological developments. The Toyota Production System (TPS) or lean manufacturing was introduced in the automobile industry, from where it has spread widely. TPS focuses on humans in the production process in different ways. In the past, some of the great mass production systems viewed people as cogs in a technical wheel, but Toyota saw them differently. In addition to thinking about the process, Toyota also gave the human element a prominent place in the process along with management. This paved the way for Toyota to include quality and flexibility with a new meaning. There was dynamism in thought, and under Lean, Toyota could make continuous improvements to their products, and empowered workers to make recommendations (Ch.2, p.31). System, said De Weck, Magee, and Roos, (2012), is “a set of interacting components - technical artifacts, with well-defined behavior and function or purpose” (p.32), and “Engineering Systems introduce all manner of constraints to change, with perhaps none greater than legacy” (Ch.2, p.34). In order to understand systems engineering better, the authors took the example of the high-speed trains running in Europe and Japan. If such a system was to be made available in the U.S, they would not only require huge financial assistance, but also the human element of consistency and reliability. In order to introduce such high speed trains in high density traffic corridors, the system should be able to handle traffic flow without running it into operational difficulties. The networking and communication systems have to be absolutely correct to ensure that no contingency arise. This can be achieved by system engineering.
In chapter 3, the focus is on rethinking about systems, and its complexities. While rethinking is the holistic or consistent look for solutions at the various stages or levels of engineering to produce a better solution to the existing system (Ch.3, p.46), the key components to understanding any complex system is scale and scope (Ch.3, p. 50). Scale is the measurement of the geographical, demographic, components, people, and other elements to assess a system size quantitatively, while scope refers to that number of aspects that need to be considered when defining a system. For example, if more number of different-colored lenses is needed to understand a system properly, the larger will be its scope (Ch.3, p.50). The next most important key is the function, followed by structure or architecture. Since engineering systems are dynamic; they change with time. Thus, introducing time as a perspective is also necessary
Chapter 4 looks at life-cycle properties of engineering systems. In the epoch of engineering systems, the focus has changed, as the lifetime of a product or service denotes the large-scale complexities of that system. One has to understand the properties of engineering systems to know the cyclic side effects, and also the ground rules and constraints within which the system operates. The authors give the example of automobiles. “It wasn’t long before it became necessary to address some side effects of driving automobiles,” wrote De Weck, Magee, and Roos (2012). In the late eighteenth, early nineteenth century, many cars were equipped with rear brakes, because of which, when they were braked, they would invariably swerve and skid, and stop some distance away. This was not a solution to safety concerns. This led the engineers of car braking systems design and engineering to seek better ways to improve passenger safety, and braking systems. A lot of money and time was spent on research and development, and in 1923, the “high-priced Buick appeared with brakes on all four wheels; invented by Charles F. Kettering (Ch.4, p.66).
The focus had now shifted from producing basic products to safety measures. Therefore, in addition to targeting inventions and artifacts on developing safety-related alterations and adjustments to artifacts, “they also participated in changing the underlying systems and operating environments within which they function” (Ch.4, p.66). Gradually, the focus shifted to quality to the point where it became important for engineers who sought to achieve it right from the beginning of the design process rather than at the end of the manufacturing process. Toyota was successful because they were the first to introduce the concept of ‘the perfect first-time quality,’ in their Toyota Production System (Ch.4, p.71).
In Chapter 5, the authors introduce the concept and importance of modelling and analyzing engineering systems. This, they say, is not easy, as one has to keep track of not only of all “the individual elements in the system, but also of how these elements affect each other and interact with the world beyond the system boundary” (Ch.5, p.97). In order to understand how this is done, the authors employ a diagram that provides a system boundary definition that has the problem space, the design space, the solution space, and the updated problem space after iteration (Ch.5, p.99). In the same chapter, the authors talk about the introduction of an electric car. The engineering systems approach to modelling and analyzing define system boundaries as that that brings ‘externalities’ inside the system boundary (Ch.5, p.100). Here, the introduction of electric cars is because of the externalities like “tax incentives for increased adoption of electric vehicles, a carbon tax on gasoline, and prioritization of renewable energy technologies.” So, the idea of modelling and analyzing would be influenced by what the externalities are and how they need to be addressed.
Chapter 6 focuses on ‘partially designed, partially evolved.’ The focus here is on socio-technical process, where, using technical knowledge as a key enabler, the design is to meet human needs and wants (Ch.6, p.123). The authors say that although “the socio-technical aspects of design determines needs, managing groups of people, and so on, designing engineering systems involves significant extensions to the traditional design process applied to less complex systems” (Ch.6, p.123). Since the process is complex than designing less complex systems, larger systems has a number of designers working together, and focusing on individual parts of the process. “In larger-scale projects, there is a chief architect, who is supported by a number of other architects, who have new roles and responsibilities” (Ch.6, p.126). This is because; a single person may not be able to perform as well as a group of people who perform different functions but for the same cause. “Swarming and problem solving helps in developing new knowledge, share new knowledge throughout the organization, and give managers a key role in developing their employees’ capabilities to execute principles” (Ch.6, p.131).
In chapter 7, the focus shifts to engineering systems research and education. As mentioned briefly a little earlier in the paper, education plays an important role in the development of technology. To support this theory, the authors quote the example of the army, when they needed more complex artillery and fortifications in the mid-1600s. The officers were well-trained fighting machines, but lacked the skills to design, and so, were educated in mechanics and mathematics, and then later into the field of civil engineering. Once their training and education was over, these officers were able to design more complex artillery, and stronger fortifications to meet the need of the army (Ch.7, p.147). Therefore, it is important to understand that education helps improve research efforts.
Finally, in chapter 8, the authors talk about the future of systems engineering. From what we have understood so far, it can be said that the future of systems engineering will follow the cycle of levels that was followed in this book, and it remains a dynamic process. In developing the systems such as energy, transportation, and communication, and healthcare, to name a few, technology has transformed our lives. In the beginning, there was just nature and man. Gradually, as man evolved, he first created simple tools, stayed in caves for shelter, and learned how to create and manage fire. Centuries later, great inventions took place, and new systems came into being. As technology grew, it dawned on man that there were limitation on space and resources. The authors are quick in recognizing the importance of coupling engineering systems. Most rail transport networks are electrified, and the use of water is also gradually becoming important. Sophisticated transportation systems are introduced to ship foods and industrial products around the world, and real-time information is transmitted by the communication system. Healthcare has been a major contributor to improved human health and longevity, and as medical sciences advance, the longevity of human beings will continue to lengthen. The future will be shaped by our ability to understand, mold, and improve the complex systems, in harmony with nature and ourselves. However, money will be the only constraint, and once there is sufficient funds available for systems engineering, the world will be a better place to live in.