o Led a
commercial unitary air conditioning manufacturing cost analysis activity to
support the Department of Energy’s (DOE) development of energy efficiency
standards. The assignment required the development of system level designs and
technical / cost assessments of representative 7.5- and 15-ton commercial air
conditioners. This activity included the teardown (including both physical and
virtual, i.e., based on catalog data) and bottom-up cost modeling of about 20
air conditioner units from different manufacturers. Results and insights
gained from the analysis helped the DOE better understand the manufacturing
cost impacts of changes to energy efficiency standards.
o Led the
manufacturing cost analysis activity as part of a due diligence for a
commercial air conditioning equipment manufacturer. The assignment required
the development of detailed manufacturing cost analysis for the commercial
chillers, packaged roof top air conditioner units, transportation air
conditioning units, and heat pumps. The results helped the client better
understand the copper and aluminum material usages, as well as manufacturing
processes.
o Led an
investment analysis activity to help a major appliance manufacturer identify
the cost drivers and investment plan for a $20 million new appliance product
development and fabrication project. The investment plan covered the plant
floor layout, fabrication equipment and tooling selection, R&D, engineering,
and staffing. The client started the project using our analysis as the basis
for the investment.
o Led a
design for manufacturability (DFM) and commercialization assignment that
assessed a portable Stirling engine power generation unit. Mr. Yang developed
a detailed manufacturing cost model based on a prototype unit to assess how to
dramatically reduce the production cost to several hundred dollars at large
production volumes.
o Led
several elements of a multi-million dollar residential appliance development
project. Our work focused on manufacturing cost analysis, testing, washing
system design, motor/pump specification, cycle development, and design of
experiments.
o Led a
dishwasher fast-drying system development assignment for a potential customer.
The assignment objective was to achieve superior drying performance (i.e.,
shorter drying times) primarily by focusing on blower and heat exchanger
design.