Quality function deployment and its application to automotive door design

Abstract

In order to be competitive, automotive design is now focusing on optimizing perceived qualities in terms of sound and operational efforts. Phases 1 and 2 of the four-phase quality function deployment (QFD) process have been applied to family segment vehicle side doors. The objective was to optimize customer comfort when opening and closing the door. This paper documents the QFD and discusses the reasoning used, assumptions made, and conclusions drawn. A customer clinic was used to capture the voice of the customer. A ranking method, morphological chart, and controlled convergence matrix are used to organize data. The door design obtained incorporates simple observations and electrical technology that could significantly reduce the effort required in opening and closing the vehicle door.

Keywords

quality function deployment ranking automotive door morphological chart controlled convergence matrix sound quality

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