How eXtreme Manufacturing and Agile Principles Help Engineering Startups Grow Faster

eXtreme Manufacturing (XM) is a process that integrates agile development concepts with the design and manufacturing of physical goods and complex products.

The XM technique emphasizes efficiency and continual improvement to save costs and enhance product development.

The XM Method and Approach to Modularity

The XM approach is founded on breaking down a large job into smaller, more manageable portions. This is accomplished by applying Scrum, an agile methodology widely used in software development.

Scrum is used in the XM process to design and create hardware products, to attain fast iteration and continuous improvement.

Some principles of eXtreme manufacturing can be seen employed at SpaceX. The once startup space company has been building reusable rockets at an incredible pace, in part down to their approach on modularity.

What this section of a talk from Joe Justice, the coiner of the term eXtreme manufacturing and former agile program upgrader at SpaceX, where he talks about the agile and modular approach to building Starship.

XM application

The XM technique applies to various hardware products, from small components to sophisticated machinery and architectural elements. For example, using XM in the construction industry can assist in cutting costs and enhance the efficiency of the construction process.

The Engineer’s Function

The engineer’s involvement is essential in the XM process. Engineers are in charge of developing and producing physical components and ensuring that the product complies with all regulatory and compliance standards.

They also play a vital role in identifying and implementing design and manufacturing process modifications.

In fact, at the engineering conference Iteration22, Joe Justice talked about how at SpaceX, everyone must be a chief engineer. Watch the full talk below

XM’s Solution

XM is a solution for achieving speedy and efficient product development. The XM method integrates agile development ideas with physical product design and manufacturing, resulting in increased efficiency, lower costs, and a better overall product development process.

eXtreme Manufacturing and Valispace

Valispace is an effective tool for assisting teams in applying the XM technique.

The Valispace interface is user-friendly and straightforward, making it simple for teams to track progress and make changes as needed.

One of the main benefits of employing Valispace in conjunction with the XM technique is the potential to increase traceability across the project’s design, production, and process stages.

This is especially significant in complicated projects where it is critical to keep track of the many components and functionalities and how they interact with one another.

Valispace may also assist teams in lowering costs and increasing efficiency in the production process.

Groups may make better use of resources and accomplish better outcomes by delivering a holistic solution that includes many components of the XM technique, including design, production, and process.

For most hardware engineering projects though, the most helpful feature unique to the software relates to the ability to connect requirements to engineering data.

This allows teams to ensure that all requirements and components are linked to engineering values and technical data.

This means that if any changes are made to your system, Valispace can automatically calculate whether this violates any of your project requirements.

Less work for your engineers, smarter insights for your project managers!

Integrating product development and teams: Implement IPD

Get Started with Valispace and employ the principles of eXtreme Manufacturing

You can schedule a call with our team of specialists to evaluate the suitability of Valispace for your project and to discuss your specific requirements.

Finally, the eXtreme Manufacturing technique is a strong strategy that may assist teams in improving productivity, lowering costs, and achieving better results in their hardware product development projects.

Teams may expedite their operations and increase the traceability and usefulness of their products by integrating the ideas of XM with the capabilities of Valispace.

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