Commodity Usage Reduction Analysis

Project Description

This project will study the ideal level of catalyzers’ commonality for different vehicle models. The key trade-off is the complexity reduction obtained by different vehicle models using a same component versus the potentially inefficient usage of a particular commodity due to the fact that unneeded quantities of the commodity are used in the component when in fact a fraction of that quantity is needed to comply with regulations for an individual variant.

The work aimed is partially a supply chain management oriented investigation, with the corresponding economic analysis, and partially engineering, with the corresponding need for understanding the impact of commodity content on the validation requirements of the parts under investigation. The engineering related information will be provided by General Motors while with the focus of the principal investigator in developing an analytical tool for helping engineers at General Motors to understand and explore the opportunities hidden in that trade-off.

The final objective is two-fold. In one hand we want to develop new approaches in supply chain optimization to be further developed by Zaragoza Logistics Center’s Master of Engineering students and, at the same time, the work, in these four months at General Motors, will attempt to shed some light on the key drivers and potential approaches for dealing with expensive commodities at General Motors.