**Featured Application: New method to assess design for manufacturability based on fuzzy variables.**

**Abstract:** The study proposes a procedure for assessing the designed manufacturing process for a new products. The purpose of the developed procedure is to evaluate the production process from the point of view of product design manufacturability of a unit and the small-lot production process. Evaluation of the design for the production process of a new product is based on criteria like process performance efficiency. Fuzzy logic-based methods were used to assess the designed process at different stages of its implementation—processing, assembly and organization of production. The developed method was illustrated by an example. The method presented in the study may be used by designers of production processes and employees of companies involved in the rationalization of already implemented production processes. The proposed method applies specifically to small-lot and unit production.

**Keywords:** production process design; unit and small-lot production design for manufacturability; fuzzy logic

#### **1. Introduction**

It can be assumed that the first practical examples of designing the structural form of the product components like the "design for assembly at that time were associated with the concept (PDM—product design merit)" activities can be seen in the early days of H. Ford around 1920. The plants began to produce at high-volumes, different products in several variants without any significant difficulties in the sales markets. In this period, the focus was mainly on the external appearance and functionality of the products rather than on the properties of their features in the technological and production processes. Development departments did not feel much pressure to apply appropriate activities related to the concept of "design for assembly—PDM" [1]. In the 1960s, a growing discrepancy between the obtained product quality parameters and growing customer requirements was noted in the United States [1]. An attempt was made to solve the problem by introducing additional design solutions. A temporary effect was obtained, the quality improved, but a significant increase in the production costs of the products resulted [2]. In the 1970s, global competition between enterprises grew significantly and increasing emphasis was placed on improving the competitiveness of production. High costs of designing and making the product were no longer acceptable. Much emphasis was put on the effectiveness of project management for the implementation of new products due to the significant impact of the designed manufacturing processes on the production costs [3].
