Lifecycle-based Technology Planning and Assessment of Machine Tools within the Aviation Industry.

For various manufacturing technologies such as machine tools, the follow-up costs exceed the acquisition costs after a few years. Currently, there are costs analysis methods, which aim at forecasting the total costs incurred during the complete life-cycle of a given technology. However, these methods do not necessarily lead to an optimal investment decision. Therefore, it is essential to incorporate the expected benefit in the technology investment decision. In collaboration with an industrial partner the IFW developed a method which considers the costs as well as the benefits within the life-cycle of machine tools when making a technology investment decision.