The Global Formula Racing Team

[DJHache]

Just as a reply to RiNaZ, the 787 is two years behind schedule and plagued with communication and build problems.

For sure GFR will have their work cut out for them, they will probably make pretty attractive graduates for large multinationals though!

[Solidworks FSAE Tutorials]

I'm imagining a zipper logo

[bob.paasch]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by woodsy96:
To me it seems to be kinda outside the spirit of the rules and the intention of FSAE, though. It would be good experience in communications for people intending to join a large multinational company, but I think that some of the other lessons learnt would not filter down through to all the team members as they would in a smaller/local team structures. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I first approached Steve Daum, the manager of FSAE for SAE International, with this idea four years ago. He gave us the okay to proceed. It took us that long to put this in place. We’ve also vetted this with the FS and FSG organizers.

We expect this will result in a different experience for the students that participate. The students will gain some experiences in some areas, but perhaps lose in others. We wanted to try something different at that "fourth" management level. Distributed global design is today a standard business practice at many companies. “The world is flat.”

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Is there one team leader/ project manager for the whole project or one at each end? Or is there no project manager as such and the whole thing is run by the faculty advisors/graduates? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Management is different on the two sides, and reflects to some degree the pre-existing management systems. On the OSU side, we have team co-captains, a senior and a junior. On the DHBW-R side, there is a technical management sub-team with three people. Altogether, we have 16 seniors and about 10 active underclassmen at OSU. At the DHBW-R, there are 33 active team members, all third year students.

For those not familiar with the Duale Hochschule concept, it is a three-year program leading to a Bachelors degree. The students spend two three-month terms each year at school, and two three-month terms each year in coop working at their company. This has presented some challenges, as the schedules are different for each year.

I have hosted a small number of DHBW-R second year students at OSU each spring & summer since 2005. The first of these students helped organize the first Formula team at DHBW-R in 2006 (then they were known as BA Ravensburg, and the BA Racing Team). In 2009 I had 5 DHBW-R students do their internship at OSU, and they help provide some additional team leadership on the DHBW-R side.

There is a Faculty Advisor on each side. My counterpart at DHBW-R is Professor Dr. Thomas Nickel. Professor Nickel and I have known each other for 15 years.

As DHBW-R is undergrad only, the grad students are all from OSU. Fall term there were two grad students at DHBW-R mentoring the team on design. This winter term there is one grad student at the DHBW-R working with the team, mostly with second year students, as the third year students are out on coop.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by L B0MB:
UWA could join forces with Stuttgart... If you can't beat 'em... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, that would mean the rest of us would only face one of their bloody cars at FS Germany, rather than both.
It would also mean another FSG slot open!

Seriously, I would not underestimate the management difficulties of this venture. A huge amount of trust must be built before this will work. Also, the cultural differences between Americans and Germans are not large, but they do exist. Don’t know about Australians and Germans.

Plus, Western Australia and Stuttgart are six-months out of phase on their development process.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jersey Tom:
Pretty slick. I'd think this sort of thing would make an interesting white paper (or SAE paper), particularly regarding the project and document management. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

We’re already working on two SAE papers, one on the educational/curricular aspects of distributed global design, and one on the product data management system. Our OSU SAE President is doing her honors thesis on the management system design on the OSU side. We have supply chain management teams on both sides, that may work itself into another paper.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">But the real question is... what color will it be? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Images awaiting approval, but the US car will be orange and black, the EU car blue and white. Other than that, they will be identical.

[Zac]

Interesting idea. As has been noted several times, global R&D organizations are becoming more and more common. If this helps students learn how to work within those types of structures, then awesome. I do have a couple questions though.

Is the manufacturing of the two cars going to be staggered? or are the two cars going to be built "side by side?"

Outside of FSAE has their traditionally been a lot of cooperation between the two schools?

Did anyone list "First FSAE cars to feature interchangeable parts" in that thread from a couple months back?

[flavorPacket]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rp:
Distributed global design is today a standard business practice at many companies. “The world is flat.” </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

It's a very interesting concept, but this statement stuck out to me. I don't know of a single high-performance engineering product that was designed this way.

Porsches are made in Germany, by Germans. Fighter planes and stealth bombers are made in America, by Americans. Formula 1 cars are made in England, by the British.

Does anyone have a counterexample? The only one I can think of is the early 2000s Bentley GTP car, which was an Anglo-German collaboration. When speaking to one of the team managers, he said the project would 'never happen again' because of the cultural issues.

[Adambomb]

I think this is a really cool idea, basically cutting your R&D in half, as well as greatly simplifying manufacturing (i.e., making 2 identical parts generally takes about 1.3 times the overall effort of making a single part, in my experience with one-off stuff). Also would be really good on the resume from a globalization aspect.

Although the communication challenges are, no doubt, huge. ISU offers a globalization class (jointly between the engineering and world languages and cultures dept. as both a senior level undergrad and graduate course). For our final project we were to work in a group mixed with undergrads and grad students, and also on-campus and off-campus (distance education) students. I'll just say it was a huge test of everyone's communication skills (at best), and a giant cluster (at worst). And we were all in the same state! But then again I hear similar things from my friends in industry working with remote offices in India and China. I bet they would have appreciated an opportunity to get some practice at it in a university environment; it is a formidable task, and requires top notch management and communication skills.

[BeaverGuy]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by flavorPacket:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rp:
Distributed global design is today a standard business practice at many companies. “The world is flat.” </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

It's a very interesting concept, but this statement stuck out to me. I don't know of a single high-performance engineering product that was designed this way.

Porsches are made in Germany, by Germans. Fighter planes and stealth bombers are made in America, by Americans. Formula 1 cars are made in England, by the British.

Does anyone have a counterexample? The only one I can think of is the early 2000s Bentley GTP car, which was an Anglo-German collaboration. When speaking to one of the team managers, he said the project would 'never happen again' because of the cultural issues. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>


All the major comercial aircraft and automobiles being built today are done in this way to some extent. It may not be apparent but the engineering, design, and manufacturing that goes on even with a production item is more detailed and at a higher level than what most FSAE teams do. And while a large portion of the design may be by one group they still have to integrate with engineers, suppliers, and manufacturing groups that are located on other continents and speak different languages. Sometimes it is a great success sometimes it can be a big failure.

As was mentioned eariler Boeing's 787 was designed in a similar but much more diversified way with parts suppliers also doing the design work. That would be akin to giving your machine shop the interface points and input loads and telling them to design and make the part for you. Some of the the suppliers were up to the task while others weren't.

BTW, this process started at Oregon State after I left so I don't know much more about it than the rest of you. I just work in an industry where I interact with engineers in other countries almost daily.

[flavorPacket]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by BeaverGuy:
All the major comercial aircraft and automobiles being built today are done in this way to some extent. It may not be apparent but the engineering, design, and manufacturing that goes on even with a production item is more detailed and at a higher level than what most FSAE teams do. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I totally agree that the development of most engineered products today uses resources from across the globe. Very few companies, if any, split management across countries. This is the part of the team that would concern me. I look forward to discussing that aspect of the project with the practitioners at competition.

As mentioned above, the 787 is a great example of what not to do I think. If you want to point to a successful product, look at the F22 or F35 programs.

[Pennyman]

Goodluck guys!

I wonder what team will be doing tire analysis?

[RiNaZ]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by DJHache:
Just as a reply to RiNaZ, the 787 is two years behind schedule and plagued with communication and build problems.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

and that's why i think this joint venture program is a good exercise for young engineers to experience and learn what it's like to work with other people with different background and mindset.