Today’s Disruption, Tomorrow’s Transformation Powered By Generative Design

We are living in a fast-paced world, where automation rules the roost. Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, and 3D Printing have all made in-roads into making products and processes smarter, safer, and cost-effective. As a result, product design too is seeing an increased collaboration between designers and engineers, who are combining their skills and expertise to deliver innovative products. Not to deny that technology constantly evolves to support this collaboration and the latest to join the league is ‘Generative Design’.

The entire design-to-make process is being disrupted by the numerous possibilities of generative design, and the buzz around its unforeseen advantages has got design heads completely excited.

Getting to know the concept of Generative Design
According to Supreme Industries' CIO, Sudhir Kanvinde, 'Every company wants to develop sustainable solutions and is constantly on the lookout for breakthroughs to consolidate its position in the industry. With manufacturing, there is a need for optimization of processes, keeping in mind many complex parameters. Since time and other resources are the main constraints, processes often become sub-optimal.'

Sudhir states that, “I come from a manufacturing background and I understand the demands in a product cycle. The manufacturing sector requires intelligent automation to develop a good ecosystem. Automation can happen only with availability of quality data, so that we can derive appropriate benefits from data analytics. This kind of predictive and prescriptive analytics is a continuous process that will ultimately result in improved overall efficiency. Data analytics helps in streamlining operations, processes become more agile, consistency in processes can be expected, and human error can be significantly reduced. Technology is necessary to collate relevant data from all the departments of a manufacturing unit for better operations.”

We all know that product design plays an integral part in the current industrial revolution. Experts say that smart algorithms not only build better products but they can also redefine how product development is done. Digital technology has the ability to bring about a sea change in the entire life cycle of product development.

TI Clean Mobility (Murugappa Group) Raghav Acharya - Central Head of Product/Consumer Design, Electric Vehicles believes that digital tools are evidently aiding designers to develop innovative products by fueling one’s imagination & helping realize the same with high quality simulations, further automation of certain tools used within a digital ecosystem can help in unnecessary human intervention which are mechanical in nature but instead would allow the designers to focus/apply their mind and creativity on the desired design or innovation outcome. The journey and time invested in constantly learning and operating the tools to generate a certain outcome will significantly reduce and must become objectives for automation. This will aid in more idea generation in the same given time or improve the quality & speed of the product to the market.

According to Raghav, “There can be a human touch in generative designs by applying the target user/persona’s attributes in the design process. Yes, there are several tools enabling design such as the generative design tools and much more, And the quest & opportunity is to develop automated tools for speed, quality & feasibility unlocking the full potential for creative thinking, the designer’s touch & intelligence becomes critical inputs in creating products targeting the right end user /personas which in turn creates the best product experiences targeted to the defined market opportunities. Further Artificial Intelligence must have the ability to bring that competitive edge by establishing the DNA of a brand. Technology will enhance the product decision making with cross-functional teams playing their part by leveraging new-age tools for faster and more convincing decision making, especially in case of disruptive product designs”

Raghav Acharya also admits that no matter what is developed, customers, at the end of the day, will want some touch of special personalization to the products. It does not stop there. Industries across the globe are facing extreme pressure to manufacture or develop products that have least impact on the environment. Developing consumer-centric products by understanding customer’s unarticulated needs and achieving customer satisfaction will drive the digital revolution in product development departments. “But that’s not all, what I am waiting to see if how AI can meet the cultural aspects of a country and help in developing the products that cater to niche ecosystems.”

If the purpose of using technology is to beat competition, then Sunil Joshi, Shriram Pistons and Rings’ Senior General Manager, Works Engineering (Head of Engineering), believes using technology should be able to deliver profits for the company. As he says, all organizations are constantly looking for solutions that increase profits followed by customer satisfaction. “As the competition is very high, there are several similar products in the market. The key differentiator for a product is the cost and quality. So, product designers are compelled to work on cost-effective designs that are not only sustainable but also ensure that there are negligible PROCESS rejections of the product. To achieve all this, the interface is the R&D department, which takes inputs from the customers’ wants and needs becoming the bridge between the customer and the manufacturer. This is where Generative Design plays a huge role, where the design parameters are placed to solve product equations. ”

Being a designer’s assistant
The concept of Generative Design has got product developers excited. Ranging from flexing development constraints to its ability to formulate numerous design solutions and iterations, product developers see Generative Design as the next evolutionary step toward creating innovative products. Supporting this, Mekhos Technology Services’ Director of Design Engineering, Lehar Aiyanna, says as product developers they are definitely excited about the uses of Generative Design. Justifying its vast application in product designing, Lehar says, “As we are in an era where one’s wish for a computer to do design with minimal human intervention is a reality today. We know that in the current industry there is a huge crunch for skilled resources. With limited resources, designers usually have several limitations but all that is overcome by generative design which helps us iterate on design options. Generative Design gives a strong support to the designer, who may be experienced or a fresher. I would regard this technology as an expert friend for a designer that helps sync design data and human agenda to deliver an effective design. In future generative design will be an enabler indeveloping better products saving time and money.”

PGP Glass (A Blackstone portfolio company), Yoganand Tadepalli CDO and CIO, says, Generative Design helps in the entire downstream process of manufacturing of the product. The technology helps in understanding the product better and also helps in creating the manufacturing process for the product. “It is not about 2D or 3D for a product design anymore, it’s all about how digital models integrate into the product manufacturing by reducing the cycle time of a product development and speed to market. The agility in the downstream process of a product manufacturing cycle is impacted with innovative designs. These are necessary in today’s world so that we can bring products faster to the market in an efficient manner, keeping costs and quality at its best,” implies Yoganand.

Yoganand Tadepalli envisions generative design to be able to cater to the element of personalization. If Industry 5.0 is to be made possible then he strongly affirms that generative design will be an absolute necessary for automation and data exchange in manufacturing and other industrial sectors. There will be more humans and machines existing in the same spheres.

Supreme Industries’ Sudhir Kanvinde Chief Information Officer, says, “Generative design systems can compare and evaluate numerous solutions with variable parameters and can effectively save time, cost and efforts. Human-machine interactions will evolve over time to give optimal results.”

Offering more clarity on the uses of generative design and speaking from a technologist’s point of view, Autodesk, India & SAARC, Keerti Malavooru Technical Solution Expert, Design and Manufacturing, said, “India is becoming a global powerhouse in technology and manufacturing, time now is imperative into the design consideration and in fact time is also a major constraint in the product development. Autodesk strongly believes that mitigating time as a challenge will be the core purpose. Generative design is a process that helps designers create products by using algorithms to create and test multiple iterations of a design. This helps designers create products that are more efficient and have a higher quality. Helping designers work on time is what Autodesk aims to provide. With the application of AI/ML etc GD helps in ‘n’ number of iterations equipping designers with more power to innovate keeping time as an important factor.The digital tools help in developing number of solutions or throws ideas for a single problem statement. When the design intent is properly narrated, we are able to deliver optimum solutions. Not only that each design follows certain principles in development and has few constraints. Ultimately, the design should have the manufacture ability. The need right now is for a process to adopt different manufacturing types. The design must be able to extend its purpose beyond a single application to become a designer’s assistant. Generative Design has several use cases. One example of GD can be used to create anautomotive part that is lighter and takes up less space than a traditional part consolidating many other parts.So, it cuts down manufacturing of may be 8 components into just 1. This is just 1 of the thousands possible use cases that generative design is capable of doing.”

Balancing Sustainability and Profitability
Sustainability and Profitability are like on a see-saw. Balancing them is what all organizations want to accomplish. It is believed Generative Design holds the key to accomplishing Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN. Sunil Joshi of Shriram Pistons and Rings LTD admits that it is very important for companies to keep a check on their carbon emissions score and reduce the carbon footprint. Further he says, “Since the environmental protection agenda is a compulsory mandate for all organizations, tools like generative design are looked at as solution providers. What we expect is data simulation for various requirements that have to be met by a manufacturing unit. We need to keep in mind the cost of production, the final quality and customer satisfaction.”

Delving more into meeting sustainable goals, Mekhos Technology Services’ Director of Design Engineering, Lehar Aiyannasays that sustainability and business strategies for any company must exist hand-in-hand. The KPI for an industry is to address the SDGs 9 and 12.While Goal 9 is to develop a resilient infrastructurethat promote inclusivity and brings innovation, the purpose of generative design is to accomplish those goals. This is the core of generative design that helps a product reach the market faster. Sustainable Development Goal 12 entails us to be responsible in consumption and production, where generative design has the inherent ability to achieve these by optimum resource consumption. The AI in generative design allows for the exploration of many different design options, which can lead to more efficient and sustainable products and systems.

Autodesk’s KeertiMalavooru,in consent to all these advantages, says thatoverall sustainability initiatives around the world is now not a siloed process anymore. Initiatives are now more engrained into the system. The buzz is around circular economy, which is viewed as viable model for sustainable economic growth that aims to keep products and materials in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them while in use, and then recycle or compost them at the end of their life. Explaining in detail, Keerti says, “There is no one-size-fits-all for any industry, so the use of generative design will vary depending on the specific Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). Generative design is used to achieve SDGs including designing energy efficient products, services, or systems that use renewable energy sources. Generative Design also enables a balancing act between profitability and sustainability. Trade-off analysis is made possible by AI/ML kind of technology to choose the best alternative from a group of options. Technology advancements like iterative designs have made it possible to compare the pros and cons of each option to see which one gives the most benefits and the fewest drawbacks in product development and marketing to the end user. While so many points have to be factored in, generative design tries not to overcome the quality of the final product outcome.”

What does the future of product development behold?
Market analysts have predicted that the future of product development will be largely dependent on the specific needs and wants of consumers. They say that the potential trends shaping the future of product development will include the increasing popularity of customization and personalization, the rise of AI and the increasing use of digital technologies.

Keerti Malavooru couldn’t agree more on this. He says, “The whole concept of generative design is evolving. I accept at the moment generative design cannot accomplish all that we have in our mind in terms for product development. It is taking baby steps to solve design challenges and evolve to meet the future requirements. At the same time generative design will not evolve to be a replacement of a human, design extension to harness human emotions acting as an assistant. Generative Design is used across various industry verticals. Not only manufacturing but in animations. Generative design helps in animation by creating new and unique shapes for characters and objects. This helps to create a more varied and interesting animation. Conventional and stereotyped designsare a passe. Generative designs give that exploration part a chance and helps in finding the best possible design for a given situation.”

Generative design, therefore is the next frontier in product development. Although evolving now from its nascent stage, in the years to come it will be an indispensable tool for developing sustainable products and services. There are ways in which generative design can help with cost and sustainability. First, generative design can help to reduce the amount of material used in a design. This is done by creating a design that is able to meet the needs of the customer while using the least amount of material possible. Second, generative design can help to improve the manufacturability of a design. This is done by creating a design that is easy to produce and does not require a lot of time or money to manufacture. Finally, generative design can help to improve the recyclability of a design. This is done by creating a design that can be easily recycled and does not contain any harmful materials. Generative design can help organizations and cultures change in a number of ways. For example, it can help to identify and create new opportunities, to develop new products and services, to create new ways of working, and to stimulate change in how people think and behave.But for this to happen, organizations have to bring about a cultural shift and must have an open mind to adopt generative designs. The future will also call for increased investment in generative design tools and most importantly education on this is a must. Its time to work with industries and educational institutions to spread the knowledge about generative design so that it can be well exploited. Autodesk says it works with social impact startups that creates design prototypes for the betterment of society. Id generative design were to be applied in such solutions; the outcome will serve the societies in a big way. In the coming year leaders must invest some time to educate and influence their peers in knowing more about technologies’ abilities and envision generative design as a core tool in future innovative products that can serve mankind better making this world a better place to live in.