Semester 2: Research questions

Action Manufacturing (client) -

Company situation: They have a huge amount of Omnipanel off cuts, which is an expense to dispose of, as well as an environmental blemish on the companies image.

Symptoms: Massive pile of waste, cost.

Probable problem: Company has not formed a feasible second use for the waste product.

Decision statement: Can I design school furniture using the Omnipanel off cuts, and make it both desirable for schools and financially viable for both customer and client?

Research questions:

- what are your most common off cut sizes?

- what is the availability of these offcuts?

- how much time / resources could you allocate to this reuse project?

- what are the specs / tolerances of the tooling and machine?

- can school furniture be a potential side product, using fresh Omnipanel?

Research hypotheses: An attractive an affordable school furniture product will reduce waste and provide increased profits for Action Manufacturing.

Education provider (customer) -

Company situation: Furniture is incredibly expensive to purchase, with some classrooms costing $30,000 + to equip. Lower decile schools in poorer socio-economic areas get a mere fraction of the funding allocated to decile 10 schools.....(which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever).

Symptoms: Less money for teachers salaries, lower quality of teaching available, no school trips etc.

Probable problem: School furniture is too expensive, incredibly dull, and lacks any real aesthetic quality, making for uninteresting classrooms.

Decision statement: Can I provide a cost effective and desirable classroom furniture solution that will allow funds to be channeled into other areas of need?

Research questions:

- what are the student requirements - ergonomics?

- what features should the furniture provide?

- how many different sizes of furniture are required?

- how much does the competition cost?

- what are their key selling points?

- what am I offering? What should I offer? A range?

Research hypotheses: Cheaper furniture will be a welcome option for educational providers, and attractive yet functional furniture will enhance the learning experience for children.