Executive Team
Brian Prasad, Ph.D., Senior Partner & Technical Director
Brian Prasad is known best for delivering many innovative, efficient and practical knowledge-based engineering (KBE) solutions (aka wizards) to product design and development using off-the-self product life-cycle management (PLM) tools (like CATIA or NX) for aerospace & automotive companies. He is a notable architect of knowledge-based lean product development (KLPD) technology/ solutions for improving productivity and saving costs. He is author of several books, and the Editor-in-Chief of the most premier Int. Journal of Concurrent Engineering. Along with outstanding technical skills, he is well-recognized thought leader and an International authority on the subjects of knowledge-based development, Knowledge management & reuse. He is a senior executive consultant, senior partner, chief knowledge officer, founding editors, CTO, and on the Board of Advisors to many multi-national companies. He has taught at California Institute of Technology (CalTech), University of California, Irvine (UCI) and California State University Fullerton (CSUF), School of Engineering. He was an Adjunct Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV. He also taught at Wayne State University, Lawrence Tech University, and Oakland University, MI.
Dr. Prasad specializes in knowledge-based lean thinking, system engineering, concurrent engineering (CE), lean design process, and lean manufacturing concepts & principles. He has achieved great successes in reengineering his customers' life-cycle processes, and concurrently developing lean product development (LPD) solutions for their products; thereby, significantly reducing their (customers') development time and costs. He has written books on knowledge-based engineering (KBE), CE & LPD subjects and has published numerous papers in many refereed journals and conferences. In his two-volume textbooks on set-based concurrent engineering, he has eloquently described how to create such next generation of knowledge-based solutions (KBS) for concurrent product development.
He worked at Parker for about 11 years, during which he developed a variety of best-of-the-class automated design solutions for a number of Parker product lines. Most recently, he developed a next generation of KLPD tools for rapid manifold design (RMD) and manufacturing. Today this tool is being used by Parker engineers for designing manifolds enabling them to work concurrently with other collaborating design groups. By strategically combining Toyota production system (TPS) with emerging product life-cycle management (PLM)/KBE tools along with standard processes including restructuring, product/process renovation and organizational traits, he was able to create remarkable knowledge-based solutions. Parker has gained a big competitive advantage with RMD in configuring/bringing new products to market faster right from initial customer specification. With RMD, Parker is realizing a very hefty gain in productivity and efficiency. Today, many forward thinking manufacturing organizations are exploiting such concurrent approaches & knowledge-based lean product development (KLPD) solutions for better returns on their investments (ROIs). Emergence of such KLPD solutions are transforming many of those organizations from a path of slow (say a continuous process improvement (CPI)-based) progression to a fast-paced road of lean & learning organization.
Prior to Parker, Dr. Prasad worked for over 15 years in similar capacities at many large engineering & manufacturing companies. During 2001, Dr. Prasad served as the Director of the Engineering, Information Technology and Sciences unit of the University of California at Irvine Extension (UNEX), CA where he managed over $5M Corporate Training program. From 1998 to 2000, Dr. Prasad was the Director, Knowledge-based Engineering Product Business Unit at EDS/Unigraphics Solutions (UGS)) in California, now a part of NX/Siemens, USA where he was in charge of $20M S/W business. He has secured and managed large funded research from many (Government and Private) sources. Before joining EDS/UGS in 1995, Dr. Prasad was the Principal Consultant and Director of Concurrent Engineering Services at Electronic Data Systems (EDS) (an ex-subsidiary of General Motors), where he was in charge of Automated Concurrent Engineering consulting Group. In addition to EDS, he has also worked at General Motors & Ford Motor Company.
Dr. Prasad is the Managing Editor for the International J. of Concurrent Engineering: Research & Applications (CERA). He is a well-recognized International authority on the subject of Concurrent Engineering. He has written or co-authored over 125 technical (refereed) publications, including 100 archival papers and a dozen books. He wrote a Textbook on "Concurrent Engineering Fundamentals," -- a two-volume set-- published by Prentice Hall, USA The textbook is followed in many universities. He edited a textbook on Modern Manufacturing: Information Management and Control (1994), published by Springer Verlag. In 1989, he edited a set of three-volume book entitled CAD/CAM, Robotics and Factories of the Future, 1989, Springer-Verlag. He has served as editors for several additional texts, monographs and proceedings. He supports professional societies in several editorials and organization roles. He served as the General Chairperson on two International Conferences: ISPE's CARS & FOF'88 Conference held in Detroit, MI (1988) and 31st, AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structural, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference (SDM'90), held in Long Beach, CA (1990). He served as President of the International Society for Productivity Enhancement (ISPE) for several years. His professional honors include: Associate Fellow of AIAA, Fellow of ASME and fellow and life member of ISPE.
He has received numerous awards: AIAA's Survey Paper Citation Plaque & Award (in 1982), a NASA Award and a Certificate for Creative Development of a Technical Innovation on "PARS"- Programs for Analysis and Resizing of Structures (in 1981), and the ABI (American Biographical Institute) Commemorative Medal of Honor (in 1987). Most recently, he received the Distinguished Engineering Merit Award from Orange County Engineering Council (OCEC), during the National Engineers’ Week Awards Banquet, held on February 22, 2013. A year before, CATIA Operator Exchange (COE) Forum awarded him with B.J. Fries Award of Merit at the COE conference in April 2012
Dr. Prasad holds a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology, Illinois, Chicago. He also graduated from the Stanford University, School of Engineering with a Degree of Engineering in Applied Mechanics (now a Division of Mechanical Engineering), California.
Link to Brian Prasad Web Site
Brian Prasad is known best for delivering many innovative, efficient and practical knowledge-based engineering (KBE) solutions (aka wizards) to product design and development using off-the-self product life-cycle management (PLM) tools (like CATIA or NX) for aerospace & automotive companies. He is a notable architect of knowledge-based lean product development (KLPD) technology/ solutions for improving productivity and saving costs. He is author of several books, and the Editor-in-Chief of the most premier Int. Journal of Concurrent Engineering. Along with outstanding technical skills, he is well-recognized thought leader and an International authority on the subjects of knowledge-based development, Knowledge management & reuse. He is a senior executive consultant, senior partner, chief knowledge officer, founding editors, CTO, and on the Board of Advisors to many multi-national companies. He has taught at California Institute of Technology (CalTech), University of California, Irvine (UCI) and California State University Fullerton (CSUF), School of Engineering. He was an Adjunct Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV. He also taught at Wayne State University, Lawrence Tech University, and Oakland University, MI.
Dr. Prasad specializes in knowledge-based lean thinking, system engineering, concurrent engineering (CE), lean design process, and lean manufacturing concepts & principles. He has achieved great successes in reengineering his customers' life-cycle processes, and concurrently developing lean product development (LPD) solutions for their products; thereby, significantly reducing their (customers') development time and costs. He has written books on knowledge-based engineering (KBE), CE & LPD subjects and has published numerous papers in many refereed journals and conferences. In his two-volume textbooks on set-based concurrent engineering, he has eloquently described how to create such next generation of knowledge-based solutions (KBS) for concurrent product development.
He worked at Parker for about 11 years, during which he developed a variety of best-of-the-class automated design solutions for a number of Parker product lines. Most recently, he developed a next generation of KLPD tools for rapid manifold design (RMD) and manufacturing. Today this tool is being used by Parker engineers for designing manifolds enabling them to work concurrently with other collaborating design groups. By strategically combining Toyota production system (TPS) with emerging product life-cycle management (PLM)/KBE tools along with standard processes including restructuring, product/process renovation and organizational traits, he was able to create remarkable knowledge-based solutions. Parker has gained a big competitive advantage with RMD in configuring/bringing new products to market faster right from initial customer specification. With RMD, Parker is realizing a very hefty gain in productivity and efficiency. Today, many forward thinking manufacturing organizations are exploiting such concurrent approaches & knowledge-based lean product development (KLPD) solutions for better returns on their investments (ROIs). Emergence of such KLPD solutions are transforming many of those organizations from a path of slow (say a continuous process improvement (CPI)-based) progression to a fast-paced road of lean & learning organization.
Prior to Parker, Dr. Prasad worked for over 15 years in similar capacities at many large engineering & manufacturing companies. During 2001, Dr. Prasad served as the Director of the Engineering, Information Technology and Sciences unit of the University of California at Irvine Extension (UNEX), CA where he managed over $5M Corporate Training program. From 1998 to 2000, Dr. Prasad was the Director, Knowledge-based Engineering Product Business Unit at EDS/Unigraphics Solutions (UGS)) in California, now a part of NX/Siemens, USA where he was in charge of $20M S/W business. He has secured and managed large funded research from many (Government and Private) sources. Before joining EDS/UGS in 1995, Dr. Prasad was the Principal Consultant and Director of Concurrent Engineering Services at Electronic Data Systems (EDS) (an ex-subsidiary of General Motors), where he was in charge of Automated Concurrent Engineering consulting Group. In addition to EDS, he has also worked at General Motors & Ford Motor Company.
Dr. Prasad is the Managing Editor for the International J. of Concurrent Engineering: Research & Applications (CERA). He is a well-recognized International authority on the subject of Concurrent Engineering. He has written or co-authored over 125 technical (refereed) publications, including 100 archival papers and a dozen books. He wrote a Textbook on "Concurrent Engineering Fundamentals," -- a two-volume set-- published by Prentice Hall, USA The textbook is followed in many universities. He edited a textbook on Modern Manufacturing: Information Management and Control (1994), published by Springer Verlag. In 1989, he edited a set of three-volume book entitled CAD/CAM, Robotics and Factories of the Future, 1989, Springer-Verlag. He has served as editors for several additional texts, monographs and proceedings. He supports professional societies in several editorials and organization roles. He served as the General Chairperson on two International Conferences: ISPE's CARS & FOF'88 Conference held in Detroit, MI (1988) and 31st, AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structural, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference (SDM'90), held in Long Beach, CA (1990). He served as President of the International Society for Productivity Enhancement (ISPE) for several years. His professional honors include: Associate Fellow of AIAA, Fellow of ASME and fellow and life member of ISPE.
He has received numerous awards: AIAA's Survey Paper Citation Plaque & Award (in 1982), a NASA Award and a Certificate for Creative Development of a Technical Innovation on "PARS"- Programs for Analysis and Resizing of Structures (in 1981), and the ABI (American Biographical Institute) Commemorative Medal of Honor (in 1987). Most recently, he received the Distinguished Engineering Merit Award from Orange County Engineering Council (OCEC), during the National Engineers’ Week Awards Banquet, held on February 22, 2013. A year before, CATIA Operator Exchange (COE) Forum awarded him with B.J. Fries Award of Merit at the COE conference in April 2012
Dr. Prasad holds a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology, Illinois, Chicago. He also graduated from the Stanford University, School of Engineering with a Degree of Engineering in Applied Mechanics (now a Division of Mechanical Engineering), California.
Link to Brian Prasad Web Site
Other Members of the Executive Team /Officers (TBD)
