IN THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF THREE PAPERS ON CONCURRENT ENGINEERING, THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THE MANUFACTURING ENVIRONMENT THAT HAS SPAWNED THE NEED FOR CHANGE IN THE WAY PRODUCTS ARE DESIGNED AND COORDINATED FOR DOWNSTREAM PROCESSING IN PRODUCTION AND SUPPORT. THE CURRENT PRODUCT DESIGN ENVIRONMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON PRODUCT COST AND DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE ARE DISCUSSED. THE FUNCTIONING OF A FULLY IMPLEMENTED CONCURRENT ENGINEERING PROCESS IS DESCRIBED, AND THE MITIGATION OF THE PROBLEMS INTRODUCED BY THE TRADITIONAL ENVIRONMENT IS HIGHLIGHTED. SPECIAL ATTENTION IS DEVOTED TO MANAGING INTER-ENGINEERING RELATIONSHIPS IN CONCURRENT ENGINEERING, AS WELL AS TO THE MORE TRADITIONAL FOCUS ON INCORPORATION OF MANUFACTURING PROCESS REQUIREMENTS INTO THE DESIGN ACTIVITY.