In this paper the design of materials supply systems in product development projects is discussed. Companies try to shorten the product development time by working with different development activities simultaneously, i.e. concurrent engineering. This means that the production system, involving the materials supply system, is developed in parallel with the product. Early verification is important in order to make the right design decisions.

A case study shows that it is difficult, early in a development project, to foresee what the consequences for the materials supply system and, accordingly, for the production system as a whole will be in operation. This insecurity is partly due to the difficulty in obtaining appropriate information at an early stage. The insecurity about the consequences results in difficulties in taking decisions about how the materials supply system should be designed. In addition, it is difficult for the logisticians to get attention for their point of view. It is also hard to survey the whole materials supply system, i.e. not only to focus on one single component, design question or process at a time. The case study shows that there is a lack of tools supporting such a holistic approach.

It is concluded that, in order to facilitate early problem discovery and early decision-making concerning the design of the materials supply system, there is a need for directions about how to obtain and use partial information.