Book Reviews : Anil Kumar Mukhopadhyaya, Value Engineering: Concepts, Techniques and Applications, New Delhi, Response Books, 2003, 188 pp

Value engineering is a thinking system to develop decision criteria when it is important to secure as much as possible of what is wanted from each unit of resource used. These resources can be money, time, material, labour, space, energy, and so on. This book on value engineering is a reflection of its uniqueness since it covers both knowledge and creativity and provides step-by-step techniques for maximising the benefits from both. The author starts from the concept of mathematical modelling of value and proceeds to attain the full desired function for the lowest achievable cost. However, steps for job plans like information steps, analysis steps, creativity steps, judgement steps and development planning steps normally adopted for value engineering plans need to be covered citing examples from industries. Some of the human negatives which operate as barriers in value engineering approach should also have been covered. The author has used examples in the book which are mostly theoretical in nature and hence would need proper elaboration and/or refinements. Examples requiring some more elaboration are first, that of single-ended spanners needed in industries and standardised for special applications, and which should not be compared with a D.E. (double-ended) spanner. Because of continuous change in sections of the S.E. spanner, it can take jerk loads and higher bending loads for special application. The functional values of S.E. and D.E. spanners are different (Figures 2.2 and 2.3) which should therefore be elaborated.