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Design Rules and Guidelines 149

D. Design for Capital Protection and Renewal

Capital protection and renewal is a fundamental requirement for the
sustainability of an enterprise. This is an unfamiliar topic for design-
ers accustomed to focusing on product quality and customer satisfac-
tion. However, the broad scope of DFE encompasses many issues that
are not visible to the customer, yet are vital to the success of the prod-
uct and the company as a whole. Here, capital is used in the broadest
sense, including human and natural capital as well as economic capi-
tal. For example, design decisions may be instrumental in improving
process safety and reliability, thus maintaining continuity and pro-
ductivity. Likewise, design decisions may facilitate access to raw
material feedstocks based on natural resources, thus ensuring adapt-
ability and sustainability.

D.1 Design for Human Capital
In the context of business enterprises, the term “human capital” refers
to the skills and knowledge of management and employees. It is con-
sidered part of intellectual capital, which includes patents and pro-
prietary knowledge, as well as relationships with customers and
others in the supply chain [6]. Attraction and retention of talented,
productive employees is one of the most important sources of com-
petitive advantage for any business, as discussed in Chapter 4. Fur-
thermore, human capital is influenced by the broader context of social
capital. According to the World Bank, social capital refers to the insti-
tutions, relationships, and norms that shape the quality and quantity
of a society’s social interactions, and can be measured in terms of civil
engagement and interpersonal trust.

FIGURE 8.8 Capital protection and renewal.