Systems components should be designed to maximize mass, energy, and temporal efficiency

Mass Efficiency is defined as the ratio between the Actual Component Mass to that of the Raw Material required to produce the same component. Typically, a part manufactured by using extrusion process will have higher mass efficiency (>80%) compared to a part manufactured using stamping process (between 50 to 70%).

Energy Efficiency is defined as the ratio between the minimum energy required to produce a component to that of the actual energy consumed to produce the same component. Typically, customized equipments which are dedicated to manufacture high volume parts will be much more energy efficient than generic equipments which can produce range of products.

Temporal Efficiency is defined as the ratio between the minimum shape/volume required to producing a component to that of the actual shape/volume the same component. A good example for high temporal efficiency is commercial aircrafts.They are designed to accommodate as many passengers as possible. On the other hand, typical high volume automotive assembly plants are focused on minimizing cycle time and not necessarily on spatial efficiency.