Modular product platform design

Modular product platforms, sets of common modules that are shared among a product family, can bring cost savings and enable introduction of multiple product variants quicker than without platforms. This thesis describes the current state of modular platform design and identifies gaps in the current state. The gaps were identified through application of three existing methods and by testing their usability and reliability on engineers and engineering students. Existing platform or modular design methods either are meant for (a) single products, (b) identify only module "cores" leaving the final module boundary definition to the designer, and (c) use only a limited set of evaluation criteria. I introduce a clustering algorithm for common module identification that takes into account possible degrees of commonality. This new algorithm can be applied both at physical and functional domains and at any, and even mixed, levels of hierarchy. Furthermore, the algorithm is not limited to a single measure for commonality analysis. To select the candidate modules for the algorithm, a key discriminator is how difficult the interfaces become. I developed an interface complexity metric based on minimizing redesign in case of a design change. The metric is based on multiple expert interviews during two case studies. The new approach was to look at the interface complexity as described by the material, energy, and information flows flowing through the interface. Finally, I introduce a multi criteria platform scorecard for improved evaluation of modular platforms. It helps a company focus on their strategy and benchmark one's own platform to the competitors'. These tools add to the modular platform development process by filling in the gaps identified. The tools are described in the context of the entire platform design process, and the validity of the methods and applicability to platform design is shown through industrial case studies and examples.reviewe

Adapting DSM Clustering to the Modularization of Diverse and Universal Product Families

Product family design is a popular approach for designing a group of related products to strategically share common features and components. One method for developing product families is by using a combination of shared and unique modules. The success of a modular product family largely depends on the proper selection of modules and module boundaries. While a number of methods exist for the modularization of individual products, many of these methods are not currently suited for use with product families. The objective of this research is to develop a method for extending the use of popular component-based modularization methods to product families. This thesis primarily consists of two distinct manuscripts. In the first manuscript, a method for extending the use of DSM clustering to the modularization of diverse product families is presented. In this approach, the modular architecture of the product family is optimized while also maximizing commonality between products. A Pareto front is developed of different architectures that produce optimal strategic modularity and maximized commonality in the product family. The proposed method is applied in a case study to the design of a product family of power tools. In this case study, the quality of the modular architecture is evaluated using a DSM (Design Structure Matrix) for each product. Three architectures along the Pareto front are chosen and examined to demonstrate the usefulness of the technique. The second manuscript presents an approach that incorporates the use of the proposed modularization method in the design of universal product families. The approach utilizes market segmentation techniques and action-function modeling to identify the special design requirements for disabled users. An algorithmic approach is employed to generate modular architecture alternatives for constructing the detailed product family. The approach is demonstrated using a case study over the design of typical and inclusive vehicle driver seats

Tuoteperheen moduulijärjestelmän määrittely PSL-mallin avulla

Yrityksillä on yhä kasvava tarve suunnitella tuoteperheitä, joiden avulla ne kykenevät vastaamaan kiristyviin asiakasvaatimuksiin kasvattamatta tuotteiden kustannuksia. Modulaariset tuoteperheet ovat todistetusti pystyneet auttamaan monia yrityksiä tämän ongelman ratkomisessa. Modulaarisen tuotteen on tarkoitus mukautua asiakasvaatimuksiin pitämällä mahdollisimman suuri osuus tuotteesta muuntelun ulkopuolella. Ennen modulaarisen tuoteperheen suunnittelua on kuitenkin syytä määritellä tavoitteet niin liiketoiminnallisten hyötyjen kuin asiakasvaatimustenkin osalta. Fastems Oy on kehittämässä uutta modulaarista tuoteperhettä koneistuskeskusten automatisointiin. Työn tavoitteena huomioida aiempien modulaaristen tuotteiden kehityksen yhteydessä havaitut ongelmat ja määritellä uuden tuoteperheen moduulijärjestelmä tukemaan tuotteelle asetettuja tavoitteita. Erityisesti tässä työssä halutaan määritellä moduulijärjestelmä niin, että tuoteperheelle asetetut liiketoiminnalliset tavoitteet saavutetaan. Lisäksi halutaan luoda uudet menetelmät modulaarisen järjestelmän tuotehallinnalle. Työn tutkimusstrategiana käytetään DRM-menetelmää (Design Research Methodology), joka on erityisesti kehitetty tutkimusmenetelmäksi tuotesuunnittelua varten. Kirjallisuustutkimuksen osuudessa keskitytään erilaisiin tuotteen modulointiin kehitettyihin menetelmiin ja modulaarisuudella tavoiteltuun arvontuottoon. Uudelle tuoteperheelle tehdään tekninen tarvekartoitus asiakasvaatimusten perusteella. Moduulijärjestelmän määrittelyssä hyödynnetään tässä työssä esiteltävää PSL-mallia (Pro-duct Strategic Landscape). PSL-mallilla on tarkoitus löytää liiketoiminnan kannalta tärkeät tuote-rakenteen jakoperiaatteet. PSL-mallin avulla ja teknistä tarvekartoitusta hyödyntäen määritellään uuden tuoteperheen moduulijärjestelmän jakotapa ja luodaan arkkitehtuurin konsepti. Työssä käytettyjä menetelmiä voidaan hyödyntää erilaisten teollisten tuoteperheiden määrittelyissä. Erityisesti menetelmät sopivat pienten tai keskisuurten volyymien tuotteisiin, jotka sisältävät sekä konfiguroitavia että räätälöityjä osuuksia.Companies have an ever-increasing need to design product families that enable them to meet the increasing demands of customers without increasing the costs of the products. Modular product families have proven to be able to help many companies solve this problem. The purpose of a modular product is to adapt to customer requirements by keeping as much of the product as possible outside of modification. However, before planning the modular product family, it is necessary to define the goals both in terms of business benefits and customer requirements. Fastems Oy is developing a new modular product family for the automation of machining centers. The aim of the work is to consider the problems observed in previous development projects of modular products and define the module system of the new product family to support the goals set for the product. In this work, we want to define the module system so that the business goals set for the product family are achieved. In addition, we want to create new methods for the product management of the modular system. The work's research strategy uses the DRM (Design Research Methodology), which has been specially developed as a research method for product design purposes. In the literature research, the focus is on the various methods developed for product modularization and the value capture aimed at modularity. A technical needs mapping is carried out for the new product family based on customer requirements. The PSL model (Product Strategic Landscape) presented in this study is used to define the module system. The purpose of the PSL model is to find the product structuring principles that are important for business. With the help of the PSL model and utilizing the technical needs mapping, the distribution method of the module system of the new product family is defined and the modular architecture concept is created. The methods used in the work can be utilized in the definitions of various industrial product families. In particular, the methods are suitable for products of small or medium volumes, which contain both configurable and customized parts

모듈러 제품군 운영을 위한 다양성 관리 방법론

학위논문 (박사) -- 서울대학교 대학원 : 공과대학 산업공학과, 2021. 2. 홍유석.글로벌 제조업체들은 다양한 제품을 출시하기 위해 모듈러 디자인 전략을 제품개발에 적용해왔다. 모듈러 디자인 전략은 제품을 모듈 단위로 구분한 후, 여러 종류의 모듈을 조합하여 새로운 제품을 만드는 전략이다. 모듈러 디자인은 제조업체가 제품다양성을 달성할 수 있도록 하였지만, 제공하는 제품의 수가 무수히 많아지면서 제품다양성으로 인한 안 좋은 영향들이 설계 영역뿐만 아니라, 시장, 생산 영역에서 지속적으로 발생하고 있는 실정이다. 따라서, 본 논문에서는 제품다양성의 안 좋은 영향을 줄일 수 있도록 이를 체계적으로 개발하고 운영하는 다양성 관리(variety management) 방법론을 제안한다. 다양성 관리를 성공적으로 수행하기 위해서는 교차영역 관점과 변종 수준 관점의 접근이 필요하다. 교차영역 관점은 제품다양성이 영향을 미치는 시장, 설계, 생산 영역의 요소들의 연결관계를 정립하는 메커니즘을 제공하며, 변종 수준 관점은 일반적인 요소(elements) 수준에서 한 단계 내려가 다양성 관리에 실제 문제가 되는 각 요소들의 변종들(variants)을 체계적으로 관리할 수 있도록 한다. 이 두 가지 관점에서, 본 논문은 다양성 관리에서 중요하게 다루어야 할 세 가지 과제–예상치 못한 변종의 발생 방지, 설계 복잡성 감축, 시장 점유율과 복잡성 비용 사이의 균형 잡기–를 해결하기 위한 방법론을 제안한다. 첫 번째 주제에서는, 아키텍처 기반의 접근법을 활용한 변종 관리 아키텍처(VA, variation architecture)를 도입하여 예상치 못한 변종의 발생을 방지하고자 한다. 개발 아키텍처는 모듈러 제품군을 개발할 때 사용하는 일종의 참조 아키텍처로, 시장 속성, 설계 모듈, 생산 설비의 연결관계를 정의하는 교차영역 연결 메커니즘을 제공한다. 변종 관리 아키텍처에서는 일반 수준의 계획과 변종 수준의 계획을 함께 세울 수 있다. 일반 수준에서는 요소 간 연결관계의 종류를 정의하여 제품군의 다양성 수준을 결정하고, 변종 수준에서는 변종들 간의 조합 규칙을 설정하여 불필요한 변종의 발생을 최소화한다. 또한, 본 연구에서는 제조업체가 변종 관리 아키텍처를 활용할 수 있도록 아키텍처 구축 프레임워크를 제안한다. 사례 연구에서는 자동차 프론트섀시 제품군을 통해 제품 및 변종의 수를 상당히 줄일 수 있음을 보여 줌으로써 프레임워크의 실용성을 검증한다. 다음으로, 인터페이스 표준화 개념을 적용하여 변종들 간의 복잡한 관계로부터 발생하는 설계 복잡성을 줄이는 연구를 수행한다. 본 연구에서 제안하는 인터페이스 설계 방법론은 하나가 아닌 다수의 표준 인터페이스를 사용하도록 허용한다. 모듈 변종들을 연결하기 위해 다수의 인터페이스를 도입하면, 인터페이스의 수와 적용범위에 따라 모듈러 제품군의 전체 구조가 달라지고 설계 복잡성 또한 다양한 양상으로 발생한다. 이를 측정하기 위해, 본 연구에서는 인터페이스의 선택에 영향을 받는 두 가지 복잡성 지표를–인터페이스 표준화 복잡성과 통합 복잡성을–정의한다. 인터페이스 표준화 복잡성은 표준 인터페이스를 설계할 때, 모듈 변종 설계자 간의 조율에 필요한 맨아워(person-hour)를 계산하고, 통합 복잡성은 각각의 모듈 변종과 인터페이스를 통합된 제품으로 설계하는데 필요로 하는 노력의 양으로, 위상적 복잡성(topological complexity) 지표를 기반으로 측정한다. 본 연구에서는 두 가지 복잡성을 최소화하는 인터페이스 설계 대안을 찾기 위한 프레임워크를 제공한다. 사례 연구에서 이의 적용성을 보여주기 위해 프론트섀시 제품군에 맞는 최적의 인터페이스 수와 제품군 구조를 도출한다. 마지막 주제에서는, 시장 점유율과 복잡성 비용의 균형을 맞추는 최적 제품 종수를 찾기 위한 최적화 모델을 개발한다. 최적화 모델은 제품을 구성하는 모듈 변종을 기반으로 모델링되고, 제품 및 모듈 종수가 증가함에 따라 시장 점유율의 증가분이 줄어들고, 반대로 복잡성 비용의 증가분은 늘어나는 특성을 반영한다. 시장 점유율을 구하기 위해 네스티드 로짓 모델(nested logit model)을 기반으로 하는 수요 모델을 개발한다. 네스티드 로짓 모델에서는 동일 제품군 내 제품들의 유사성을 고려하여 시장 점유율의 증가분이 줄어드는 특성을 반영한다. 다음으로, 제로베이스 원가계산 접근법(zero-based costing approach)을 활용한 복잡성 비용 모델을 도입한다. 이 접근법에서는 제품 혹은 모듈의 종수가 한 단위씩 늘어날 때 발생하는 비용을 단계적으로 계산하는 방법을 사용한다. 마지막으로, 수요 모델과 복잡성 비용 모델을 합친 최적화 모델(optimization model)을 모델링하여 최적 제품 종수와 제품의 모듈 구성을 도출하는 연구를 수행한다. 사례 연구에서는 민감도 분석을 수행하여 각 상황별 최적해가 어떻게 달라지는 지 보여주어 연구에서 제안하는 모델들의 효과를 검증한다.Global manufacturing companies have been achieving product variety by implementing a modular design strategy in which product variants are created by combining, adding, or substituting modules. Providing a high variety of products, however, causes negative effects not only on design but also on market and production. Variety management that defines the right range of variants is one of the most critical issues for most of the manufacturing companies. This thesis aims to propose methodologies that enable companies to systematically reduce negative effects of variety. In order to achieve successful variety management, this study approaches the issue from two viewpoints: cross-domain and variant-level viewpoints. A cross-domain viewpoint supports establishing relationships between elements in market, design, and production domain that are affected by product variety, and a variant-level viewpoint enables to explicitly manage variants of elements that are the main source of negative effects. In these viewpoints, this thesis focuses on dealing with three important challenges in variety management: to prevent unexpected variants, to reduce design complexity, and to balance market share and complexity cost. In the first theme, an architecture-based approach named variation architecture is introduced to prevent unexpected variants. Variation architecture (VA) is defined as a reference architecture for a modular product family providing the scheme by which variants in market, design, and production domain are arranged by cross-domain mapping mechanisms. The VA consists of generic-level and variant-level plans. At the generic-level, mapping types between domain elements are determined, and at the variant-level, combination rules between variants are set to reduce unexpected variants. Then, a framework is proposed to increase the practicality of the VA so that its compositions are well defined. In the case study, the framework is applied to an automobile front chassis family. The result shows that the number of module variants is significantly reduced compared to the current number of variants in operation. Secondly, the concept of interface standardization is introduced to manage design complexity caused by complicated combinations between module variants. This theme proposes an interface design methodology that addresses multiple standard interfaces in a modular product family. A product family structure is changed by implementing multiple standard interfaces, generating design complexity. This study defines two complexities resulting from the introduction of multiple standard interfaces: standardization effort and integration effort. Standardization effort is estimated as a required person-hours for coordinating module variants to design a standard interface, and integration effort is measured as an effort to integrate all design elements based on the concept of topological complexity. A framework is proposed to identify an optimal product family structure that minimizes the two complexities. In the case study, the proposed framework identifies an optimal structure and the number of standard interfaces for the front chassis family. Then, the study conducts a sensitivity analysis to demonstrate the methodologys applicability in interface management. In the last theme, an optimization model is developed to identify an optimal product variety to balance market share and complexity cost. The model focuses on module variants, not just product variants, because a modular product family creates product variants by combining module variants. The model reflects the trends of concave increase in market share and convex increase in complexity cost as the number of variety increases. A demand model is developed by the nested logit model that shows the concavity of market share based on the similarity of product variants in the same family, and a complexity cost model is constructed by the zero-based costing approach that an incremental cost is estimated as a variant is added. Combining the models, an optimization model is formulated to find an optimal variety and configurations of product variants. The case study demonstrates the models effectiveness by analyzing optimal solutions in various situations.Abstract i Contents iv List of Tables viii List of Figures ix Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Variety Management 1 1.2 Variety Management Challenges 5 1.3 Research Proposal: How to Deal with the Challenges? 7 1.4 Structure of Thesis 10 Chapter 2 Literature Review 11 2.1 Variety Management Methodologies 11 2.1.1 Modular product family design 11 2.1.2 Product family architecture 13 2.1.3 Classification of the contributions 15 2.2 Modular Design and Complexity 17 2.2.1 Modular design 17 2.2.2 Interface design 19 2.2.3 Design complexity 20 2.3 Product Family Design and Variety 22 2.3.1 Product family design 22 2.3.2 Variety optimization 25 Chapter 3 Variation Architecture for Reducing the Generation of Unexpected Variants 29 3.1 Introduction 29 3.1.1 Generation of unexpected variants 29 3.1.2 Needs for a systematic approach 31 3.2 Variation Architecture (VA) 33 3.2.1 Generic-level planning 34 3.2.2 Variant-level planning 41 3.3 Framework for Planning Product Variety 46 3.4 Application 47 3.4.1 Case description 47 3.4.2 Construction of variation architecture (VA) 49 3.4.3 Result and discussion 53 3.5 Summary 57 Chapter 4 Variant-level Interface Design for Reducing Design Complexity 59 4.1 Introduction 59 4.2 Variant-level Interface Design 61 4.3 Interface Design Complexity 64 4.3.1 Standardization effort 66 4.3.2 Integration effort 71 4.4 Framework for Variant-level Interface Design 76 4.5 Case Study 79 4.5.1 Application of the framework 79 4.5.2 Analysis and discussion 84 4.6 Summary 88 Chapter 5 Optimizing Product Variety for Balancing Market Share and Complexity Cost 91 5.1 Introduction 91 5.2 Evidence of the impact of variety on market share 94 5.3 Planning of Product Configurations 96 5.3.1 Product family architecture 96 5.3.2 Product configuration 98 5.4 Variety Optimization Model 100 5.4.1 Demand model 100 5.4.2 Complexity cost model 104 5.4.3 Optimization model 108 5.5 Case Study 110 5.5.1 Case description 110 5.5.2 Data source 112 5.5.3 Optimization setting 113 5.5.4 Result 115 5.5.5 Discussion 118 5.6 Summary 122 Chapter 6 Conclusion 125 6.1 Summary of Contributions 125 6.2 Limitations and Future Research Directions 127 Bibliography 129 Appendix A Variant-level Plan of a Front Chassis Family 147 Appendix B Adjacency and Combination Matrices of a Front Chassis Family 151 국문초록 155Docto

Developing modular product family using GeMoCURE within an SME

Companies adopt the strategy of producing variety of products to be competitive and responsive to market. Product variation is becoming an important factor in companies' ability to accurately meet customer requirements. Ever increasing consumer options mean that customers have more choices than ever before which put commercial pressures on companies to continue to diversify. This can be a particular problem within Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) who do not always have the level of resources to meet these requirements. As such, methods are required that provide means for companies to be able to produce a wide range of products at the lowest cost and shortest time. This paper details a new modular product design methodology that provides a focus on developing modular product families. The methodology's function is described and a case study detailed of how it was used within an SME to define the company's product portfolio and create a new Generic Product Function Structure from which a new family of product variants can be developed. The methodology lends itself to modular re-use which has the potential to support rapid development and configuration of product variants

Supporting 'design for reuse' with modular design

Engineering design reuse refers to the utilization of any knowledge gained from the design activity to support future design. As such, engineering design reuse approaches are concerned with the support, exploration, and enhancement of design knowledge prior, during, and after a design activity. Modular design is a product structuring principle whereby products are developed with distinct modules for rapid product development, efficient upgrades, and possible reuse (of the physical modules). The benefits of modular design center on a greater capacity for structuring component parts to better manage the relation between market requirements and the designed product. This study explores the capabilities of modular design principles to provide improved support for the engineering design reuse concept. The correlations between modular design and 'reuse' are highlighted, with the aim of identifying its potential to aid the little-supported process of design for reuse. In fulfilment of this objective the authors not only identify the requirements of design for reuse, but also propose how modular design principles can be extended to support design for reuse

A review of modular strategies and architecture within manufacturing operations

This paper reviews existing modularity and modularization literature within manufacturing operations. Its purpose is to examine the tools, techniques, and concepts relating to modular production, to draw together key issues currently dominating the literature, to assess managerial implications associated with the emerging modular paradigm, and to present an agenda for future research directions. The review is based on journal papers included in the ABI/Inform electronic database and other noteworthy research published as part of significant research programmes. The research methodology concerns reviewing existing literature to identify key modular concepts, to determine modular developments, and to present a review of significant contributions to the field. The findings indicate that the modular paradigm is being adopted in a number of manufacturing organizations. As a result a range of conceptual tools, techniques, and frameworks has emerged and the field of modular enquiry is in the process of codifying the modular lexicon and developing appropriate modular strategies commensurate with the needs of manufacturers. Modular strategies and modular architecture were identified as two key issues currently dominating the modular landscape. Based on this review, the present authors suggest that future research areas need to focus on the development and subsequent standardization of interface protocols, cross-brand module use, supply chain power, transparency, and trust. This is the first review of the modular landscape and as such provides insights into, first, the development of modularization and, second, issues relating to designing modular products and modular supply chains

Identifying component modules

A computer-based system for modelling component dependencies and identifying component modules is presented. A variation of the Dependency Structure Matrix (DSM) representation was used to model component dependencies. The system utilises a two-stage approach towards facilitating the identification of a hierarchical modular structure. The first stage calculates a value for a clustering criterion that may be used to group component dependencies together. A Genetic Algorithm is described to optimise the order of the components within the DSM with the focus of minimising the value of the clustering criterion to identify the most significant component groupings (modules) within the product structure. The second stage utilises a 'Module Strength Indicator' (MSI) function to determine a value representative of the degree of modularity of the component groupings. The application of this function to the DSM produces a 'Module Structure Matrix' (MSM) depicting the relative modularity of available component groupings within it. The approach enabled the identification of hierarchical modularity in the product structure without the requirement for any additional domain specific knowledge within the system. The system supports design by providing mechanisms to explicitly represent and utilise component and dependency knowledge to facilitate the nontrivial task of determining near-optimal component modules and representing product modularity

Adopting Product Modularity in House Building to Support Mass Customisation

Product modularity is a concept that can contribute to the improvement of product quality and production efficiency in house-building. However, there is a lack of consensus in the literature on the concepts that define product modularity. Furthermore, little attention has been given to the differences between building construction and manufacturing, for which product modularity was originally developed. This research aims to address that gap by adapting the conceptualization of product modularity so that it can effectively be used in the house-building industry. The methodological approach adopted in this study was Design Science Research, and two empirical studies were carried out on construction companies based in Brazil and in the U.K. Those studies are used to illustrate the applicability and utility of the proposed concepts and tools. Research findings indicate that the adoption of product modularity concepts results in benefits to both traditional construction technologies and prefabricated building systems