Modular product development for mass customization

fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

ASSESSING PRODUCT CONFIGURATOR CAPABILITIES FOR SUCCESSFUL MASS CUSTOMIZATION

Mass customization is becoming a competitive strategy for companies offering individualized products. Product configurators provide a platform for companies to do interactive product configuration which is essential for mass customization. Companies need to realize the degree of customization appreciated by the customers and the extent of customization that can be offered competitively. This research is an effort to develop an approach to ascertain the product configurator requirements to achieve mass customization. The frameworks developed for this research are validated with a case study

Product lifecycle management in degree level teaching with Teamcenter PLM software

Despite the situation that product lifecycle management is heavily used in Finnish manufacturing industry, some Finnish educational institutions have not implemented practical PLM system functionalities into educational program. Common situation among educational institutions is that PLM training is mainly theoretical. Even when PLM software is implemented it is mainly used as data storage system. However, PLM system is much more than data storage. The lack of effective product lifecycle management training environment influences negatively to graduated students PLM skills. Increased communication, control of processes and single source of information are main benefits of a PLM system. This research studies the most relevant focus areas in Product lifecycle Management theoretical and practical teaching based on the requirements gathered from Finnish Manufacturing Industry. This research is focusing on the most important theoretical PLM focus areas, but also the most common practical PLM applications, processes and use cases in Finnish manufacturing industry. Based on the requirements of Finnish Manufacturing Industry, Teamcenter PLM software is implemented and configured to support practical degree level teaching. Research clarifies the current PLM knowledge of graduated students and gives recommendations about degree level PLM teaching arrangements. Both theoretical and practical teaching are considered. Based on the findings gathered from 35 Finnish manufacturing companies, relevant PLM use cases, processes and application are implemented to support Product Lifecycle management education with Teamcenter PLM software. Furthermore, the importance of different theoretical PLM topics is clarified based on the opinions of PLM professionals. This study utilizes design science research method to gather empirical data from different manufacturing companies. The foundation of PLM research presented in literature review provides the framework for this study. These studies provide the background information about PLM and how the implementation of PLM system can provide business benefits. This research proposes configured Teamcenter PLM environment for Finnish educational institutions to serve as a foundation of PLM system. Furthermore, the suggested PLM artifact is demonstrated, evaluated and communicated to specified target audience.Tuotteen elinkaaren hallinnan käyttö Suomalaisessa valmistavassa teollisuudessa on lisääntynyt viime vuosina merkittävästi. Käytön laajentumisesta huolimatta Suomen korkeakoulut eivät ole vielä täysin ottaneet käyttöön ohjelmistopohjaista käytännön opetusta. Yleinen tilanne on, että tuotteen elinkaaren hallintaa opetataan vain teoria tasolla, ja vaikka tuotetiedonhallinta ohjelmisto olisikin käyttöönotettu, se toimii pääasiassa datan tallennuspaikkana. Tuotteen elinkaaren hallinta ohjelmiston opetuksen puute vaikuttaa negatiivisesti valmistuvien opiskelijoiden PLM osaamiseen. PLM järjestelmän etuja ovat lisääntynyt kommunikaatio, kontrolloidut prosessit ja yhteinen tiedonlähde. Tämä tutkimus keskittyy löytämään merkityksellisimmät fokus alueet tuotteen elinkaaren hallinnan teoria opetuksessa ja käytännön opetuksessa. Tulokset perustuvat aineistoon joka on kerätty Suomalaisen valmistavan teollisuuden PLM asiantuntijoilta. Tämä tutkimus keskittyy merkittävimpiin ja tärkeimpiin PLM teoria alueisiin, mutta myös Suomen valmistavassa teollisuudessa käytetyimpiin PLM järjestelmän aplikaatioihin, prosesseihin ja käyttötapauksiin. Teamcenter PLM järjestelmä käyttöönotetaan ja konfiguroidaan tukemaan korkeakoulu opetusta. Tutkimuksessa selvitetään tämän hetkinen valmistuvien opiskelijoiden tietämys ja annetaan suosituksia kuinka PLM opetus tulisi järjestää Suomen korkeakouluissa. Sekä teoria opetus, että käytännön opetus on huomioitu tukimuksessa. Tärkeimmät Teamcenter PLM järjestelmän ominaisuudet käyttöönotetaan ja konfiguroidaan opetuksen tueksi. Järjestelmän vaatimukset perustuvat 35:een Suomen valmistavassa teollisuudessa toimivan yrityksen vaatimuksiin. Tärkeimmät Teamcenter PLM ohjelmiston ominaisuudet, prosessit ja käyttötapaukset huomioidaan tutkimuksessa. Teoreettisen opetuksen tärkeimmät osa-alueet selvitetään kyselyn avulla Suomen valmistavan teollisuuden PLM asiantuntijoilta. Tutkimuksessa hyödynnetään Design Science Research metodia. Tutkimuksen lähtökohtana on kirjallisuus analyysi, joka antaa taustatietoa tukimukselle. Tässä tutkimuksessa annetaan suosituksia PLM opetuksen järjestämisestä Suomen korkeakouluissa, sekä suositellaan Teamcenter PLM ohjelmiston käyttöönottoa ja konfigurointia tukemaan tuotteen elinkaaren hallinnan opetusta

Evaluating the usability of a visual feature modeling notation

International audienceFeature modeling is a popular Software Product Line Engineering (SPLE) technique used to describe variability in a product family. A usable feature modeling tool environment should enable SPLE practitioners to produce good quality models, in particular, models that effectively communicate modeled information. FAMILIAR is a text-based environment for manipulating and composing Feature Models (FMs). In this paper we present extensions we made to FAMILIAR to enhance its usability. The extensions include a visualization of FMs, or more precisely , a feature diagram rendering mechanism that supports the use of a combination of text and graphics to describe FMs, their configurations, and the results of FM analyses. We also present the results of a preliminary evaluation of the environment's usability. The evaluation involves comparing the use of the extended environment with the previous text-based console-driven version. The preliminary experiment provides some evidence that use of the new environment results in increased cognitive effectiveness of novice users and improved quality of new FMs

If I customize it, I will keep it longer? Segmenting mass customization consumers through the sustainability lens

2021 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Mass customization (MC) refers to the manufacture of customized products on a mass basis at prices similar to mass-produced (MP) goods (Davis, 1996). Mass customized apparel (MCA) products can better address consumer needs through the consumer-centric process (Yang, Kincade & Chen-Yu, 2015). Additionally, MCA has been heralded for its ability to reduce waste throughout the supply chain, most notably through the elimination of deadstock (e.g., Boër, Redaelli, Boër, & Gatti, 2018), and is suggested to offer the potential for more sustainable consumer behavior through an emotional bond formed with the customized product (Mugge, Schoormans, & Schifferstein, 2009) that may lead to increased product longevity. The purpose of this thesis was to explore the current MCA consumer market and investigate potential connections among MCA consumer segments regarding sustainability related variables. Specifically, this study utilized actual MCA consumers' purchase patterns (i.e. frequency of MCA purchase, amount of MCA purchase, and duration of MCA purchase behavior) to identify consumer segments and profile this emerging market to better understand their MCA-specific motivations for MCA purchase and satisfaction with the MCA product and customization experience as well as demographic variables (i.e., income, education, and body mass index (BMI)). Additionally, this study aimed to uncover to what extent they may display sustainability-related variables (i.e., emotional product attachment and environmental attitudes) and behaviors (i.e., sustainable apparel behaviors and general sustainable behavior). To address this purpose, an online consumer survey was distributed in Spring 2019, and 318 usable responses were analyzed using the segmentation framework. Two clusters were identified who differed mainly on the duration of their MCA purchase behaviors; new customizers (n = 243) had an average of 2 years of experience as MCA consumers, while experienced customizers (n =75) had on average 9 years of experience purchasing MCA. T-test comparison, multiple regression, and correlation analyses were conducted to explore the characteristics of the clusters. Findings showed a general trend among experienced customizers for stronger motivations and satisfaction, as well as increased environmental attitudes, and more sustainable apparel behaviors and general sustainable behaviors. Interestingly, regression analysis revealed participants' who were interested in making sustainable pre-purchase apparel decisions, such as purchasing apparel made of organic materials were likely to be less satisfied with the MCA products and experience. Both new and experienced customizers reported intentions of keeping MCA products longer than MP apparel, and a significant difference between clusters found experienced customizers intended to keep their MCA product a year longer than new customizers; suggesting MCA maybe a sustainable alternative for consumers. This thesis concludes with a discussion of theoretical and managerial implications as well as suggestions for future research for this promising topic

Managing configuration options for build-to-order highly customized products with application to specialty vehicles

Thesis (S.M. in Engineering and Management)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, System Design and Management Program, June 2010."May 2010." Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 134-137).In the past decades there has been a shift in customer expectations that has had a significant effect in the business models of manufacturing companies. Customer requirements have shifted from accepting standardized products to demanding highly customized products that satisfy their specific requirements. To cope with this change companies have quickly increased the variety of products that they offer in the market place. Unfortunately, often this variety is provided without understanding the implications of the added complexity on the different internal processes. This thesis research focuses on analyzing this fundamental conflict that exists in manufacturing and tries to answer the question: Is there a middle way? A compromise that will balance variety and complexity with the need for efficient production processes. A large data set containing more than 27,000 records was obtained from a software product configuration tool in use by a specialty vehicle company. This data was evaluated utilizing several methods including statistical and network analysis. It was observed that option proliferation was common during the vehicle configuration process which had an option approval rate of more than 50%. In addition, options tended not to be shared among vehicles and reused in vehicle designs. Overall there were 6,848 dormant options out of a total of 17,007. This complexity resulted in low and often negative margins for the vehicles manufactured. An option strategy model was created to aid firms in managing complexity. The model was tested using the available data and it was observed that in general improvements in option management were obtained.by Jorge Enrique Amador Gallardo.S.M.in Engineering and Managemen

Design and evaluation of the FAMILIAR tool

2014 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Software Product Line Engineering (SPLE) aims to efficiently produce multiple software products, on a large scale, that share a common set of core development features. Feature Modeling is a popular SPLE technique used to describe variability in a product family. FAMILIAR (FeAture Model scrIpt Language for manipulation and Automatic Reasoning) is a Domain-Specific Modeling Language (DSML) for manipulating Feature Models (FMs). One of the strengths of the FAMILIAR language is that it provides rich semantics for FM composition operators (aggregate, merge, insert) as well as decomposition operators (slice). The main contribution of this thesis is to provide an integrated graphical modeling environment that significantly improves upon the initial FAMILIAR framework that was text-based and consisted of loosely coupled parts. As part of this thesis we designed and implemented a new FAMILIAR Tool that provides (1) a fast rendering framework for the graphically representing feature models, (2) a configuration editor and (3) persistence of feature models. Furthermore, we evaluated the usability of our new FAMILIAR Tool by performing a small experiment primarily focusing on assessing quality aspects of newly authored FMs as well as user effectiveness and efficiency