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Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , Knowledge-based decision support for concept evaluation using the extended impact model of modular product families(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2022-01-06); ; ; ; The design of modular product families enables a high external variety of products by a low internal variety of components and processes. This variety optimization leads to large economic savings along the entire value chain. However, when designing and selecting suitable modular product architecture concepts, often only direct costs are considered, and indirect costs as well as cross-cost center benefits are neglected. A lack of knowledge about the full savings potential often results in the selection of inferior solutions. Since available approaches do not adequately address this problem, this paper provides a new methodological support tool that ensures consideration of the full savings potentials in the evaluation of modular product architecture concepts. For this purpose, the visual knowledge base of the Impact Model of Modular Product Families (IMF) is used, extended and implemented in a model-based environment using SysML. The newly developed Sys-IMF is then applied to the product family example of electric medium-voltage motors. The support tool is dynamic, expandable and filterable and embedded in a methodical procedure for knowledge-based decision support. Sys-IMF supports decision makers in the early phase of interdisciplinary product development and enables the selection of the most suitable modular solution for the company.Publicationtype: Journal ArticleScopus© Citations 8 132 254 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , Design for future variety to enable long-term benefits of modular product families(Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2021-07-27); ; ; ; By developing and using modular product families, large savings can be achieved through reuse and combinability along the entire value chain of a company. Since these potentials often have a very long-term character, the lifetime of a modular product family should be as long as possible. Change drivers, such as changing customer and production requirements, however, result in changes having to be made to the initially developed modular product family, which not only causes a great effort but also prevents the long-term benefits from being fully exploited. With the Change Allocation Model, we introduce a tool that makes it possible to align the essential future changes to the product architecture and to identify and redesign the change-critical components taking into account the existing component variety of the product family. This enables future changes in variety to be considered in the product architecture and a future robust modular product family to be developed. The new visualization is illustrated using the example of a product family of pressure regulating valves and is finally discussed with regard to further potentials and challenges.Publicationtype: Conference PaperScopus© Citations 8 95 96 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: without files , Investigating the Effects of Modular Product Structures to Support Design Decisions in Modularization ProjectsBy using modular product structures, the external product variety required by customers can be realized with a minimum of internal variety of components and processes. Understanding the effects of this special product structuring strategy is essential in the early product planning phase to optimize the product structure for the entire value chain. For this purpose, an empirical study was conducted and is reported in this paper. Four real cases were analyzed to identify the effects of modular product structures considering effect occurrence and project-specific boundary conditions. The results are visualized in an extended impact model of modular product structures and traced back to possible measures of product structuring as well as essential target values in the company. These causal relationships serve product developers as decision support in planning and development of modular product structures.Publicationtype: Conference Paper87 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: without files , Impact of Modularity Decisions on a Firm's Economic Objectives(2020-04-01); ; ; ; Research in modularization of product families reveals numerous individual cause and effect impacts of modularity on the firm. While many modularization methods are present in the literature, an overall combined picture of the interrelations of modular product structures on the firm is yet missing. This makes the construction of an economic business case for modularity difficult. The aim of this work is to show a causal network of how modular product structures affect a firm's economics through modularity's impact on the firm's activities over its products lifecycle phases. Therefore we introduce a literature based impact model on the basis of three main cause and effect node types, being (1) modularity property causes leading to (2) product life phase effects, leading to (3) economic impacts. We show how modularization decisions on a product family structure can impact activities in the product life cycle differently and the resultant economic outcomes. The cause and effect model is a combined summary of the corpus of knowledge found in the literature, highlighting for example that modularity can have an initial negative delaying effect on the development time for a platform followed by a positive reduction in product variant development times, and can a positive impact on reduced manufacturing costs. For validation the model was evaluated by industrial experts against nine case studies of major product-family-wide design projects, marking effects that were experienced and observed in their modularization projects.Publicationtype: Journal Article425 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: without files , 93 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , Towards a decision-making framework for multi-criteria product modularization in cooperative environmentsModular product family design is a strong strategy to offer a wide range of product variants economically. Many methods for designing and assessing modular product concepts are provided in literature - deciding between modular product structure alternatives, however, is still a challenging task, because of the many and unforeseeable effects on all product life-phases in combination with the high number of involved stakeholders. In addition, modularity alternatives cause multi-dimensional trade-offs that make the decision process a complex challenge. Current approaches to decide the product modularization tend to focus on the prediction of either internal or external consequences. Furthermore, they rarely consider the prevalent situation of a company’s internal tier structure with different organizational sections, responsible for different module design and supply. In this paper, we investigate modularity decision problems and introduce an innovative framework and modularity decision dashboard, considering internal and external variety evaluation, conflicting objectives of stakeholders as well as company-internal tier structures of component, module and product suppliers. The approach builds on the integrated PKT-approach for developing modular product families, recent findings in complexity cost evaluation, effects of modularization and modularity decision problems. An industrial application at a modularization strategy project in an international powertool company is presented and proves basic validity of the framework and the process model. The results of the study demonstrate how an applicable modularity decision dashboard can facilitate cooperative decision-making and leads to a balanced variety for the electromotor module portfolio in an industrial environment.Publicationtype: Journal ArticleScopus© Citations 8 278 426 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: without files , Decisive economies and opportunity cost of modular product structure alternatives: an empirical case studyVersatile, global markets as well as the increasing demand for more individualized products has increased the pressure on companies to offer a broad variety of products. Developing modular product families is an established approach to provide a suitable variety under economic conditions. However, balancing the demands for more external variety and less internal variety is a complex task for product development, affecting multiple domains in companies. In this paper, we conduct an empirical case study and investigate the correlating effects of external and internal variety on respective performance indicators (PI). Within two companies, we identify recurring chain reactions across ten decision scenarios and derive a subset of PIs affected by modular product structure alternatives (MPSA). In addition, the results highlight the major trade-offs between different target dimensions that occur while choosing dissimilar product structure alternatives.Publicationtype: Conference Paper165 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: without files , Assessing impacts of modular product architectures on the firm: a case studyProduct modularization is difficult and has far-reaching impacts for the company. It requires a sound understanding of cause and effect chains, which start with product structure decisions, such as module boundary definitions or interface specifications, and lead to essential target values consisting of cost, quality and time categories for each product and the product portfolio. This paper investigates effects of modularity on product development and the challenges to assess them, and gives a further hint research on support for decision makers in the context of modular product definition.Publicationtype: Conference Paper61 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: without files , Opportunity cost of modularity: challenges and requirements for balancing the dilemma of product platformsModular product structure, respectively, platform definition is challenging for decision makers such as project managers or managers which are responsible for a product portfolio. Decisions with influence on modularity of the product family or the product portfolio have effects on internal and external variety and thus induce desired and non-desired effects in firms. This paper describes the problem of balancing effects induced by modularity and introduces modularity-induced opportunity cost as a perspective to the problem.Publicationtype: Conference Paper47