Platform-based Product Development Research Articles

Product platform configuration decision in NPD with uncertain demands and module options

ABSTRACT Platform-based product development is a cost-efficient approach to satisfy wide range of customer preferences. One important problem is the product platform configuration, in which two types of platform configuration are widely used, either module selection or module integration. The platform configuration based on module selection provides a broader solution space of platform selection, while module integration facilitates product platform commonality to gain economic benefits. Up to date, most research focused on the platform configuration based on module selection with a given module set. In this paper, we propose a new model to determine the optimal platform configuration for an external product family, considering both module selection and integration. The demand for the external product family is uncertain and assumed to follow normal distribution. A hybrid methodology combining simulated annealing and variable neighbourhood search is proposed. A numerical examination is carried out for the purpose of evaluation. The results show that the proposed model can provide a practically good solution. Main contributions of this research are two folds, one is the balance point between module selection and module integration in the platform configuration and the other is that we take into account the operation cost of module acquisition to the platform configuration problem.

Towards a mass customization in the fashion industry: An evolutionary decision aid model for apparel product platform design and optimization

To meet the diverse needs of customers with a competitive offering, many companies are utilizing product families and platform-based product development to increase variety, shorten lead times and reduce costs. However, current research in this area does not sufficiently examine broader enterprise considerations, such as production and inventory management complexity and costs, or expected sales. Furthermore, very few existing platform design methods integrate fitting and ergonomic considerations in their formulation.This study proposes a two-stage platform-based design process to support apparel brands to implement mass customization (MC) strategies. This work has been conducted in collaboration with Yamamay, an Italian underwear and lingerie brand. In the first stage, the characteristics of a scale-based platform (i.e. the number of product variants) are determined based on (i) the results of the anthropometric analysis of a large Italian female population sample, (ii) business considerations discussed together with brand managers and experts, (iii) and benchmarking data. In the second stage, a novel and ad-hoc developed evolutionary-based decision aid model stretches and shrinks the resulting classes looking for the optimal trade-off based on anthropometric data between the demand of garments that fit well and the percentage of the population that is satisfied with the proposed product family.The approach proposed here has been proved effective not only in theory but also in practice through a pilot launch of a test product family. Integrating scale-based platform design of apparel with ergonomic, production, inventory, and sales considerations makes this study unique and paves the way for the implementation of customization-as-a-service business model and for the transformation of the fashion industry into a technology- and knowledge-intensive industry.

The Role of Platform Architecture Characteristics in Flexible Decision-Making

The platform-based product development strategy is well-known as an efficient development methodology for high variety products in many industries. The development of a physical platform prior to the development of platform-based products receives more and more importance in industrial practice and academic research. Through the upstream development of the product platform there can be a significant time delay between the planning of a platform and the development of the final platform-based product. This time delay is even more reinforced by the fact that product platforms have a longer usage time than a single product. During this time, market dynamics can negatively affect the decisions which are made in the upstream product platform development project. Flexible decision-making within platform development projects will be therefore a key challenge to develop a successful product platform in a dynamic market environment. The influence of the different platform architecture characteristics, being one of the most crucial decisions within a platform project, is evaluated in this paper, regarding flexible decision-making. In total, five key characteristics of platform architectures are identified from literature and described. The “degree of module and component reuse” which specifies closed and open platforms, the “degree of modularization versus integration” which specifies the main function structure of the platform, the “degree of scalability” which describes the potential for scaling main functions, the “degree of commonality” which from top-down specifies the common unchanged parts across all product variants within the product family, and “the share of platform modules developed within a platform project”. Based on the case study analysis of well-known and often cited platform development publications, this study shows that a significant number of platform development decisions are affected by the different characteristics of platform architectures, in terms of flexible decision-making. Based on the findings, this paper provides a new perspective to introduce development flexibility in platform projects by using the distinct characteristics of platform architectures which support flexible decision-making.

Barco Implements Platform-Based Product Development in Its Healthcare Division

In this article, we present how Barco, a global technology company, used an operations research optimization model, which was supported by an efficient solution method, to implement platforms—common structures from which sets of products could be made—for the design and production of its high-tech medical displays. Our optimization model captures all cost aspects related to the use of platforms; thus, it is an objective tool that considers the input from marketing, sales, research and development (R&D), operations, and the supply chain. This comprehensive view allowed Barco to avoid the excessive costs that may result from the implementation of an incorrect platform. Our model supported Barco in determining the elements that should comprise each platform, the number of platforms to develop, and the products to derive from each platform. The results of the project led to reductions in safety stock and increased flexibility due to the use of platforms: R&D can now introduce twice as many products using the same resources, thus increasing Barco’s earnings by more than five million euros annually and reducing product introduction time by nearly 50 percent.

An integrated approach to technology platform and product platform development

Platforms may enable offering a variety of products to the market while keeping the development cost down. Reusing design knowledge is a key concept, whether manifested as reusing parts, ideas, concepts, or technologies. This article describes processes and information technology solutions for holistically working with both technology platforms and product platforms. A platform framework was developed for managing information and to support the processes. The use of the framework is illustrated through a case study performed at a subsupplier in the aerospace industry focusing on technology development, platform-based product development, and platform configuration. A wiki system supports the technology platform, containing electronic guidelines, methods, and information about the technologies. To support the product platform, a product lifecycle management architecture is created. A turbine rear structure from a turbofan engine is used as an example, requiring several different analysis technologies to be used and coordinated when creating a variant. The solution is a product lifecycle management architecture created based on the technology platform. It integrates a product data management system, a computer-aided design tool, two computer-aided engineering tools, and a configurator.

From user requirements to commonality specifications: an integrated approach to product family design

Many companies design families of products based on product platforms that enable economies of scale and scope while satisfying a variety of market applications. Product family design is a difficult and challenging task, and a variety of methods and tools have been created to support this platform-based product development. Unfortunately, many of these methods and tools have been developed—and consequently exist—in isolation from one other. In this paper, we introduce an approach to integrate several of these disparate tools into a framework to translate user needs and requirements into commonality specifications during product family design. The novelty of the approach lies in how we integrate the market segmentation grid, Generational Variety Index (GVI), Design Structure Matrix (DSM), commonality indices, mathematical modeling and optimization, and multi-dimensional data visualization tools to identify what to make common, what to make unique, and what parameter settings are best for each component and/or subsystem in the product family. The design of a family of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) demonstrates the proposed approach and highlights its benefits and limitations.

Recommending a platform leveraging strategy based on the homogeneous or heterogeneous nature of a product line

Platform-based product development depends on many factors, including technology, cost, competition, and life cycle considerations. Many companies would benefit from knowing more about the nature of their product families and how they impact platform-based product development. We assert that the development of a product platform and its derivative family of products is also impacted by the homogenous or heterogeneous nature of the products being developed, which has received little attention in previous engineering literature. The current study introduces an original metric for assessing the degree of homogeneity or heterogeneity in a given family: the homogeneity versus heterogeneity ratio (HHR), which works at two levels of abstraction, namely, family and function. This study focuses on the platform leveraging strategy and takes into consideration two other aspects of platform development: the specification of the family and the necessity of differentiation. To support platform design, the HHRfamily and HHRfunction metrics quantify the ratio of homogeneity to heterogeneity in the family to recommend a platform leveraging strategy by highlighting homogeneous functions that support platform leveraging. Reverse engineering helps us to retroactively study three types of families (power tools, single-use cameras, and blue jeans) using HHRfamily and HHRfunction. In particular, we demonstrate: (1) quantification of the homogeneity/heterogeneity of a family of products based on their functions; (2) recommendation of a leveraging strategy based on HHR; (3) a new leveraging strategy, the combined leveraging strategy via cross leveraging; (4) how HHR can help designers to validate the product family specification; and (5) how HHR can highlight needs to differentiate a family of products other than through functions.

Design structure matrix based value analysis of software product platforms

Product architecture is a baseline for the designing and developing of any product or service. It is an important stage of any design process. Flexibility in the design process with modifications, maintenance, inter-changeability, etc. can be obtained quite easily by adopting platform-based product design and development strategy. This strategy also supports firms in introducing new product variants, new applications and newer market segments without any major redesigning of existing products or product variants. In this paper various available product architectures are discussed and displayed with the help of the design structure matrix (DSM) tool, along with the value analysis process of platform-based product development strategy. An example is taken from a software company in order to demonstrate value option modelling for platform-based decision-making process. Several research outcomes and some future research directions are also discussed and presented in the conclusion section of this paper.

Aligning external varieties to internal varieties for market solutions

Product customisation is an essential requirement for manufacturing firms to achieve higher customers' satisfaction and fulfil business target. To achieve these objectives, firms need to handle both external and internal varieties successfully. Both the varieties are needed to be integrated for the purpose of developing customised product. Integration among these varieties for a case company is displayed and discussed with the help of Domain Mapping Matrix (DMM) tool. Various customisation strategies such as modular design, commonality among modules and platform-based product development are elaborated and discussed critically. This paper is concluded with several managerial implications and future research direction.

Platform-oriented product development: prospects and limitations

Globalised demands for products variants with reduced developmental time lead firms to consider effective and organised product development approach. In order to fulfil these requirements, manufacturing firms are increasingly moving towards platform-oriented product development or are planning to do so to reduce complexity and better leverage investments in product design, manufacturing and marketing. In this paper, an overview of key topics related to platform design and product variety management is provided. A review of recent works on product platform design and its application to industries is discussed. A generic design structure matrix (DSM) tool is presented that outlines an effective methodology for platform design. This methodology is explained through presenting an example of a diesel fueled ship engine. Different limitations and risks associated with the management of platform-based product design and development are discussed along with some future research directions too.

Using product family evaluation graphs in product family design

Product family design and platform-based product development have garnered much attention. They have been used to provide nearly customised products to satisfy individual customer requirements and simultaneously achieve economies of scale during production. The inherent challenge in product family design is to balance the trade-off between product commonality (how well the components and functions can be shared across a product family) and variety (the range of different products in a product family). Quantifying this trade-off at the product family planning stage in a way that supports the engineering design process has yet to be accomplished. In this paper, we introduce a graphical evaluation method, the product family evaluation graph (PFEG), that allows designers to choose the ‘best’ product family design option among sets of alternatives based on their performance with respect to an ideal commonality/variety trade-off determined by a company's particular competitive focus, and guides designers towards a more desirable trade-off between commonality and variety in an existing product family. Two necessary supporting pieces for developing the PFEG are also proposed. One piece is the development of commonality and variety indices to quantitatively capture the degree of commonality and variety in a product family and its functions and components. We introduce two sets of commonality and variety indices–the CDI (commonality versus diversity index) for commonality (CDIC) and variety (CDIV), and the CMC (comprehensive metric for commonality) for commonality (CMCC) and variety (CMCV)–to achieve this. The other supporting piece is the development of a quantitative representation of the ideal trade-off between commonality and variety in a product family, known as the commonality/variety trade-off angle α, based on the elements that characterise a company's competitive focus and their industry-wide competitors. A linear regression model is used to link the qualitative competitive focus to a quantitative engineering perspective, and then to estimate the ideal trade-off angle. The commonality/variety trade-off angle can then be applied to the PFEG to help designers evaluate a product family or compare product family design alternatives. Most importantly, the PFEG is not just the graph of the two sets of indices; it is the representation of the commonality/variety trade-off relative to the desired competitive focus. Four families of power tools are used to illustrate how the computation of such indices supports product family design evaluation in the PFEG. In this paper, we only use the CDI in the example application, but the CMC can be computed using the same approach.

Platform strategy framework for internet-based service development: case of eBay

Service industry has grown to dominate a significant portion of the US economy. However, research focusing on service development has not grown at the same pace. This paper focuses on platform-based product development that is increasingly used by high-technology companies in their quest to manage the complexity associated with offering greater product variety. The authors extend platform thinking to the service sector and postulate that companies developing nonphysical or intangible services, such as internet-based services, might also benefit from adopting an effective platform strategy. A platform strategy framework for web-enabled services is introduced to aid management in designing and developing strategically sound platforms that leverage existing markets and core competencies.

A market-driven approach to product family design

In an effort to meet the diverse needs of today's highly competitive global marketplace better, many companies are utilizing product families and platform-based product development to increase variety, shorten lead-times, and reduce costs. Current research in the area of product family design mostly focuses on the cost-savings benefits of the platform-based approach and does not sufficiently examine broader enterprise considerations such as profit and market share. Furthermore, very few existing design methods integrate market considerations (e.g., customer preferences, competition) with product development efforts in their formulation. In this work, in addition to integrating market considerations with traditional product family concerns (e.g., modular design, decisions regarding shared parts and processes), the scope of the product family design problem is expanded to include the product line positioning problem, i.e., the problem of determining the appropriate market niche for each product variant in the family. The novel market-driven product family design (MPFD) methodology proposed here is introduced to systematically examine the impact of increasing the variety in the product offerings across different market segments and explore the cost-savings associated with commonality decisions. A unique representation scheme is also introduced to enable us to integrate the qualitative market segmentation grid with mathematically rigorous demand models, and the demand modelling approach employed in this paper models the dissimilar impacts of competition in different market segments and plays a significant role in determining the appropriate platform leveraging strategy. The design of a family of universal motors is used to demonstrate the proposed approach.

An interactive particle swarm optimisation for selecting a product family and designing its supply chain

A platform-based product development with mixed market-modular strategy can maintain product differentiation and help trade-off the cost and price premium drawing capability. This paper formulates a multi-objective problem to select a product family and design its supply chain and uses an Interactive Particle Swarm Optimisation (IPSO) approach. A case study for a wiring harness supplier of an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) manufacturer is considered and IPSO is implemented to solve it. The results establish that the platform-based product development serves the purpose of maintaining market diversity with near optimal cost and profits; more explorative insights are concern of future research.

A cost-based methodology for evaluating product platform commonality sourcing decisions with two examples

As more US companies source tooling development and manufacturing overseas in countries like China and Taiwan, are the need and primary drivers for product platforms diminishing? As tooling cost is reduced to a very small percentage of the total project cost, combined with availability of inexpensive purchased components and low labour rates, the need to develop product platforms can decrease substantially. Low cost outsourcing has given firms the ability to develop and manufacture products cheaply without having to spend the additional time and effort to develop product platforms and families. In this paper, two examples involving two consumer product companies and their product lines are presented. Product family components and estimated tooling costs are analyzed, as well as development timing and profit margins to demonstrate why companies are moving away from product platforms in certain types of consumer products. A novel methodology using component commonality decisions relating to major cost drivers is introduced and applied to both examples. Based on the evidence from the examples presented in this paper, there appears to be little financial or functional benefit to develop product platforms that share common components or subsystems when these products are being manufactured offshore; however, even when considering outsourcing, platform-based product development principles can still yield tangible improvements in production costs over the life of the product.

Product family design and platform-based product development: a state-of-the-art review

Product family design and platform-based product development has received much attention over the last decade. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art research in this field. A decision framework is introduced to reveal a holistic view of product family design and platform-based product development, encompassing both front-end and back-end issues. The review is organized according to various topics in relation to product families, including fundamental issues and definitions, product portfolio and product family positioning, platform-based product family design, manufacturing and production, as well as supply chain management. Major challenges and future research directions are also discussed.

Platform-based product design and development: A knowledge-intensive support approach

This paper presents a knowledge-intensive support paradigm for platform-based product family design and development. The fundamental issues underlying the product family design and development, including product platform and product family modeling, product family generation and evolution, and product family evaluation for customization, are discussed. A module-based integrated design scheme is proposed with knowledge support for product family architecture modeling, product platform establishment, product family generation, and product variant assessment. A systematic methodology and the relevant technologies are investigated and developed for knowledge supported product family design process. The developed information and knowledge-modeling framework and prototype system can be used for platform product design knowledge capture, representation and management and offer on-line support for designers in the design process. The issues and requirements related to developing a knowledge-intensive support system for modular platform-based product family design are also addressed.

Commonality indices for product family design: a detailed comparison

Companies today are faced with the challenge of providing as much variety as possible for the market-place with as little variety as possible between products. To achieve this, many companies are using platform-based product development to realize families of products with sufficient variety to meet customers’ demands while keeping costs relatively low. The challenge when designing a family of products is in resolving the trade-off between product commonality and distinctiveness: too much commonality can cause products to lack distinctiveness and perform poorly, while too little commonality can increase manufacturing costs. Toward this end, several commonality indices have been proposed to assess the amount of commonality within a product family. In this paper, a framework for redesigning a product family using commonality indices is proposed. We first compare and contrast six of the commonality indices based on their ease of data collection, consistency, sensitivity, and repeatability. Nine families of products are dissected, and the commonality of each family is then computed. This study lays a foundation for understanding the relationships between different platform leveraging strategies and the resulting degree of commonality within a product family. The framework that is then proposed gives recommendations for product family redesign using commonality indices.

Assessing Variable Levels of Platform Commonality Within a Product Family Using a Multiobjective Genetic Algorithm

Many companies are using product families and platform-based product development to reduce development costs and lead-time while increasing product variety and customization. Multiobjective optimization is experiencing new found use in the field of product family design to facilitate product platform design and help resolve the inherent tradeoff between commonality and distinctiveness that exists within a product family. After discussing the uses of multiobjective optimization in product family design and the limitations of current approaches, we introduce a genetic algorithm-based approach for product family design that has been developed to overcome these challenges. The proposed genetic algorithm (GA) modifications enable it to simultaneously design the product platform and its corresponding family of products while considering varying levels of platform commonality within the product family. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through the design of a family of General Aviation Aircraft and comparison against previous results. The impact of seeding the proposed GA with two product families, one with all products common and one with all products unique, is studied and shown to yield a richer Pareto set in fewer generations.

Product platform design and customization: Status and promise

In an effort to improve customization for today's highly competitive global marketplace, many companies are utilizing product families and platform-based product development to increase variety, shorten lead times, and reduce costs. The key to a successful product family is the product platform from which it is derived either by adding, removing, or substituting one or more modules to the platform or by scaling the platform in one or more dimensions to target specific market niches. This nascent field of engineering design has matured rapidly in the past decade, and this paper provides a comprehensive review of the flurry of research activity that has occurred during that time to facilitate product family design and platform-based product development for mass customization. Techniques for identifying platform leveraging strategies within a product family are reviewed along with metrics for assessing the effectiveness of product platforms and product families. Special emphasis is placed on optimization approaches and artificial intelligence techniques to assist in the process of product family design and platform-based product development. Web-based systems for product platform customization are also discussed. Examples from both industry and academia are presented throughout the paper to highlight the benefits of product families and product platforms. The paper concludes with a discussion of potential areas of research to help bridge the gap between planning and managing families of products and designing and manufacturing them.