Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Module-scale-based product platform planning

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Research in Engineering Design Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Planning product platform by taking full advantage of existing product resources is an effective tactic for mass customization, which can help not only keep market share, improve production batch, but also enhance customization. In this paper, we investigate a methodology for achieving the goal. As a basis, product platform is defined as a set of modules, platform parameters and individual parameters. Then, the steps of product platform planning are given. First, product modules are identified; second, a strategy of choosing platform parameters is investigated based on considering the influence of customizing individual parameters upon the activities, such as design, die, machining, assembly, service and management, in all product life cycle; third, an optimization model is employed to determine the value of platform parameters whose carriers are the modules. Finally, the proposed methodology is effectively demonstrated in an instance of motorcycle-hydraulic-disk brake platform planning.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adnerson DM, Pine BS II (1997) Agile product development for mass customization. Irwin Publishers, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Dahmus JB, Gonzalez-zugasti JP, Otto KN (2001) Modular product architecture. Des Stud 22:409–424. doi:10.1016/S0142-694X(01)00004-7

    Google Scholar 

  • Dobrescu G, Reich Y (2003) Progressive sharing of modules among product variants. Comput Aided Des 35(9):791–806. doi:10.1016/S0010-4485(02)00104-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez-Zugasti JP, Otto KN, Baker JD (2000) A method for architecting product platforms. Res Eng Des 12:61–72. doi:10.1007/s001630050024

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gu P, Sosale S (1999) Product modularization for life cycle engineering. Robot Comput Integr Manuf 15:387–401. doi:10.1016/S0736-5845(99)00049-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofer AP, Gruenenfelder M (2001) Product family management based on platform concepts. International conference on engineering design, ICED 01, Glasgow, 21–23 August 2001

  • Hölttä KMM, Otto KN (2005) Incorporating design effort complexity measures in product architectural design and assessment. Des Stud 26:463–485. doi:10.1016/j.destud.2004.10.001

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang GQ, Li L, Chen X (2007) A tandem evolutionary algorithm for platform product customization. J Comput Inf Sci Eng 7(2):151–159. doi:10.1115/1.2720883

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Jiao JX, Tseng MM (2004) Customizability analysis in design for mass customization. Comput Aided Des 36:745–757. doi:10.1016/j.cad.2003.09.012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee KH (2005) First course on fuzzy theory and applications. Springer, Berlin

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Li L, Huang GQ, Newman ST (2007) Interweaving genetic programming and genetic algorithm for structural and parametric optimization in adaptive platform product customization. Robot Comput Integr Manuf 23:650–658. doi:10.1016/j.rcim.2007.02.014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu SF (1997) The role and position of grey system theory in science development. J Grey Syst 9(4):351–356

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu F, Jiang P, Zhang RH, Tan RH (2005) Platform design of function similar products based on bottom-up method. Comput Integr Manuf Syst 11(7):947–952, 985

    Google Scholar 

  • McAdams DA, Stone RB, Wood KL (1999) Functional interdependence and product similarity based on customer needs. Res Eng Des 11:1–19. doi:10.1007/s001630050001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Messac A, Martinez MP, Simpson TW (2002) Effective product family design using physical programming. Eng Optim 34:245–261. doi:10.1080/03052150211746

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer M, Lehnerd A (1997) The power of product platforms. Free Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Nayak RU, Chen W, Simpson TW (2002) A variation-based method for product family design. Eng Optim 34(1):65–81. doi:10.1080/03052150210910

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pan SX, Gao F, Feng PE (2003) Module partition method research under the circumstances about mass customization. Chin J Mech Eng 39(7):1–6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qin HB, Zhong YF, Xiao RX, Zhang WG (2005) Product platform communization: platform construction and platform elements capture. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 25:1071–1077. doi:10.1007/s00170-003-1965-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rachel C, Andrew BW (1998) Requirements capture: theory and practice. Technovation 18(8/9):497–511

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson D, Ulrich K (1998) Planning for product platforms. Sloan Manage Rev 39(4):19–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Ronald SF, Simpson TW (2003) Product platform design to improve commonality in custom products. J Intell Manuf 14:541–556. doi:10.1023/A:1027306704980

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shooter SB, Simpson TW, Kumara SRT, Stone RB (2005) Toward a multi-agent information management infrastructure for product family planning and mass customization. Int J Mass Cust 1(1):134–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silveira DG, Borenstein D, Fogliatoo FS (2001) Mass customization: literature review and research directions. Int J Prod Econ 72(1):1–13. doi:10.1016/S0925-5273(00)00079-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson TW, D’Souza BS (2004) Assessing variable levels of platform commonality within a product family using a multi-objective genetic algorithm. Concurrent Eng Res Appl 12(2):119–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson TW, Chen W, Allen JK, Mistree F (1996) Conceptual design of a family of products through the use of the robust concept exploration method. 6th AIAA/USAF/NASA/JSSMO Symposium on Multidisciplinary Analysis and Optimization, Bellevue, AIAA 2:1535–1545

  • Simpson TW, Jonathan RAM, Mistree F (2001) Product platform design: method and application. Res Eng Des 13:2–22. doi:10.1007/s001630100002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stone RB, Wood KL, Crawford RH (2000a) A heuristic method for identifying modules for product architectures. Des Stud 21:5–31. doi:10.1016/S0142-694X(99)00003-4

    Google Scholar 

  • Stone RB, Wood KL, Crawford RH (2000b) Using quantitative functional models to develop product architectures. Des Stud 21(3):239–260

    Google Scholar 

  • Tseng MM, Du XH (1998) Design by customers for mass customization products. Ann CIRP 47(1):103–106. doi:10.1016/S0007-8506(07)62795-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ulrich K (1995) The role of product architecture in the manufacturing firm. Res Policy 24:419–440. doi:10.1016/0048-7333(94)00775-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang TG, Beiter KA, Ishii K (2005) Product platform development: considering product maturity and morphology. In: ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, 5–11 November 2005, Orlando, FL, USA

  • Zhu B, Jiang PY, Long YL (2003) Product platform variables planning method based on regression analysis and its web implementation. Comput Integr Manuf Syst 9(12):1067–1071

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work is being supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of CHINA under Grant No. 50705087, the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of CHINA under Grant No. Y105200 and Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Planning Key Project of CHINA under Grant No. 2006C21003.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Information Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310032, China

    Fei Gao & Gang Xiao

  2. Departments of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Penn State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Timothy W. Simpson

Authors
  1. Fei Gao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gang Xiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Timothy W. Simpson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fei Gao.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gao, F., Xiao, G. & Simpson, T.W. Module-scale-based product platform planning. Res Eng Design 20, 129–141 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00163-008-0061-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00163-008-0061-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation