Upgrade planning for upgradeable product design

Abstract

The current mass production paradigm contributes significantly to environmental degradation. To solve these environmental problems, concepts involving the reuse and remanufacture of products and materials are being proposed. The design of upgradeable products, which could be used for longer than conventional products and encourage people to reuse artefacts, is one of the most promising approaches using these methodologies. In addition, they might provide new business opportunities in the later stages of their product life cycle. Achieving upgradeable design requires a proper plan, which must include information on the upgradeable design, including when a product should be upgraded, with regard to which function, and to what extent. The upgrade plan should also include a solution lineup for upgradeable design that satisfies these conditions. To devise such an upgrade plan, designers need to predict technological trends and user demands. This paper proposes a methodology for upgrade planning based on the prediction of user demand, and on the assumption that technological trends influence user demands. In addition, a methodology is proposed for changing upgrade plans after target products have been distributed, to meet possible fluctuations in technological trends or user demands.