Abstract
Modularity is one of the most relevant paradigms in manufacturing as it has made mass customization possible through the introduction of postponement and through the effective management of product complexity. Hence, the study of the relationships between mass customization, modularity, technological innovations, and the supply chain still has elements that can be used to extend existing knowledge in the field. This chapter provides an insight of the management of technological innovations using modularity to provide customized products. The cases in the automotive industry addressed reveal that the capability of handling a modular architecture in a complex product can offer an infinite number of bespoke configurations with the sources of innovation for modular architectures located within the firm. The findings support the use of a modular architecture to assist in the introduction of technological innovations with a minimum disruption to the supply chain.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Baldwin C, Clark K (1997) Managing in the age of modularity. Harvard Business Review 84–93
Baldwin C, Clark K (2000) Design Rules: The Power of Modularity, Volume I. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA
Birchall D, Green M (2006) Embedding a common innovation process into a global auto supplier. International J of Automotive Technology and Management 6(2):177–198
Brusoni S, Prencipe A (2001) Unpacking the black box of modularity: technologies, products and organizations. Industrial and Corporate Change 10(1):179–205
Cammuffo A (2000) Rolling out a “World Car”: globalization, outsourcing and modularity in the autoindustry. IMVP, MIT
Chesbrough H, Kusunoki K (2001) Modularity trap: innovation technological phase shifts and the resulting limits of virtual organization. In: Nonaki I, Teece D (eds). Managing Industrial Knowledge: Creation, Transfer and Utilization. Sage Publications, London
Christensen C (1998) The Evolution of innovation. In: Dorf R (ed) The Technology Management Handbook. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL
Cox H, Mowatt S, Prevezer M (2002) New product development and product supply within a network setting: The chilled ready-meal industry in the UK. Industrial Innovation 10:197–217
Da Silveira G, Borenstein D, Fogliatto FS (2001) Mass customization: literature review and research directions. International J Production Economics 72:1–13
DeSanctis G, Poole MS (1994) Capturing the complexity in advanced technology use: adaptive structuration theory. Organization Science 5:121–147
Ettlie JE, Sethuraman K (2002) Focus of supply global manufacturing. International J of Operations and Product Management 22:349–370
Flynn BB, Sakakibara S, Schroeder RG et al. (1990) Empirical research methods in operations management. J Operation Management 9(2):250–284
Garud R, Kumaraswamy A (1995) Technological and Organizational Designs for Realizing Economies of Substitution. Strategic Management J 16:93–109
Garud. R, Kumaraswamy A, Langlois R (2003). Managing in the modular Age; architectures, networks and organizations. In: Garud R, Kumaraswamy A, Langlois R (eds) Managing in the Modular Age; Architectures, Networks and Organizations. Blackwell Publishing. Oxford.
Gawer A, Cusumano M, (2002) Platform Leadership: How Intel, Microsoft and Cisco Drive Industry Innovation. Harvard Business School Press, Boston
Helper S, MacDuffie JP, Pil F et al. (1999) Project report: modularization and outsourcing: implications for the future of automotive assembly. IMVP Annual Forum MIT, Boston 6–7 Oct.
Holweg M, Pil KF (2004) The Second Century: Reconnecting Customer and Value Chain Through Build-to-order. The MIT Press, Cambridge
Holweg M, Pil KF (2008) Theoretical perspectives on the coordination of supply chains. J Operation Management 26(3):389–406
Hsu CC, Tan KC, Kannan VR, Leong GK ( 2009) Supply chain management practices as a mediator of the relationship between operations capability and firm performance. International J Production Research 47(3):835–855
Hsuan J (2003) Modularity, component outsourcing, and inter-firm learning. R&D Management 33(4):439–454
Huang GQ, Zhang XY, Lo VHY (2007) Integrated configuration of platform products and supply chains for mass customization: a game-theoretic approach. IEEE Transactions Engineering Management 54(1):156–171
Iansiti M (1998) Technology Integration: making critical choices in a dynamic world. Harvard Business School, Boston
Koufteros XA, Vonderembse MA, Doll WJ (2002) Examining the competitive capabilities of manufacturing firms. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary J 9(2):256–282
Mahoney J (2004) Economic Foundation of Strategy. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA
McGinnis MA, Vallopra RM (1999) Purchasing and supplier involvement in process improvement: a source of competitive advantage. J Supply Chain Management 35:42–50
Mondragon CEC, Mondragon AEC, Miller R et al. (2009) Managing complex modular product architectures: a qualitative recount of the dynamics of innovation in the automotive industry. International J Production Economics 2:473–485
Newlaunches (2006) http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/top_5_car_tech_innovations.php. Accessed 23 June 2009
Nystrom H (1990) Technological and market innovation: Strategies for product and company development. Wiley, Chichester
Porter ME (1985) Technology and competitive advantage. J Business Strategy 5:60–79
Ragatz GL, Handfield RB, Petersen KJ (2002) Benefits associated with supplier integration into new product development under conditions of technology uncertainty. J Business Research 55:389–400
Randall TR, Morgan RM, Morton AR (2003) Efficient versus responsive supply chain choice: an empirical examination of influential factors. J Product Innovation Management 20:430–443
Salvador F, Forza C, Rungtusanatham M (2002) Modularity, product variety, production volume and component sourcing: theorising beyond generic prescriptions. J Operations Management 20:549–575
Sanchez R, Mahoney J (2003) Dominant designs, technology cycles, and organizational outcomes. In: Garud R, Kumaraswamy A, Langlois R (eds) Managing in the Modular Age: Architectures, Networks and Organizations. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford
Seaman C (1999) Qualitative methods in empirical studies of software engineering. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering 25(4):557–572
Simchi-Levi D, Kaminsky P, Simchi-Levi E (2003) Designing and Managing the Supply Chain. McGraw–Hill, New York
Takeishi A, FujimotoT (2003) Modularization in the car Industry: interlinked multiple hierarchies of product, production and dupplier dystems. In: Prencipe A, Davies A, Hobday M (eds) The Business of System Integration edited. Oxford University Press
Tidd J, Bessant J, Pavitt K (2005) Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and Organizational Change. 3rd ed. Wiley, London
Van den Hoed R (2004) Driving Fuel Cell Vehicles: How Established Technologies Reacts to Radical Change. Delft University of Technology, Netherlands
Veloso F, Fixson S (2001) Make-buy decisions in the auto industry: new perspectives in the role of supplier as an innovator. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 67:239–257
White GP (1996) A meta-analysis model of manufacturing capabilities. J of Operations Management 14:315–331
Yin R (1994) Case Study Research; Design and Methods. Sage Publications, London
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer-Verlag London Limited
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Coronado Mondragon, A., Coronado Mondragon, C. (2011). Managing Technological Innovations Affecting Product Complexity, Modularity, and Supply Chain Structure. In: Fogliatto, F., da Silveira, G. (eds) Mass Customization. Springer Series in Advanced Manufacturing. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84996-489-0_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84996-489-0_5
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-84996-488-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-84996-489-0
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)