A Metric for Evaluating Design Commonality in Product Families
Author:
Kota Sridhar1, Sethuraman Kannan2, Miller Raymond1
Affiliation:
1. Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 2. School of Business Administration, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Abstract
Many companies develop a market strategy built around a family of products. These companies regularly add new product variations to the family in order to meet changing market needs or to attract a broader customer base. Although the core functionality remains essentially unchanged across the products within a family, new functions, feature combinations and technologies are incorporated into each new product. If allowed to grow unchecked, these component variations, commonly referred to as “complexity”, can result in a loss of productivity or quality. The challenge lies in an effective management of product variations in the design studio and on the manufacturing floor. The key is to minimize non-value added variations across models within a product family without limiting customer choices. In this paper we discuss the factors that contribute to product complexity in general, and present an objective measure, called the Product Line Commonality Index, to capture the level of component commonality in a product family. Through our Walkman case study, we present a simple yet powerful method of benchmarking product families1. This method gauges the family’s ability to share parts effectively (modularity) and to reduce the total number of parts (multi-functionality). [S1050-0472(00)02704-5]
Publisher
ASME International
Subject
Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design,Computer Science Applications,Mechanical Engineering,Mechanics of Materials
Reference23 articles.
1. MacDuffie, J. P., Sethuraman, K., and Fisher, M. L., 1996, “Product Variety and Manufacturing Performance: Evidence from the International Automotive Assembly Plant Study,” Manage. Sci. 2. Clark, K., and Fujimoto, T., 1991, Product Development Performance: Strategy, Organization and Management in the World Auto Industry, Harvard Business School Press, Boston. 3. Womack, J. P., Jones D., and Roos, D., 1990, “The Machine that Changed the World,” Rawson Associates, New York. 4. Sanderzon, S. W., and Uzumeri, V., 1997, “Managing Product Families,” Irwin. 5. Kekre, S., and Srinivasan, K., 1990, “Broader product Line: A Necessity to Achieve Success?,” Manage. Sci., 36, No. 10, pp. 1216–1231.
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