Opportunity Cost of Modularity: Challenges and Requirements for Balancing the Dilemma of Product Platforms

DFX 2016: Proceedings of the 27th Symposium Design for X, 5-6 October 2016, Jesteburg, Germany

Year: 2016
Editor: Dieter Krause, Kristin Paetzold, Sandro Wartzack
Author: Windheim, Marc; Krause, Dieter
Series: DfX
Institution: Hamburg University of Technology (1), Hilti Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (2)
Section: Modularisierung
Page(s): 065-076
ISBN: 978-3-946094-09-8

Abstract

Modular product structure, respectively, platform definition is challenging for decision makers such as project managers or managers which are responsible for a product portfolio. Decisions with influence on modularity of the product family or the product portfolio have effects on internal and external variety and thus induce desired and non-desired effects in firms. This paper describes the problem of balancing effects induced by modularity and introduces modularity-induced opportunity cost as a perspective to the problem.

Keywords: Platform, Platform design, Modularity, Variant Management