Co-Development of Products and Manufacturing Systems - Applying a Configurable Platform Approach

Licentiate thesis, 2011

Product first, manufacturing system second. While manufacturing companies in fact make their profits by selling products, the successful development and proper functioning of both the product and the manufacturing system needs to be ensured. This consideration poses a challenge that must be met in a joint effort because the product and the manufacturing system are two technical systems that mutually affect each other. They do so not only inside the factory building, but also at the drawing board, before their final design is determined. With an emphasis on the mutual effect between the manufacturing system and the product, this thesis addresses the co-development of the two technical systems. It follows the idea of conducting development based on a strategy for managing change and variation, called platform. Rather than just regarding the reuse of physical parts, the thesis promotes a platform approach that involves the definition of abstract resources, such as systems, interfaces, and functions. This approach allows for the description of products and manufacturing systems in a way that includes information about how they may change to produce variety in a process called configuration. This thesis explores how configurable platforms can be devised for products, manufacturing systems, or both. It provides answers to how technical systems should be described in the presence of such platforms. Moreover, this work considers the implications for co-development. One of the conclusions of this thesis is that the available methods for describing the platforms of the two technical systems should be expanded further with respect to the processes performed by both of them.