Title: Measurement method and application of design adaptability for product platform based on information content

Authors: Xianfu Cheng; Gaofeng Liang; Chong Wan

Addresses: School of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang 330013, China ' School of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang 330013, China ' School of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang 330013, China

Abstract: Product platform has been recognised as an effective means to achieve mass customisation. A key feature affecting the success of a product family is the effectiveness of the product platform across diverse market segments. Adaptable design is a design methodology to create designs and products that can be easily adapted to meet a diversity of requirements. The product platform with adaptability provides a basis for the modification, evolvement and upgrading of product family. This paper focuses on design adaptability issue of product platform, that is, to evaluate the cost effectiveness of a product design to be adapted to meet individual customer demands. Four aspects of adaptability are considered, namely, reusability, customisability, interface flexibility and upgradeability. Product platform adaptability was measured based on the information content metric. Finally, a case study is given to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method.

Keywords: product platform; design adaptability; information content; adaptability degree.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICA.2017.088164

International Journal of Innovative Computing and Applications, 2017 Vol.8 No.4, pp.213 - 221

Received: 01 Jul 2016
Accepted: 13 Dec 2016

Published online: 27 Nov 2017 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article