Flexible platform component design under uncertainty

Incorporating flexibility into product platforms allows manufacturers to respond to changing market needs with a minimal increase in product family complexity and investment cost. To successfully design a flexible product platform, proper design of flexible platform components is critical. These components can be described as “cousin” parts as they are neither completely unique nor completely common among variants. In this paper, a multidisciplinary process for designing flexible product platform components is introduced, assuming the platform component is decided a priori. The design process starts with identification of uncertainties and generation of multiple design alternatives for embedding flexibility into the component. Design alternatives are then optimized for minimum cost, while satisfying the component performance requirements. The flexible designs are then evaluated for economic profitability under identified uncertainty, using Monte Carlo simulation. At the end, the most profitable flexible component design is selected. The proposed design process is demonstrated through a case study, in which different flexible designs are generated and optimized for an automotive floor pan, an essential element of most vehicle product platforms. Results suggest that the way in which the flexibility is incorporated in the component, production volume trends, and the degree of built-in flexibility are important factors to consider when designing flexible product platforms.