A multi-criteria assessment tool for screening preliminary product platform concepts

Kevin Otto*, Katja Hölttä-Otto

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

39 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Platform concept evaluation is a more challenging task than evaluating a single product concept since a platform must effectively support multiple product variants over a prolonged period of time. Existing platform methods develop specific criteria in depth, yet an evaluation of alternative platforms should be based on a broad set of criteria. Based on expert interviews, personal experience, and a literature search we propose a platform assessment tool consisting of 19 criteria for platform evaluation. The criteria are group into six categories: customer satisfaction, variety, after-sale, organization, flexibility, and complexity. The tool is focused on the early platform architecture phase, before proof-of-concept prototyping. However, it can also be used subsequently for platform refinement when more data becomes available. We demonstrate our platform assessment tool through an example with a cordless drill platform.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)59-75
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Intelligent Manufacturing
Volume18
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2007
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Keywords

  • modularity
  • platform
  • concept selection
  • system engineering
  • DESIGN

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