Product platform commonization: platform construction and platform elements capture

Abstract

Platform-based product family design is an effective means for mass customization. Platform commonization is one of the key problems in developing product platforms. Through discussion on the relevant problems of platform commonization, this article presents a framework of layered constructing platform architecture to improve commonality of platforms. Subsequently, an approach to capturing platform elements, viz. Graph theory-based clustering analysis (GTBCA), is proposed, which illustrates the construction of platforms through analyzing the commonality and standardization on a set of existing similar products of a company. The method can be used to help designers plan and design product platform rationally and develop a product family effectively for mass customization. In the end, a case study of a pumping unit product family is presented to illustrate the feasibility and validity of the approach.