| Author | Perera, H. S. C. |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no. ISE-99-01 |
| Subject(s) | Standardization
|
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Engineering, School of Advanced Technologies |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | In these days of global competition, component standardization is one of the strategies
that can be used to deliver the variety the customer wants, at the same time to keep the costs of
the product low. Many studies have been done on component standardization problem
focusing on the inventory benefits. No attempts have been made to integrate all the aspects
(marketing, design, evaluation and optimization) involved in component standardization. This
study focuses on the benefits of standardization, identifying the potential candidates for such
standardization, and evaluating the total costs of standardization for decision making purposes.
The purpose of this study is to develop a decision making framework for component
standardization in a high product variety manufacturing environment. The study mainly
addresses the component standardization problem of existing products. The approach
comprises mainly three phases.
In the first phase, it is desired to identify the component standardization opportunities
in the company product universe. A hybrid approach consisting of two basic analyses are
proposed: product type analysis and part type analysis. The former is for analyzing the
component standardization opportunities of product specific or product group specific
components which highly influence on the product architecture. The latter is for the
components which are widely used in the product universe and have not much influence on
the product architecture. The procedure consists of grouping products, prioritizing product
groups, and identifying component standardization opportunities. The components, which can
be standardized without reducing the product variety, are identified through a structured
methodology in which marketing criteria for product differentiation are systematically
translated into the component attributes.
After identifying the component standardization opportunities, the possible alternatives
for the standardized components are derived. Guidelines are developed to derive the
alternatives. Other related components to be modified with the standardization are also
identified.
The third phase develops models for evaluation and selection of component variants.
Evaluation models are developed to estimate the total cost of both standardized and non-standardized component variants in cases of both manufacturing and purchasing. Logistic
decisions to be reviewed, such as make or buy decisions, and selection of a manufacturing
method with component standardization, are discussed. A non-linear 0-1 integer programming
model is developed to select the optimal level of component standardization so that the total
cost is minimum.
The above methodology is applied for a sanitary fitting manufacturing company which
produces large variety of products. An illustrative example is presented for standardizing
components of a group of products. Finally, strategies are developed for future product design
with variety. |
| Year | 1999 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Advanced Technologies |
| Department | Department of Industrial Systems Engineering (DISE) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Industrial Systems Engineering (ISE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Tabucanon, M. T. ;Nagarur, N. N.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Bohez, Ir. E.L.J. ;Paul, H. ;Ishii, Kazuyoshi; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | The Netherlands/TCDC ; |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1999 |