Emphasizing Reuse of Generic Assets through Integrated Product and Production System Development Platforms

Solutions from a part-based platform are inflexible to reuse in development situations as they are not allowed to be changed per definition. To use a number of such unchanged parts in new design context is problematic as related designs in the new context will be constrained. If changes are made, the initial platform intentions are violated, and economic scale benefits based on commonality may be lost. Furthermore, modifications made may result in unexpected consequences if the initial intentions and context are not properly understood. A more fruitful approach to support carryover without these drawbacks is to reuse design information containing not only final solutions but also their design rationales together with other kinds of generic assets. This is important for companies that cannot adopt a pure part-based platform approach but still want to achieve customization and economies of scale by efficient and effective reuse of other assets