Abstract
Developing product configuration system (CS) requires extracting and representing domain expert knowledge in appropriate product models. As acknowledged by researchers, this is often one of the most challenging activities in configuration projects, where only little empirical insights have yet been reported. This article investigates the challenge on how industrial companies model their product CSs. The study is based on interviews of 18 industrial companies using CSs for configuring customer-tailored products. It investigates the relationship between using a structured modelling technique for modelling product families relative to less or no formal approaches. Furthermore, the study explores the specific characteristics of configuration set-ups with respect to size and complexity and their effect on product variant management and availability of product knowledge in organizations. The results empirically validate the need for a suggested systematic modelling approach for large and complex configuration projects and its positive effect on the overall performance of companies.
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Hvam, L., Bonev, M., Haug, A., Mortensen, N.H. (2014). The Use of Modelling Methods for Product Configuration in Industrial Applications. In: Brunoe, T., Nielsen, K., Joergensen, K., Taps, S. (eds) Proceedings of the 7th World Conference on Mass Customization, Personalization, and Co-Creation (MCPC 2014), Aalborg, Denmark, February 4th - 7th, 2014. Lecture Notes in Production Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04271-8_44
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