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Synopsis
The global economy is changing business practices. Organizations now fail or succeed based upon their ability to respond quickly to changing customer demands and to utilize new technological innovations. The advantage goes to the firm that can offer greater varieties of new products with higher performance and greater overall appeal. To be competitive, organizations need to produce products that can be easily configured to offer distinctive capabilities compared to the competition. The concept of modularity can provide the necessary foundation for organizations to design products that can respond rapidly to market needs and allow the changes in product design to happen in a cost-effective manner. Modularity can be applied to the design processes to build modular products and to create modular manufacturing processes.
Product Design for Modularity proposes a new methodology for modular design. The framework of this methodology is carefully presented in six chapter discussions which outline the following aspects of modular design: (1) the critical background for product development, (2) a comprehensive explanation of the modular design concept, (3) the methods for the development of complex products/systems using the modularity concept, (4) illustrated use of design for assembly and modularity, (5) the design process outlined for manufacture and template process planning, and (6) an explanation of modularity in production systems through the design of modular cells. The discussions are illustrated with extended case examples throughout the book.
Booknews
The concept of modularity offers organizations the ability to design products that can respond rapidly to market needs, and allows changes on product design to happen in a cost-effective manner. Modularity can be applied to the design processes to build modular products and to create modular manufacturing processes. In this book, Kamrani (University of Michigan) and Salhieh propose a new methodology for modular design. The approach focuses on decomposing the overall design problem into functionally independent sub-problems, among which interactions are minimized. Another key aspect is the creation of a basic core unit to which components can be fitted, enabling a variety of versions of the same module to be produced. Case studies apply variations of the method to the design of a four-gear speed reducer, a fog lamp, and a crankshaft. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)