DESIGN FOR VARIETY: DEVELOPMENT OF COMPLEXITY INDICES AND DESIGN CHARTS

摘要

This paper describes methods to help project leaders andrnengineers manage the costs of providing variety to the market.rnAs companies look for ways to stay competitive in the globalrnmarketplace, the concept of mass customization has appearedrnas a potential advantage. Armed with new manufacturing andrninformation technologies, companies are trying to determinernthe amount of variety that they should offer to optimize profits.rnOur Design for Variety (DFV) research focuses onrnmethodologies which will help companies quantify the costs ofrnproviding variety and will qualitatively guide designers inrndeveloping products that incur minimum variety costs. Thernproposed tools incorporate quantitative indices and qualitativerndesign charts. Examples from electronics and automotivernindustries illustrate the utility of the tools