Interdisciplinary Optimization of Modularization

Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2021 in the subject Computer Science - Commercial Information Technology, grade: 1,0, University of Kaiserslautern (Fraunhofer IESE), language: English, abstract: In this research project, modularization will be investigated in the field of different engineering disciplines and in its interdisciplinary impact. Various experts are interviewed to reconcile academic research and modularization in practice as part of this research project. On the one hand, different strategies and tools are presented and on the other hand, metrics for the optimization of modular architectures are shown. This research project aims at the comparison of different modularization approaches and the discussion of interdisciplinary modularization supported by views from several experts. The challenges of customizing production, meeting shorter innovation cycles, anticipating volatility in demand patterns that are diffcult to predict, and selling products at competitive production costs in different local markets are forcing companies to adopt innovative production concepts. Modularization is an essential way to reduce internal complexity and costs and represents a central strategy for today's companies by dividing a whole into parts called modules. The increasing diversity in production and the growing influence and interconnectedness of different engineering disciplines within the product architecture make modularization a multidimensional optimization problem. Numerous different strategies and tools come into the picture during the formation of modular product structures.