PLM support for design platforms in industrialized house-building

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this research is to support the customization ability for industrial house building companies striving to offer individualized products but with a strategy which includes a production facility. This is accomplished by analyzing the as-is state in terms of existing engineering assets and by proposing a to-be state using the design platform and product lifecycle management (PLM) support. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on design research methodology and collected data are in-depth interviews, document reviews and workshops and method development. The theoretical baseline is product platforms and the design platform. Findings The analysis showed that despite use of a platform, inherent assets are disorganized. Still, the identified object-based engineering assets were possible to include in a conceptual proposal for better management, both in the process and product view, using an asset relationship matrix and a PLM system. Practical implications The results should be applicable for industrial house building and off-site construction companies and offers an approach to identify and manage their assets and platforms which are crucial to stay competitive. Originality/value Previous research on design platforms has focused on engineer-to-order companies within the mechanical industry. The contribution of this paper lies in the application and support of the design platform for industrial house building and the introduction of PLM system support.

Supporting the Reuse of Design Assets in ETO-Based Components—A Case Study from an Industrialised Post and Beam Building System

“…However, a broad definition of a product platform cannot be applied directly to ETO-based building components in IHB. Due to the high level of customisation, IHB companies are forced to develop unique solutions for each new building to satisfy the specific requirements, which are often beyond the defined boundary [3]. Every project is unique, and the reuse of assets is limited.…”

“…The DPA was originally developed based on the findings from four cases, where two cases are from system suppliers in the automotive industry, one customised production system supplier and one system supplier in the aircraft industry [17]. The DPA has also been applied in IHB for business premises and single-family houses using volumetric and element building systems [3,5]. The first study proposes a product lifecycle management (PLM) system solution by applying DPA to manage the assets and support the customisation ability for IHB companies [3].…”

“…The DPA has also been applied in IHB for business premises and single-family houses using volumetric and element building systems [3,5]. The first study proposes a product lifecycle management (PLM) system solution by applying DPA to manage the assets and support the customisation ability for IHB companies [3].…”

“…The applicability of DPA was tested by proposing an information modelling method in single-family houses [5]. To support the customisation ability and management of design assets for IHB, a PLM system solution was proposed by Martin et al [3] using DPA. A well-defined development structure offers a foundation for capturing process value and for formalising design processes in future platform development.…”

“…Industrialised house building (IHB) companies currently face challenges in balancing the degree of standardisation and customisation in their offerings [1,2]. This is particularly true for house building companies that design and manufacture highly customised building components [3]. Typically, they design and develop solutions by involving the customers resulting in unique buildings.…”