Purpose – Modules and modularity have been popular concepts in operations research and management rhetoric for decades. Nevertheless, it seems that there is no single universal definition of modularity for classical research themes such as modularity in physical products or modular manufacturing. The purpose of this paper is to describe the current state of modularity research and to clarify the concept and impacts of modularity by means of a literature review. The paper discusses whether the modularity concept originally developed in the context of physical products could be applied in the context of product‐related services.Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, the authors use a methodology called systematic integrative literature review to describe the current state of modularity research and to define – based on the findings of the review – the themes that are most commonly related to the modularity concept. As service modularity research is a relatively new topic, the authors look for definiti...

The concept of modularity: diffusion from manufacturing to service production

The role of modularity in sustainable design: A systematic review

Modularization has recently attracted considerable interest among academics and practitioners. In the construction industry, several modular solutions have been introduced and examined; however, ha...

/pdf/categorizing-modularization-strategies-to-achieve-various-300ayrm8ur.pdf

Categorizing modularization strategies to achieve various objectives of building investments

Introduced nearly 25 years ago, the paradigm of mass customization (MC) has largely not lived up to its promise. Despite great strides in information technology, engineering design practice and manufacturing production, the necessary process innovations that can produce products and systems with sufficient customization and economic efficiency have yet to be found in wide application. In this paper, the state-of-the-art in MC is explored in the context of an envisioned MC development process for both the firm and the customer. Specifically, 130 references are reviewed within the process frameworks (Sect. 3) and/or to highlight opportunities for future development in MC (Sect. 4) based on the review. This review yields opportunities in four primary areas that challenge MC development: (1) customer needs and preference assessment tools, (2) approaches for requirement specification and conceptual design, (3) insights from methodologies focused on the development of durable MC goods and (4) enhancements in information mapping and handling.

A review of mass customization across marketing, engineering and distribution domains toward development of a process framework

Modularity is an important concept in system design. This chapter presents a formal definition of the notion of subsystem and shows that a module is subsystem with strong cohesion. Next, it explains the advantages and disadvantages of modular systems. As a service-oriented system is an enterprise (consisting of human services as well as IT services), we did not only look into literature from the field of computer science, but also into literature from the organizational sciences. From this we have learned that the organizational sciences distinguish between product modularity, organizational modularity, process modularity, and knowledge modularity (knowledge modularity is encountered less often in literature than the other types of modularity and the term is not well-defined).

/pdf/modularization-and-specification-of-service-oriented-systems-40j701csbv.pdf

Modularization and Specification of Service-Oriented Systems

Purpose – Companies are emphasizing modular designs and manufacturing approaches, but to stay competitive and retain market share they must continue to offer products and services of the highest quality. Therefore, since modularity is increasingly popular and product quality is always critical, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of modular strategies on key quality dimensions.Design/methodology/approach – This paper first presents an overview of modularity, and then outlines eight commonly used dimensions of quality. Each dimension is then examined in terms of how it can be affected by modularity.Findings – It is shown that modular product design has a significant impact on key attributes of product quality. Six of the eight quality dimensions examined are potentially affected in a positive way by modularity, while five of the eight attributes are affected in a potentially negative manner by the use of modularity.Practical implications – Since modularity can have both a positive and negati...

Quality management in a modular world

Purpose – Benefits of modularity are being limited by the lack of agreement over terminology. Neither researchers nor managers use the same typology, complicating comparisons of modular strategies.Design/methodology/approach – Presents existing problem, then develops comprehensive and necessary typology. Examples illustrate practical use of the typology, and help reader understand implications on product design and future research.Findings – Development of modularity typologies, including their characteristics and implications for product design and production systems, has been minimal. A well‐defined typology for soft modules exists, but literature on categorization of hard modules is limited. Most existing definitions of modularity are related to a common type called manufacturing modularity.Practical implications – Each type of modularity is characterized by a different set of design attributes. For example, appearance, durability, and ergonomics are important for product‐use modularity, while accessib...

A typology to unleash the potential of modularity

Abstract How can a firm manage multiple and interdependent business models in the same industry? The literature has identified several possible strategies to do this but we still do not know under what circumstances one strategy may be better than others. Our paper identifies (substitute and complementary) interdependencies among business models as a key contingency and demonstrates through simulation modelling that the number, type and magnitude of these interdependencies, as well as their visibility and the pre-specification of strategic choices, determine which organizational structure is optimal in managing multiple business models. 

/pdf/managing-multiple-business-models-the-role-of-183r87rs.pdf

Managing Multiple Business Models: The Role Of Interdependencies

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Quality management in a modular world

A typology to unleash the potential of modularity

Managing Multiple Business Models: The Role Of Interdependencies