CASE STUDY: ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF COMPONENT MANAGEMENT FOR A NEW DESIGN

This paper explores the viability of standardization of design and manufacturing techniques to expedite product development and control design proliferation using an example of a leading transport refrigeration unit manufacturer. As an incremental approach to implementing standardization in a product development environment, a conceptual framework for component management decision support system is presented to build a case for its technical feasibility. The primary objective of this research case study is to provide an economic justification for implementing the proposed system. A three level decision making hierarchy is proposed with economic optimization for levels 1 and 2 representing standardization of system modules and capacity decisions for a product line respectively and thermodynamic optimization for level 3 representing control systems to keep the system dynamically balanced in changing environments. Other potential applications amenable to classification are identified.