Overview of Modular Product Development

The manufacturing industry is undergoing a major paradigm shift that is taking it from traditional manufacturing into a world of agile manufacturing. An agile corporation should be able to rationalize its manufacturing facilities and produce a large variety of products at lower cost in time. Designs of modular products and reconfigurable processes are crucial to agile manufacturing. Modular products refer to products, assemblies and components that fulfill various functions through the combination of distinct building blocks (modules). Modular product design is becoming a focus of attention and is frequently stated as a goal of good design practice in current engineering areas. However, it has not received sufficient attention in the literature. The goal of this paper is to present the concept of modularity, review the literature on modular product design, and formulate research issues related to the development of modular products.