A platform is commonly used as a basis for generating a number of derivative products, after which it is replaced by a new platform. For some companies, a more viable approach is to adopt a continuous platform that is sustained and expanded over time. This applies to companies that have to provide highly customized products while not in control of interfaces, suppliers in the aerospace industry, for example. For them, the traditional part-based generation of platforms is not sufficient, and more flexibility must be built into the platform. This article proposes an approach for continuous platform development, based on an integrated artifact model and connected development processes. The processes apply set-based concurrent engineering to develop derivative products and to extend the bandwidth of the platform. The artifact model serves as a basis for development and connects products and manufacturing systems to enable informed design decisions that span across the lifecycle. The proposed approach incorporates two modes of platform use. Mode I is applied for configuring products to order within the bandwidth of the platform. This includes automatic concept evaluation using a pallet of computer-aided engineering tools and supporting tools. Mode II is applied when the bandwidth does not suffice to cover the required functionality and therefore needs to be expanded. This article exemplifies the approach through a case from a supplier in the aerospace industry.

The seamless co-development of products and production systems is still an unresolved challenge. Undoubtedly, progress has been made through the proposal and application of new methodologies in the collective of concurrent engineering. Still, there is a gap between modeling approaches in product development and in production system design. This gap is an obstacle, especially if many interdependencies exist among the constituents of products and production systems. This article aims at closing this gap by modeling these constituents in an integrated model. This model represents the product and the production plant as co-equal systems with subsystems, interactions, and behavior. It allows modeling every subsystem in all its lifecycle phases together with the rationale behind its design. A class model is refined for purpose of laying a structured basis for modeling that can be implemented in computer-based support. A real-life example from the automotive industry illustrates the application of an integrated model and highlights its benefits for co-development.

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The purpose of this work is to develop a new design methodology for product platforms that combines Enhanced Function-Means Modelling and Set-Based Concurrent Engineering. The methodology presents new ways to narrow down the design space, which is increasingly important when several alternative designs are generated in Set-Based Concurrent Engineering. The result is the Architectural Option Chart that uses functional couplings between functional requirements and design solutions to eliminate unfeasible platform members.

Assembling products to order or applying straightforward configuration, such as scaling, allow the reuse of ready-designed physical components in high volumes. However, not all companies can exploit economies of scale in this way. They are burdened with additional design work, as requirements on functionality and performance differ among product variants or change over time. Such companies need artifact models and engineering processes that help them manage and develop for variety. Set-based concurrent engineering has been proposed for dealing with a variety of concepts during development that lead to a single product while storing knowledge gained. This paper adapts this thinking to the preparation and use of product and manufacturing system platforms. Here, the output is not a single product. Rather, a set of design solutions for products and manufacturing systems is designed that delivers flexibility in functionality and performance. In this paper, we call this built-in flexibility design bandwidth. The paper builds on an integrated artifact model for products and manufacturing systems. The model captures the rationale behind existing designs with their functionality. Here it is combined with principles of set-based concurrent engineering to outline a process for its preparation and use in cases of insufficient bandwidth that require additional designing. The preparation and use are illustrated by applying the model to an example where bandwidth is expanded and preserved.