Exploring parts sharing in manufacturing firms-highlighting managerial difficulties in product development

Sharing parts across a set of products has long been considered to be good design practice but, in the late 1990s, it is also considered to be a strategic weapon in many industries. Earlier research has singled out parts sharing as an important means of shortening the product development lead-time, reduce cost and increase product quality. Moreover, companies are striving towards reaching efficient parts sharing. However, commonality trends in several industries show that they have trouble reaching their commonality targets. Hence, the aim of this paper is to explore the potential managerial difficulties associated with the parts sharing process. Six manufacturing companies in four different industries have been explored. The managerial difficulties have been divided into four categories, namely organizational, strategic, technology and cost related, and support system related issues. Summarizing the findings, the task of transferring parts has proved to be a complex issue with many cross-boundaries and managerial concerns within the company, and the responsibilities need to be made clear