Modularity and interface management of product architecture

In this paper, the concept of modularity as a new product development (NPD) strategy is examined for assessing the design of product architectures at sub-system level. This paper applies a mathematical model, termed modularization function, for analyzing dynamics and the degree of modularity of a given product architecture by taking into account the following variables: number of components, number of interfaces, new-to-the-firm component composition, and substitutability factor. It is assumed that the degree of modularity in a given product architecture is constraint by the composition of its components (number of standard and new-to-the-firm components), interfaces shared among the components, and degree of substitutability. Consequently, a higher level of modularity can be achieved through physical reduction of number of interfaces by integrating components, standardization of interfaces, and multi-functionality of the sub-modules