Brownfield process for the rationalisation of existing product variety towards a modular product family

Modularisation, product platforms, product families and product configuration are efficient product structuring tactics for providing of product variants for customers. This paper studies how the design information related to designing of modular product family that supports product configuration can be structured and how to support defining of this kind of design information in a design situation in which existing product assortment should be rationalised towards a modular product family that supports product configuration. Research approach bases on literature review and empirical findings. Categorisation to five design information elements including partitioning logic, set of modules, interfaces, architecture and configuration knowledge is suggested. Existing methods consider partly or as different combinations these elements but considering of all of them is rare although all of them have been recognised as important. Thus a design method known as the Brownfield Process is introduced. Steps of the method are tested in industrial cases. As a conclusion we state that the method can be applied also to other cases in which rationalisation of existing product assortment is sought.