Solving the Multiple Platforms Configuration Problem

The focus of manufacturing has been shifting from mass production to mass customization and producers are seeking ways to reduce production costs, still offering a competitive basket of products. One approach for implementing mass customization is to develop or produce products based on platform architecture. This paper proposes multiple platforms for the production of a given product family while minimizing the overall production cost. The methodology considers the demand for each product variant, with the decision variables as the optimal number of platforms, optimal configuration of each platform, and assignment of the products to the platforms. The problem is formulated as a mixed integer program, and both the optimal formulation and an evolutionary strategy based on Genetic Algorithm are presented. The approach is illustrated with an example from a family of cordless drills.