Modular design for quality and cost

The purpose of this article is to help managers in early design of new product families. The proposal includes a single level module design formulation that considers quality and cost simultaneously. The method for testing the proposed algorithm is based on a case study of an electro-mechanical assembly device. The performance of the algorithm is compared to a design without modules. The main result is a model and an algorithm that optimizes quality (resp. cost) under the constraints of cost (resp. quality). It shows what modules to manufacture, in what quantities, and in which products to use them. The output also provides the predicted quality and cost, based on improvements made to the modules. This research enables the joint optimization of quality and cost by defining the modules to be manufactured.