Model Based Systems Engineering in Construction Kit Development – Two Case Studies

To offer a large variety of end products with a limited number of components, more and more companies take advantage of the modular design, platform and type series principles resulting in a construction kit development. These standardization methods make the product development processes more complex. This can be encountered with the help of Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE). In order to support construction kit development with the help of MBSE in a long term, definitions of such terms as module, platform, type series and construction kit are analyzed and defined in the context of MBSE. As a result, some implications of these definitions are presented in this paper. In addition, first findings out of two research studies conducted at an automotive manufacturer are presented and put into the context of MBSE. The studies indicate the potential of MBSE supporting construction kit development.