Modularity: New Trends for Product Platform Strategy Support in Concurrent Engineering Egon OSTROSI a,1 , Josip STJEPANDIĆ b , Shuichi FUKUDA c , Martin KURTH d a Laboratoire IRTES-M3M, Université de Technologie de Belfort-Montbeliard, France, b PROSTEP AG, Darmstadt, Germany, c Stanford University, USA, d RAYCE EURL, Lörrach, Germany Abstract. Modularity intersects technical aspects with the business aspects. This paper analyzes modularity from this intersection point of view. It involves design for modularity as well management of modularity. Methods for supporting modular design are analyzed in relationship with technologies and tools for modular design. The current trend is toward usage and integration of different technologies such as advanced CAD systems, product configurators, agent-based systems and PDM systems. Development of intelligent models and intelligent tools as well as the development of intelligent modular products (i.e. intelligent system: model-tool-product), which can communicate and cooperate, demands the design of more intelligent organizations of modular design. Development of intelligent model-tool-product systems needs the development of holistic and concurrent engineering approaches. These approaches can offer the possibility of the design of intelligent self-sustainable models and intelligent self-sustainable products. Keywords. Modularity, Modular Design, Product Variety, Mass Customisation, Product Platform, Product Configurator. Introduction Through the development of concepts and a body of knowledge, modularity has become an area worthy of study in its own right. It can be considered that the roots of modularity can be derived from human cognitive abilities [1]. The definition of product modularity is related to the criteria of component separability and component combinability in the domain of tangible assembled artifacts. Autonomy or independence towards external, dependence towards the internal is an important characteristic of modules. In context of concurrent engineering, modularity combines technical aspects with business aspects, both from a qualitative and a quantitative viewpoint. Technically, products can be understood as a network of components that share technical interfaces (or connections) in order to function as a whole. Component modularity is defined based on the lack of connectivity between components. Modules are thus encapsulated groups of similar interconnected physical components which 1 Corresponding Author, E-mail: egon.ostrosi@utbm.fr Moving Integrated Product Development to Service Clouds in the Global Economy J. Cha et al. (Eds.) © 2014 The Authors and IOS Press. This article is published online with Open Access by IOS Press and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License. doi:10.3233/978-1-61499-440-4-414 414