Modular function deployment
Modular Function Deployment (MFD) is a method invented by Modular Management to create product architectures.
With a modular product architecture, companies can offer a wide range of products and services without increasing complexity, since modules and module variants, like blocks of LEGO, can be configured in many different ways. The MFD method ensures that each module has functional, strategic and customer-centric value and can be combined with other modules through standardized interfaces. A modular product architecture can enable mass customization, where customers configure and order personalized - rather than ready-made - products and services.
Five Steps
MFD consists of five steps: 1. Clarify Customer Needs 2. Identify Functions and Solutions 3. Propose Modules and Interfaces 4. Define Variants and Configurations 5. Confirm Architecture Feasibility
References
- Gunnar Erixon: "Modular Function Deployment – A Method for Product Modularisation", Ph.D. Thesis , The Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, 1998. TRITA-MSM R-98-1, ISSN 1104-2141, ISRN KTH/MSM/R-98/1-SE.
- Application of the Modular Function Deployment Tool on a pressure regulator, Gilles Clemen / Rotarex Automotive S.A., Lintgen/Luxembourg