**2. Quality function deployment**

Quality function deployment (QFD) is one of the methods useful in product customization, taking into consideration customer requirements and product and production process characteristics. QFD is developed as a "method to transform qualitative user demands into quantitative parameters, to deploy the functions forming quality, and to deploy methods for achieving the design quality into subsystems and component parts, and ultimately to specific elements of the manufacturing process" [22]. Quality function deployment (QFD) was developed as a product-oriented quality technique, which formulates customer expectations and then translates them into measurable product and manufacturing characteristics (**Figure 1**). For this purpose, a basic QFD matrix is extended to a series of matrices (**Figure 2**) [23, 24].

QFD provides:


The development of new products requires performing an analysis of alternative products and recognizing the desired product attributes. The QFD matrix determines the relations between customer needs (denoted as "what's") and product characteristics (denoted as "how's"). QFD joins customer requirements and product characteristics in a matrix, with a list of customer requirements on the left. The first column is related to the first row of the matrix

which specifies engineering characteristics of the product. The top part of the matrix, called a "roof," indicates how product characteristics interact. The right part of the matrix includes an assessment of the products. The target level of each product characteristic is presented at

Configuration of a Customized Product http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.79523 53

the bottom of the matrix.

**Figure 2.** QFD sequence of matrices.

**Figure 1.** QFD matrix structure.

**Figure 1.** QFD matrix structure.

and selected according to customers' expectations [9, 10]. The concept of open-architecture product (OAP) can balance product economy and user requirements and can be applied to functional modules and adaptable interfaces for users to replace or add personalized modules into an original product in order to meet a personalized need [11, 12]. Any customized product is designed based on customer's requirements [13] and has to meet diversified requirements of product users. Product structures and design methods, such as a product configured from modules, are required to meet the need in developing personalized products with a cost-effective solution [12, 14, 15]. Product variant management has the goal to offer as many product variants as possible to the customer but keep the internal variety as low as possible at the same time [16]. Product design requirements should include the characteristics of modularity and reliability, as well as the cycle time and the implementation of production process reconfiguration [15, 17]. The three main goals of each manufacturing systems are cost, product

Reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) is a recently proposed, new class of manufacturing systems [19]. RMS has the ability to update itself, in order to answer dynamic requirements or unpredictable failures [20], and is characterized, among others, by modularity: all major components are modular, and modules are designed with interfaces for component

Quality function deployment (QFD) is one of the methods useful in product customization, taking into consideration customer requirements and product and production process characteristics. QFD is developed as a "method to transform qualitative user demands into quantitative parameters, to deploy the functions forming quality, and to deploy methods for achieving the design quality into subsystems and component parts, and ultimately to specific elements of the manufacturing process" [22]. Quality function deployment (QFD) was developed as a product-oriented quality technique, which formulates customer expectations and then translates them into measurable product and manufacturing characteristics (**Figure 1**). For this purpose, a basic QFD matrix is extended to a series of matrices (**Figure 2**) [23, 24].

• Product development, which takes into consideration customer requirements

• Identification of inconsistency between requirements analyzed from different points of view

The development of new products requires performing an analysis of alternative products and recognizing the desired product attributes. The QFD matrix determines the relations between customer needs (denoted as "what's") and product characteristics (denoted as "how's"). QFD joins customer requirements and product characteristics in a matrix, with a list of customer requirements on the left. The first column is related to the first row of the matrix

• Integrating thinking in all stages of product development

quality, and responsiveness to markets [18].

52 Product Lifecycle Management - Terminology and Applications

**2. Quality function deployment**

integration [21].

QFD provides:

**Figure 2.** QFD sequence of matrices.

which specifies engineering characteristics of the product. The top part of the matrix, called a "roof," indicates how product characteristics interact. The right part of the matrix includes an assessment of the products. The target level of each product characteristic is presented at the bottom of the matrix.

QFD consists of a series of matrices, in which the first row of one matrix becomes the first column of another one [25–27]. The matrices sequence (**Figure 2**) regarding product characteristic, configuration items, manufacturing planning and operation planning matrix.

**3. Customized product configuration with a QFD-based** 

Product adaptation needs knowledge in the field of product and production process redesign. Product adaptations consist in changing technical documentation of products from the enterprise product portfolio. To support the redesign of product configuration, it is necessary to

Configuration of a Customized Product http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.79523 55

• What are the main product features noticed by the producer? Is it necessary to select the most important product engineering and trade characteristics and specify target product

• What product or product part from the product portfolio is close to customer requirements?

QFD-based knowledge base (QFD-KB) for product configuration needs proper methods of knowledge representation. There is plenty of research work focused on gap analysis between

Knowledge comes from different sources and could have a different form. Knowledge could be tacit, which means preverbal—understood as unvoiced—unspoken, intuitive and emotional. On the other hand, explicit knowledge is expressed clearly, verbally or in mathematical

Knowledge should be codified and stored in a way that enables other people to understand

Formal description of knowledge is called knowledge representation. According to the level of formalism used for knowledge representation, we can distinguish procedural knowledge, which defines algorithms that help to achieve given goals, and declarative knowledge, which

There are different methods and tools which could be used for knowledge representation.

• What product engineering and trade characteristics can be offered to the client?

knowledge area, knowledge type, and methods of data analysis [32, 33].

gives the solution without analyzing the problem structure.

Knowledge representation methods include, among others [34]:

**knowledge base**

characteristics?

models [34].

and reuse it easily [34].

• What is the product structure?

**3.1. Knowledge representation**

know the answers to the following questions [31]:

• Which product parts have to be redesigned?

• What is the risk regarding product failure?

• What are the main product features noticed by the customer?

• What kinds of changes are necessary to introduce to the product?

The main steps in QFD include [28]:

