Complexity cost management

Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapterpeer-review

Authors

Complexity cost management refers to costs in industrial production processes that are directly or indirectly related to the handling, management or creation of different variants of a product. The current understanding and state of awareness of the influence of complexity on cost structures is reflected in the results of a survey carried out by the authors. The methodology used to analyse the complexity costs of existing processes is described and a case study from the automotive industry, which is highly affected by variant-driven complexity costs, is introduced. Furthermore, a model to calculate potential complexity costs, when changing product variety based on the number of variants, variant drivers and the characteristics of variant drivers, is shown. Finally, an easy-to-handle tool, which allows more detailed determination of complexity costs based on changing product variety parameters, is presented.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationBuild To Order : The Road to the 5-Day Car
EditorsGlenn Parry, Andrew Graves
Number of pages20
Place of PublicationGuildford, Surrey [u.a.]
PublisherSpringer
Publication date01.01.2008
Pages155-174
ISBN (print)978-1-84800-224-1
ISBN (electronic)978-1-84800-225-8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.01.2008

    Research areas

  • Engineering - Supply Chain, Product Variety, Customisation, Line Balance, Lean Manufacturing