ABSTRACT

Vertical integration of supply chains has enabled industrialised house-building companies to develop and use product platforms. Constant changes in the external business environment, such as customer needs, legal requirements and demand fluctuations, continually compel companies to strategically align their product platforms with market position and offering accordingly. Achieving alignment is often hindered by a lack of understanding of the interplay between the external business environment, product platform, offering and market position. The knowledge on product platform alignment in this industry exists in the literature; however, a coherent description of product platform alignment is missing. The aim of this research was, therefore, to expand the knowledge on the strategic aspects of product platforms by describing product platform alignment in industrialised house building. Empirical data were collected in two Swedish companies producing timber-frame single-family houses. The developed model provides a coherent description of product platform alignment via five alignment modes that group interplays between product platform, business model and the external business environment, whereas identified challenges additionally enrich the description. Formalisation of the product platform knowledge and the changeability of manufacturing systems are identified as two main enablers of achieving product platform alignment.

摘要

供应链的垂直整合使工业化的房屋建筑公司能够开发和使用产品平台。外部业务环境的不断变化，例如客户需求、法律要求和需求波动，不断迫使公司在战略上将其产品平台与市场定位和相应的产品相结合。由于缺乏对外部业务环境、产品平台、产品和市场定位之间相互作用的了解，往往会阻碍实现一致性。该行业的产品平台对齐知识存在于文献中；但是，缺少对产品平台对齐的连贯描述。因此，这项研究的目的是，通过描述工业化房屋建筑中的产品平台对齐来扩展产品平台战略方面的知识。经验数据是从两家生产木结构独户住宅的瑞典公司收集的。开发的模型通过五种对齐模式提供了产品平台对齐的连贯描述，这些模式将产品平台、业务模型和外部业务环境之间的相互作用分组，而已识别的挑战则进一步丰富了描述。产品平台知识的形式化和制造系统的可变性被确定为实现产品平台对齐的两个主要推动因素。开发的模型通过五种对齐模式提供了产品平台对齐的连贯描述，这些模式将产品平台、业务模型和外部业务环境之间的相互作用分组，而已识别的挑战则进一步丰富了描述。产品平台知识的形式化和制造系统的可变性被确定为实现产品平台对齐的两个主要推动因素。开发的模型通过五种对齐模式提供了产品平台对齐的连贯描述，这些模式将产品平台、业务模型和外部业务环境之间的相互作用分组，而已识别的挑战则进一步丰富了描述。产品平台知识的形式化和制造系统的可变性被确定为实现产品平台对齐的两个主要推动因素。