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C H A P T E R 11
Modularization:
Product-Based to
Process-Focused
11.1 AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
PASSENGER CARS
In the automotive industry, modularization is attracting wide attention these days, especially in
the field of passenger cars. ey are putting a large amount of effort into introducing modular-
ization. ey would like to share the common platform among different models. If they can,
they can reduce cost drastically. And, indeed, they succeeded. e idea of the common platform
not only reduces cost, but it also facilitates the response to the diversifying and personalizing
expectations of their customers. Passenger car makers can produce common platforms in mass
and produce a variety of parts so that they can prepare many models.
TRUCKS
But such an idea is already practiced in the truck industry. Truck users need different truck beds
and their needs vary from user to user. But chassis, the base framework of a car, do not. So, the
truck industry separated truck bed manufacturers and chassis manufacturers (Fig. 11.1).
INTERCHANGEABLE COMPONENTS
Today, modularization in the passenger car industry is progressing rapidly. ey are now begin-
ning to make their components interchangeable. Users can change components to adapt to the
environment and situation and they can enjoy driving more (Fig. 11.2).
ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV)
At this time, these interchangeable components must be changed by experts, but when the time
comes that EVs become very popular, users can choose parts and buy them as they like, and they
can assemble their own cars by themselves. ey enjoy not only driving, but also the process of
assembling parts, just as in the Lego example discussed earlier.
54 11. MODULARIZATION: PRODUCT-BASED TO PROCESS-FOCUSED
Figure 11.1: Trucks.
Figure 11.2: Interchangeable components—Daihatsu Copen.
Another important point is that not only does an EV provide such a rich experience, but
it may also revolutionize the automotive industry itself. e automotive industry does not need
to have a large factory anymore. eir jobs are separated into particular fields or expertise. In
short, the automotive industry today is an integrated industry, but tomorrow it will be composed
of a group of specialized industries.
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