| List of Figures | p. x |
| List of Tables | p. xiv |
| List of Cases | p. xv |
| Preface | p. xvii |
| Reader's Guide | p. xix |
| Product Configuration | |
| Product Configuration: a New Approach to More Efficient Product Customization | p. 3 |
| The trend towards product proliferation | p. 3 |
| Search for an 'efficient' variety | p. 7 |
| Variety or customization? | p. 9 |
| Towards efficient customization: product configuration | p. 12 |
| Configuration Process and Configurable Products | p. 16 |
| Product configuration process | p. 16 |
| Configuration process sub-tasks | p. 21 |
| 'Configurable product' characteristics | p. 23 |
| Degrees of configuration | p. 29 |
| Traditional Approaches to Configuration | p. 32 |
| Non-structured approaches | p. 32 |
| Structured approaches to collecting specifications | p. 35 |
| Structured approaches to collecting and checking specifications | p. 38 |
| Dynamic approaches to product configuration | p. 44 |
| Beyond traditional approaches | p. 47 |
| Product Configuration Systems | |
| Configuration Systems Architecture | p. 51 |
| Product configurators architecture | p. 51 |
| From configurator to configuration system | p. 55 |
| Moderately automated configuration systems | p. 57 |
| Highly automated configuration systems | p. 59 |
| Totally automated configuration systems | p. 61 |
| How to determine the optimal degree of automation | p. 63 |
| Configurators, selectors and meta-configurators | p. 63 |
| Commercial Product Modelling | p. 67 |
| Cognitive complexity and configurable products | p. 67 |
| Describing the product | p. 71 |
| Limiting options | p. 74 |
| Communicating value | p. 77 |
| Structuring the process of interaction with the customer | p. 79 |
| Interaction and learning | p. 82 |
| Putting everything together | p. 84 |
| Technical Product Modelling | p. 86 |
| Technical description of configurable products | p. 86 |
| Add-delete bill of materials | p. 90 |
| Modular bills | p. 92 |
| Common practice | p. 94 |
| Technical model and generic bills of material | p. 96 |
| Unification of product views in the technical model | p. 103 |
| Criteria for defining the technical model | p. 105 |
| Links with sales dialogue | p. 108 |
| Other Product Models | p. 111 |
| Codes | p. 111 |
| Model used to determine cost | p. 116 |
| Models used for determining product price | p. 119 |
| Geometric and graphic models | p. 121 |
| Other models | p. 124 |
| Selection and Implementation of a Configurator | |
| Configurators and Management Information Systems | p. 127 |
| Configuration system and Manufacturing Planning and Control System | p. 127 |
| Configuration systems and Product Data Management systems | p. 131 |
| Configuration systems and Customer Relationship Management | p. 134 |
| Selecting a Product Configurator | p. 141 |
| The configurator: defining expected benefits and requirements | p. 141 |
| Basic functions | p. 143 |
| Special functions | p. 145 |
| Configurator technology | p. 148 |
| Modelling approaches | p. 150 |
| Interaction with the user | p. 156 |
| Implementing a Configuration System | p. 160 |
| A reference process | p. 160 |
| Preliminary analysis: do we really need it? | p. 162 |
| Macro-analysis: to what extent do we need it? | p. 164 |
| Micro-analysis: evaluating implementation alternatives and costs | p. 167 |
| System design and implementation planning | p. 171 |
| System implementation and launching | p. 174 |
| The elements of success | p. 176 |
| Project 'killers' | p. 178 |
| Operational and Organizational Implications of a Configuration System | |
| A Comprehensive View: the Sideco Case Study | p. 183 |
| Product and company context | p. 183 |
| The original configuration process | p. 186 |
| The solution: a software to support product configuration | p. 188 |
| Product modelling | p. 188 |
| The new configuration process | p. 189 |
| A special case? | p. 192 |
| Configurational Approach: Aligning Product, Processes and Organization Systems | |
| Overcoming the 'delay syndrome' and sluggish red-tape | p. 194 |
| Changes in roles and responsibilities | p. 197 |
| A new knowledge management process | p. 198 |
| Different order acquisition and fulfilment processes | p. 200 |
| Inter-company coordination | p. 202 |
| Configurational approach | p. 204 |
| Bibliography | p. 207 |
| Index | p. 215 |
| Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |
