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The organization of configuration based on modular systems

The goal of changing the organization of the work from a sequential process to a parallel one based on modular systems is, among other things, to minimize the amount of configuration that is specific to an individual order. This is achieved by systematically dividing construction tasks into development and configuration activities, as the following diagram illustrates. In this way, efforts that today are expended on projects can be gradually and systematically shifted to developing project-neutral standards and modular systems.

This requires that configuration is organized in a way that distinguishes between project-specific and project-neutral activities:

The work organization must be component-oriented: Engineering activities are divided into those aimed at developing reusable components and those geared towards configuring machines and plants with the aid of reusable components. Result of the configuration are projects.

Whereas the configuration process is always project-specific, development occurs in both a project-neutral and project-specific manner. Developing components that are suitable for use in different projects is a project-neutral process that leads to standard solutions. Developing special solutions is an activity that, like configuration, takes place within the framework of a specific project. Specialized solutions are also developed as encapsulated components and are used alongside standard solutions when configuring machines and plants.

Project-specific configurations make it possible to create project documents (wiring diagrams, PLC programs, customer documentation, etc.).

In order for this generation to be possible, components that are used in configuring the project documents must be developed based on predetermined standards and regulations. These are consolidated under the rubric of company-specific modular systematics. They specify concepts and programming directives, define bus systems for software, hardware, and mechanics, etc. They aim to meet the following objectives:

The adaptation and further development of modular systematics and the construction of generators are among the tasks of configuration automation. The goal of these tasks is to alleviate or fully automate manual activities, especially those performed by project engineer. Another example is the task of specifying formulas for calculations as they are often applied for design purposes in electrical engineering.

Shifting from the practice that predominates today, in which value is primarily created on a project-specific basis, to activities that are project-neutral leads not only to cost reductions, but also to continuous quality improvement– on the one hand, because components are reused and gradually improved, and on the other hand, because activities are automated: Standards and rules that have been formally represented once in a configuration tool are automatically adhered to by all involved.