Proposed
Project for the MSU Industrial Math Students
Problem 1: Substructuring the cost evolution of technology products: Laptop Case Study
The cost and cost maturity of technology in products often depends on the
development and technical improvement of several individual subcomponents.
For example, a laptop computer decomposes into many subcomponents such as
memory chips, batteries, CPUs, software, etc.. Each of these subcomponents
have evolved through very different technological pathways and have their
own evolutionary cost curves that can be observed over recent history. This
project is intended to illustrate how various cost evolution mechanisms for
the subcomponents can be used to approximate the cost evolution trajectory
for laptop computers products as a whole. Which technological mechanisms and
production improvements lead to cost-down behavior in each subcomponent? And
furthermore, which subcomponents contribute most to the cost evolution of
the laptop product as a whole and which components or features are used to
maintain or improve the competitiveness of a laptop brand? Can particular
technical features of each type of subcomponent and their expected cost
evolution curves be used to approximate cost evolution behavior of products
similar, but not identical to laptop computers?
Problem 2: Descriptive ID's for vehicles and their subcomponents
The assignment of a VIN, Vehicle Identification Number, adheres to an
international standard and uniquely identifies a vehicle. However, a VIN
does not identify the major subcomponents and distinguishing characteristics
of a vehicle. During and after manufacturing a vehicle, engineering,
marketing and other corporate functions require unique vehicle
identifications that distinguish the vehicle by its hardware, software and
other special characteristics such as color. For this project develop an
algorithm to assign each vehicle a unique ID from which one can discern its
major hardware and software content. The algorithm should consider using the
ID to group components by function and by combinatorial inclusions and
exclusions. The references in the ID should be obvious to nonexperts. The ID
should be flexible enough to evolve and be backwardly compatible over time.
