Evaluation and driver analysis in product family evolution

To overcome the difficulty of dynamic evaluation and driver analysis in product family evolution (PFE), a comprehensive evaluation approach was proposed by analyzing the influences of customer needs, enterprise resources, and product data in the product family implementation process. From the perspective of time and space, the dynamic and static relation of PFE was summarized. A comprehensive evaluation model based on gray conjunction degree was established. On the basis of evaluation, the dynamic factors of PFE were analyzed. A driver analysis method based on chaotic dynamics was proposed through the chaos simulation in PFE. The sensitivity of influencing factors was also determined in this process. Finally, the effectiveness and feasibility of the method were demonstrated by evaluation and analysis of small wheel loaders.