In today's business environment, the trend towards more product variety and customization is unbroken. Due to this development, the need of agile and reconfigurable production systems emerged to cope with various products and product families. To design and optimize production systems as well as to choose the optimal product matches, product analysis methods are needed. Indeed, most of the known methods aim to analyze a product or one product family on the physical level. Different product

more »

... ies, however, may differ largely in terms of the number and nature of components. This fact impedes an efficient comparison and choice of appropriate product family combinations for the production system. A new methodology is proposed to analyze existing products in view of their functional and physical architecture. The aim is to cluster these products in new assembly oriented product families for the optimization of existing assembly lines and the creation of future reconfigurable assembly systems. Based on Datum Flow Chain, the physical structure of the products is analyzed. Functional subassemblies are identified, and a functional analysis is performed. Moreover, a hybrid functional and physical architecture graph (HyFPAG) is the output which depicts the similarity between product families by providing design support to both, production system planners and product designers. An illustrative example of a nail-clipper is used to explain the proposed methodology. An industrial case study on two product families of steering columns of thyssenkrupp Presta France is then carried out to give a first industrial evaluation of the proposed approach. Abstract In recent years, the Service Sector has received an increasing attention from both academics and practitioners. The transition from traditional manufacturing to service-oriented integrated systems has given rise to the such called: "Servitisation Revolution", which today is a relevant revenue generator. The definition of "Product-Service Systems (PSS)" calls for an expanded value creation system through the addition of competitive advantages based on value-added services to previous companies' pure product offerings. These product-services bundled solutions have been recognized as being one of the most efficient techniques towards the achievement of resource-efficient and sustainable economies. PSS paradigm has grown beyond expectations, becoming a common term among publications of the most recognized academic journals and international conferences, and a highly discussed topic across a broad range of industrial sectors. However, recent trends based on scientific and grey literature suggest analysing the compatibility of PSS with other principles, methods and tools such as "circular" and "lean" thinking, which may help to enhance the intrinsic environmentally sustainability advantage that is refer at the first PSS definitions, but that has, unfortunately, faded through time. This paper analyses how the PSS paradigm can benefit from the "circular economy" and "lean" principles. The followed research methodology included a literature review, which aims to identify those principles, methods and tools which can help to modify each stage of a traditional PSS towards a Circular Lean PSS. Furthermore, a first Circular Lean PSS Design Framework is proposed and described. This framework is validated empirically through two case studies supported by two vessel-building companies. Further research is suggested to validate the proposed framework in different industries. Abstract In recent years, the Service Sector has received an increasing attention from both academics and practitioners. The transition from traditional manufacturing to service-oriented integrated systems has given rise to the such called: "Servitisation Revolution", which today is a relevant revenue generator. The definition of "Product-Service Systems (PSS)" calls for an expanded value creation system through the addition of competitive advantages based on value-added services to previous companies' pure product offerings. These product-services bundled solutions have been recognized as being one of the most efficient techniques towards the achievement of resource-efficient and sustainable economies. PSS paradigm has grown beyond expectations, becoming a common term among publications of the most recognized academic journals and international conferences, and a highly discussed topic across a broad range of industrial sectors. However, recent trends based on scientific and grey literature suggest analysing the compatibility of PSS with other principles, methods and tools such as "circular" and "lean" thinking, which may help to enhance the intrinsic environmentally sustainability advantage that is refer at the first PSS definitions, but that has, unfortunately, faded through time. This paper analyses how the PSS paradigm can benefit from the "circular economy" and "lean" principles. The followed research methodology included a literature review, which aims to identify those principles, methods and tools which can help to modify each stage of a traditional PSS towards a Circular Lean PSS. Furthermore, a first Circular Lean PSS Design Framework is proposed and described. This framework is validated empirically through two case studies supported by two vessel-building companies. Further research is suggested to validate the proposed framework in different industries.