Wire Harness Take Rate Determination via Iterative Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manufacturers face difficulty in estimating take rates for combinations of product options, leading to unnecessary costs due to over-supporting options that are often unselected by consumers, as the number of selectable groups grows exponentially with increased customizability.
Innovation Solution
A system that determines combination take rates for different product option combinations by estimating initial values and iteratively adjusting them based on target rates, allowing for the identification of optimal harness levels that support different sets of options, reducing unnecessary costs by excluding unselected options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manufacturers provide extensive product customization options to meet consumer demand, then consumer satisfaction and sales increase, but the number of option combinations grows exponentially making take rate estimation difficult and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex option combination estimation problem into individual option take rates. Instead of estimating take rates for all possible combinations directly, the system estimates take rates for each individual option and uses iterative adjustment to derive combination take rates, breaking down the exponential complexity into manageable linear components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary estimation of individual option take rates before combining them into product configurations. By pre-calculating take rates for individual options and then iteratively adjusting combination take rates based on these preliminary values, the system reduces the computational burden of analyzing all possible combinations.
2Measurement precision
If manufacturers manually estimate take rates for all option combinations to accurately determine product levels, then estimation accuracy improves, but the time and cost required increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses iterative adjustment with feedback loops to improve take rate estimation accuracy. Initial estimates are made for individual options and combination take rates, then the system compares these estimates against target rates and adjusts the combination take rates in subsequent iterations, continuously improving accuracy without requiring exhaustive manual analysis of all combinations.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of performing exhaustive manual estimation for all possible option combinations, the system performs partial action by estimating individual option take rates and using iterative adjustment to derive combination take rates. This partial approach achieves sufficient accuracy for product level determination without the excessive time and cost of complete manual estimation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If manufacturers support all available options across all product levels to ensure full customizability, then consumer choice is maximized, but unnecessary costs are incurred for options that are rarely selected
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically determines which options to support at each product level based on calculated combination take rates. Rather than statically supporting all options across all levels, the system uses the iteratively adjusted take rate data to dynamically configure product levels, ensuring that only options with sufficient selection frequency are supported at each level, thereby reducing costs while maintaining consumer choice for popular configurations.
Data Source
AI summary
This application discloses a system implementing tools and mechanisms to receive a target rate for each option available for inclusion in a harness family, determine combination take rates for different combinations of the options based on the target rates for the options, and utilize the combination take rates and the combinations of the options to identify one or more wire harnesses, each including a different set of the options, in the harness family. The tools and mechanisms can determine the combination take rates by estimating values for the combination take rates corresponding to the combinations of the options, and iteratively adjusting the values for the combination take rates based on the target rates for the options.