Process model for change management in the system of chassis-mounted parts of commercial vehicles

Due to the high amount of interrelations, such as spatial dependencies, material exchange, energy transfer and information flow, the chassis-mounted parts, located between the axles of a commercial vehicle, form a complex system. To use the limited installation space in an optimized way, which is restricted by the wheelbase and customer requirements, chassis-mounted components are grouped together in specified patterns, so-called layouts. As a consequence of the long product life-cycle of commercial vehicles, requirements concerning chassis-mounted parts change and modifications within the initially optimized layouts occur. To guarantee the robustness of defined layouts it is important to gain transparency concerning the consequences of changes. Therefore, this paper aims at developing a methodology which can visualise and quantify the dependencies between chassis-mounted parts. In the case that layouts must be rearranged, the methodology has to be able to assess the propagation of change within a layout in order to support the decision-making regarding the arrangement of the considered parts.