Maik Maurer

Udo Lindemann

Thomas Braun

Product design is characterized by a steady increase in complexity. The main focus of this book is a structural approach on complexity management. This means, system structures are considered in order to address the challenge of complexity in all aspects of product design. Structures arise from the complex dependencies of system elements. Thus, the identification of system structures provides access to the understanding of system behavior in practical applications. The book presents a methodology that enables the analysis, control and optimization of complex structures, and the applicability of domain-spanning problems. The methodology allows significant improvements on handling system complexity by creating improved system understanding on the one hand and optimizing product design that is robust for system adaptations on the other hand. Developers can thereby enhance project coordination and improve communication between team members and as a result shorten development time. The practical application of the methodology is described by means of two detailed examples.

An Approach for the Field of Product Design

Structural Complexity Management

The Puma sports car brand is a big success story in Brazil as it was Porsche in Germany or Ferrari in Italy. For eleven years, the Puma GTB was the most expensive car available in Brazil. The sports cars based on Volkswagen technology also benefited from this fact. The successes on the race track in the early years still have an effect today. Today, Puma - cars are driven in historic racing events all over the world - and even today, the Puma is still an exotic car on the roads outside Brazil. However, few people know that Puma did not only build sports cars. Little is known about the Puma camper, the Puma camper van, the Puma buses and also the truck division. Particularly interesting is the Eletron - a truck with e-drive, which was ready for pre-production in 1981. For the first time, the story of this worldwide unique automobile manufacturer is told here. Interesting for collectors of exotic and rare vehicles is the treatment of the model care. Over the years, the vehicles were optimized, adapted to the tastes of the time and to the legal framework. The knowledge about this is far from complete, but is made available to the general public here for the first time.

Models - Technology - History

Puma

Claire Braun

Money represents more than the paper it's printed on. It is the embodiment of your time, your talents, and your commitments. It buys the food you eat, the house you sleep in, the car you drive, and the clothes you wear. It also helps provide you with the lifestyle you want to live once you retire. You have spent a lifetime earning it, spending it, and hopefully, accumulating it. When the time comes for retirement, you want your money to provide you with a comfortable lifestyle and stable income after your working days are done. You might also have other desires, such as traveling, purchasing property, or moving to be closer to your family (or farther away). You may also want your assets to provide for your loved ones after you are gone. The truth is that it takes more than just money to fulfill those needs and desires. Your income, your plans for retirement, your future healthcare expenses, and the continued accumulation of your assets after you stop working and drawing a paycheck all rely on one thing: You.

Thomas Braun

Books

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