The last two decades have witnessed important shifts in customers' behaviour. Companies now need to integrate customers in their strategies and manufacturers have to propose a large variety of products to meet the market's demand. Increasing the range of PVs attracts and retains customers, yet it dramatically augments the cost and complexity of the manufacturing systems. As many decisions taken at the design stage of the product are decisive for its entire life, it is crucial to integrate the process and the assembly system when designing the product.

Integrated Design of a...