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You might recognize that modular systems have a modular design that can ensure that they function in an efficient way, that their lifespans are suited to your project, and that users can build them with minimal effort. But one thing you might be wondering, when you’re selecting a modular system, is what the other key features of a top modular system are. It’s important to recognize that there are many other components that are signs of quality, and that these components must be used when evaluating the quality of a modular system. We have covered six of those components in this article. So, if you need to know what the critical components of exceptional modular systems are, keep reading this article.

Modular systems: A definition of what they are

Let’s start by defining what a modular system is, which will help you to understand which qualities and components are required. Complete modular systems are made up of multiple building blocks that can be put together to suit the requirements of a customer for a plant engineering project. Their structures are made up of different platform elements such as hardware platforms and software platforms. The modules themselves will enhance the performance and transportation requirements of a plant engineering project, and the manufacturing process of a modular skid is typically done with no negative impact on the plant operating systems. As part of a modular system, as time passes, additional modules are created by a modular system expert designer and manufacturer as part of the modular design to enhance performance of the project, and the best modular systems will be optimized while keeping the cost to a minimum.

What are some initial signs of quality modular systems?

If constructed well, without any complex problems, using systems that have been configured to order will ensure that the modular design includes and features manageable, maintainable components and technology that is few in number but critical for the project. Other initial signs of quality modular systems or modular design are that they enhance and offer a solution to boost the entire value chain. Not only are sales enhanced, so is the supply chain, and you will notice that complexity is significantly mitigated for your project. What’s more, good quality in modular systems is indicated by the speed, ease, and efficiency with which components can be removed, constructed, assembled. 

What is modularization and how does it help the quality of modular systems?

Now, modularization is an approach used to divide a system into different, separate modules that can be interchanged. This approach can significantly boost the quality of a system because they enhance the flexibility and enable it to have various configurations and a minimal amount of module variants. Modularization as a tool also involves reusing the module variants and follows an integration process to reach the economy of scale. It can help you to configure the ideal platform, creating them in a modular way, using each module and enabling you to achieve the goals of your project.

What are some signs of poor-quality modular systems?

Now, on the other hand, there are many signs that a modular system is a poor one.  For example, if a modular system only focuses on enhancing the current manufacturing issues that a plant engineering production process faces, and fails to consider how these needs might change for scaling the business in terms of your demands, this might be a sign of a poor-quality modular system. A modular system might only prioritize one element of enhancing efficiency. It might, for example, reduce the complexity of a supply chain, but it might not acknowledge that the value to your project can decline due to the way the brand of the products simply reflects competitors’ products which are packaged in labels that are different. So, in this sense, a modular design such as this might not be the best quality.

6 components to be aware of when choosing a good modular system

So, there are some good-quality modular systems available and some poor-quality modular systems on the market. But what are the components that you should look for when trying to choose a good one?  Well, there are six components that we recommend you look out for: effort, scope, project profitability, lifespan, services providers for plant engineering solutions that avoid partial enhancements, and acknowledging the requirements that might change for the production process.

What is effort in the context of a good modular system?

Effort in the context of knowing what a good modular system is refers to the effort required not only for the manufacturing, but for the maintenance of the modular system. If a modular system is complex, and a lot of effort is required to manufacture and maintain the modular system, it must be balanced with a longer lifespan and a greater volume in terms of the production of the product created by a plant engineer and your satisfaction. The effort that is put into building a modular system can be understood as the number of components and controls that are unique, which are used to build its other modules. In this sense, we might also understand effort as a formula that considers the unique components and the lifespan, which is: The number of unique parts / the modular system’s lifespan

What is meant by scope in relation to the components of a good modular system?

Now, in terms of scope, a key component of a good modular system is that it must meet the volumes that need to be produced while being extremely flexible and enhancing the performance of the plant engineering project. Organizations and plant manufacturers seek methods to keep up with the complex demands the alterations to their processes require, and modular systems must meet these demands. So, for a modular system to be good quality, it must have the following components:

• It must enhance the entire portfolio and improve the whole supply chain
• The number of product platforms must be accounted for, even if they increase
• It must consider the subsystems of many different product platforms

A modular system that is of excellent quality will not compromise the performance or try to accomplish goals that are too large and unrelated to the products being produced. So, since flexibility is critical for a good modular system, as is simultaneously being able to boost the plant engineering project’s performance, it’s important that reducing scope is avoided. Top modular skid designers for engineering projects recognize that even though reducing scope might seem like an ideal solution for a plant engineer on paper, increasing scope for the first project completed by the platform can actually lead to reduced time on following projects in the future. This reduced time will then translate into a better time to market.

How does profitability fit into the choice you face when selecting modular systems?

Getting the absolute most out of a modular system in terms of profitability can be impacted by many factors. If you revamp a few parts of your platform, but find that your provider has to increase the number of unique parts, this doesn’t equate to profitability. The main reason this can go against profitability is that the higher the number of parts or components you have, the more effort you must expend. This is why modularization can help, because it can make it easier to configure different modules without extra parts. What’s more, if you get a modular system manufactured, but the provider doesn’t account for the ongoing changes to your project, this can also be a sign of a poor-quality modular system. One last point about profitability. If you need to decrease your platform’s scope, the effort must be balanced with the manufacturing process of the modular system. The number of components should suit this, because it can affect your profitability and the value of your process.

How the lifespan of a modular system is crucial and what affects it

What’s also important when choosing a good modular system is that the development process is more expensive than the development of a particular product. For this reason, it’s crucial to recognize that all launches done going forwards should take less time and require less effort thanks to the modular system. If your goal is to produce several products over a long period of time, consider that as the flexibility of the scope increases, so does the lifespan of your project. You should aim to make use of the system as often as possible to reap the benefits, and you can accomplish higher volume in terms of production by also choosing a modular system provider who can make changes to the system with ease: this can help you get the most from your modular system and produce products over a longer period.

Making partial alterations to a modular system

A modular platform that requires a change might need a modular design specification. Along the way, you end up with two platforms and are unable to get rid of the initial platform, which is still vital for the products that are a part of your portfolio. Additionally, the more changes that you make—particularly partial changes—the more platforms you end up with. Now, by making partial alterations or making an upgrade to a modular system, you are also restricting the scope of your projects and development. The reason for this is that you have fewer resources, and you will also have to handle several platforms and maintain them. So, one quality or component of a good modular system is quality. Exceptional modular systems and designers should acknowledge that top quality is one of the best answers to this predicament, and substituting each of the modular platforms with a quality platform can ensure you don’t accumulate several platforms while spreading your resources thinner and thinner.

Acknowledging requirements that might change in a project

A fundamental component of a good modular system is that it acknowledges the requirements that may change in a project and accepts the long-term alterations of the project.  The best modular systems will not only acknowledge the portfolio of the client and the portfolios of their competitors, but they will even and take your perspective into consideration. Exceptional modular system manufacturers such as DG-SKID, who are leaders in today’s market. instantly recognise that keeping the changes restricted to particular areas of the product can help to extend the platform’s life and enhance the project’s and platforms profitability.  They acknowledge that optimization should accept the changes and incorporate your requirements in terms of taking on this broader scope, and that the best way to achieve this is to attempt to predict or anticipate changes that are in line with the modular design.

Get support for implementation and purchase a quality modular skid

Customers looking for plant process engineering services that focus entirely on delivering quality, exceptional functionality, that are cost efficient, developed and designed perfectly, and are the best examples of leading engineering solutions for your platform should search no further than DG-SKID.  So, whether you’re looking for the incorporation of HCL modular synthesis systems for plant engineering processes, or if you have started to search for a modular design that has the critical features and ability to help you fulfil your project, the best modular systems can be found at DG-SKID.