Part 4 : Inspiration
of the 'Modular Methodology'
To highlight the gains
to be obtained from the use of 'modularisation' – and its
foundation of 'the rational method', the following consists of
diverse examples that have transformed the productive capacity of
society at large.
Best Practice Examples
-
As previously described
at the beginning of this web-log, “modular systems” have been in
use for hundreds of years, indeed in simplistic form, for millennia.
However, there is
obviously a world of difference in scale and complexity between the
geometrical optimal factory packing of say chocolate Easter Eggs, to
that of the pin-point 3D space identification and overtly automated
utilisation in Amazon's massive warehouse facilities, to that of the
'box within a box within a box' mentality necessary of a global
logistics company such as FedEx, DHL etc for maximum transport space
utilisation.
Modularisation then, in
its many forms, is in the world around us, and not just the obviously
man-made, but also in nature as seen with the fractal, modularised
replication of a complete tree echoed in the veins of its leaves.
However, it is modern
built infrastructures, and where man-made vision has been made
material into reality, that mankind's best practice should once again
be recognised so as to inspire a better created future.
The following
inspirational examplars from various fields:
1. Military
2. Commercial
3. Public Service
4. Education
5. Automotive
6. Television
Military:
Given the sad history
of human war-mongering over resources and riches, it should come as
no surprise that innate logic was earliest applied to this arena,
this discipline leading to the term 'logistics'.
The efficient
transportation of men, supplies and machinery was always paramount,
and so the importance of 'vessel' type devices was always much
considered, from the humble food-box, to the back-pack to the water
or fuel 'jerry-can' right up to the latch-down layouts of heavy
transport, from off-road 12-wheel drive TATRA trucks to the floor
systems of heavy-haul aircraft like the Lockheed C-130 Hercules or
new Airbus A400 Atlas.
Unsurprisingly, the
common theme across much military equipment is that of optimisation
through standardisation. This well underway in logistics by the early
19th century, this tangibly recognised and popularised by
the dimensional accuracy of inter-changable parts for
'deconstructable and reconstructable' Colt revolvers.
Such examples helped
the cause of standardisation and so efficiency, especially for any
logistics corp. Thus arguably, as advantageous as the standardised
weaponry has been likewise in transportation and on the ground
deployment.
Of specific interest to
this web-log is the seemingly humble transport container has evolved
enormously over the preceding decades, especially so in within
military use.
Effectively gestated in
its modern form during WW1 for train to truck loading by both sides,
it evolved again through WW2, and dramatically so by the US
immediately after WW2 with creation of the first recognisable modern
steel, 'hand-clap' door container – the 'Transporter'.
Thereafter, especially
through the Vietnam War, modularisation via the transport container
has formed the backbone of the US and thereafter international
military operations, which led to the CONtainer EXPress system, or
CONEX, allowing for greater modular configurations, improved stacking
and storage.
By the 1970s the
maturation of commercial systems encouraged use of both 40' and 20'
length containers. These set the two typical set sizes used and range
from being stored wholly empty with thousands of others awaiting
dispatch, to deployed 'dress-ready' into 'the field' whether a
stand-alone generator-house, or a conjoined mass, specially
kitted-out to become as a unified operations base (possibly including
command post, stores, medic, mess, sleeping quarters etc)
The military container
has then been developed through space and HVAC rationalisation, user
ergonomics aswell as aspects of packaging engineering; from low-level
flight drop tests with crushable 'cushion' bases to airtight or
vacuum sealed units for highly sensitive equipment
The development of the
US Dept of Defense Container System is a story unto itself, affecting
NATO and others, a story and productivity phenomenon which the UK
Emergency Services would do well to reacquaint itself with.
Commerce :
Obviously, containers
in a myriad of forms have been central to the thousands of years of
local, regional and worldwide trade.
The first identifiable
development with relation to the transferring of specialised
carry-boxes between water, rail and road vehicles were thanks to
James Brindley and Benjamin Outram in the late 1700s; these morphed
into the earilest form of recognised 'containerization, by way of
'loose boxes'. By 1917 Benjamin Frankin Fitch had created his own
design of 'demountable bodies' soon used by US railroads. And other
efforts were made in Poland and the UK, centred around rail.
But it was only after
the devastating effects of the 1929 Great Depression, undermining,
fragmenting and halting trade worldwide, that the idea of
internationally collaborative containerization came to the fore.
Fitch re-entered the scene with 2 dimensions of container (either
open or closed) and the 'Fitch Hooking System', and upon this the
first container terminal was created by the Pennsylvannia RailRoad Co
in 1932.
The ability to move a
unified load from one form of transport to another via a standard
container is officially called the 'intermodal freight container',
spanning sea, rail and road; the first example of this in Canada
in1955 between North Vancouver and Skagway, Alaska, USA. Similar
efforts were made in mainland USA a year later between Newark, New
Jersey and Houstan, Texas.
Success of the general
system led to a proliferation of container or “box” sizes, and it
was over a decade until ISO standards and regulations were ratified
(between 1968 and 1970).
The gains of
containerization in terms of speed, efficiency and so cost were
enormous, whilst the general operations of ports, rail-heads and
haulage depots altered likewise with a reduction of manpower required
to transfer loads between transport mediums.
And to befit the now
powerfully convenient system, manufacturers changed shipment
packaging sizes and methods to suit, with periodically even the
dimensions of the innate product itself so as to maximise the
utilisation space of the whole container.
Thus the very effect of
modularisation had a consequential effect of whole or partial
modularisation throughout the supply system.
The influence of the
ISO standards latterly meant that (non-stackable) truck bodies –
known as 'swap-bodies' – would come to match similar dimensions,
and that freight pallets (wooden, plastic and metal) would likewise
be sized to fit.
Critically the
worldwide adoption of these container standards means that even
though there may be regional differences in other transport standards
(such as narrow, standard and broad gauge rail) transport of the
standard container is largely assured.
Educational:
The simple Lego brick
(and its myriad of shaped successors) has become itself locked into
the minds of adults and children all over the world regards
educational play. Today the company is second only to the enormous
Mattel Inc in terms of ranking, but has perhaps an unrivalled brand
persona, given that the popularity of old favourites like Barbie,
Cindy, Action Man have declined, overtaken by the impact of film,
video and internet content related to character based toy
merchandising (Disney Corp the obvious beneficiary).
The story of Lego
itself has become the stuff of legend, from rustic roots in a
carpenter's shed to multi-billion dollar empire, with its own ability
to ride trends in popular culture franchises and business alliances.
A succinct article was
published in the December 2013 edition of Octane Magazine (p142),
which provides a pertinent perspective.
“Near bankruptcy in
1990, Lego fought back.
Founded in 1932 in
Billund, Denmark by Ole Kirk Kristiansen a local master carpenter who
added toys to his repetoire, the name 'Lego' derives from 'Leg Godt'
meaning “play well”, it highlighted later by an external scholar
that in Latin it means “I put together”.
The first injection
moulding machine was imported in 1946 and Kristiansen decided to use
this innovative device to create quicker and more cheaply produced
plastic toys to accompany the hand and machine-made wooden ones. His
primary plastic creation was “the Automatic Binding Brick” in
1949, which would be re-made as the 'stud and tube' brick in 1957,
the coupling system patented in 1958.
[NB The idea itself
sprang from the British toy 'Kiddicraft' of 1932, an original
creation of the latter large Fishercraft company, slightly modified
to include a 'peg' design].
A factory fire
destroyed Kristiansen's wooden toy plant and so the company became
reliant upon its plastic output.
In 1962 the Lego kits
were made more versatile with the introduction of the Lego wheel, and
thereafter the bricks adapted in shape, colour and texture to befit
various themes, from housebuilding to automotive to characters to
iconic architectures, and much else.
Construction with the
modular brick(s) is nothing new (Egyptians to Romans to the efforts
of a Victorian builder from Ware, Hertfordshire to produce a range of
lightweight hollow kiln bricks, to reduce manual input and so costs,
which when in situ concrete could poured to set.
But it is the devotion
of Lego's founder, his familial successors and the raft of ever so
typically Danish executives, until of late, that created the modular
icon.
Public Service:
A prime aim of
government procurement at national, regional and local levels is to
ensure maximum utility/service advantage for minimum cost. As such
'tenders for contract' will seek to best balance the pros and cons of
an array of product or service providers.
Thus increasingly
procurement officials “go to the market” to evaluate what
different firms promise to offer. But depending upon many variables -
from the longevity of trading, level of internal efficiencies,
ability to tailor standard service – means that in one way or
another the product or service offering will rarely be truly optimal.
This especially so since to gain best price and supplier flexibility
any offered contract will be of a relatively short duration.
This negates the idea
of long-term planning and with it the ideal of a long-horizon product
/ service solution. As such local, regional and even some aspects of
national government are not permitted to view their forward
requirements in the same manner as say the Armed Forces; these seen
as a core requirement which befit long-term planning and related
research, development, manufacturing and roll-out.
Increasingly the ideal
of “fit for purpose” relates to “befitting the purse”,
especially in a budget contrained age such as today. And as such even
what should be big impact public projects tend to become watered
down.
This the case with
London's “New Routemaster” bus in 2012, a bus which whilst
housing a hybrid engine, was in reality a basic adaption and trendy
re-skin of conventional engineering, replacing the Mercedes
'bendy-bus'. Intended to add renewed identity and pride to Londoners
and employment in Northern Ireland, the home of its manufacturer
WrightBus.
But this was not always
so.
There was a time when
long-term planning of 'public good' products was innate to the
ambitions and capabilities of Britain.
None more so than the
original Routemaster, its own ideal, engineering brief and that of
its infrastructure centred around the 'Modular System' for long-term
service duration and so a macro-perspective on much reduced
'long-life-cycle' running costs.
Original Routemaster's
launch year (as with original Mini) was 1959, the same year that the
Conservatives won their 3rd term election.
This is mentioned
because only because it appears that it was the expected stability of
a single ruling political party – and so the stability of policy
and funding – that allowed the lengthy planning and delivery
time-frame for what would be a watershed vehicle and holistically
integrated transport programme; both using the 'modular approach'.
Whilst the vehicle
designers at what was then a very centralised London Transport looked
to advanced engineering techniques to incorporate into the
future-forward project, infrastructure planners and architects
likewise sought to maximise the operations system that would underpin
the expected 50 year maintenance and overhaul schedule to keep the
buses running long into the future.
London Transport's bus
facilities had been used during WW2 to build the Halifax bomber, a
process which established the vital importance of standardisation of
interchangeable parts via dimensional accuracy. Much had been learned
which was utilised in the 1948 mass production of the RT bus (the
Routemaster's predecessor). By the mid 1950s London had the world's
biggest standardised bus fleet.
Ambitions regards the
next generation bus grew commensurately bigger, buoyed by the new
engineering age within car design – primarily: monocoque structure,
lightweight aluminium, independent coil-sprung suspension, cabin
heating, power-steering and automatic gearbox; the central aspects of
the Routemaster, many of which were seen years ahead of mainstream
cars.
The next bus would
likewise use the large Aldenham overhaul centre, but with more
designed-in modularity, to allow for even greater efficiencies and so
even quicker service, maintainence or full refurbishment turnaround
times.
The modular
'space-frame' or 'birdcage' body design mimicked that used on the
best of aircraft, and was even more sophisticated than that deployed
by the tailor-made Italian carrozzeria on specialist sports-cars.
Whereas that type of strong tubular frame carried unstressed panels,
the far more modularised Routemaster used its panels to re-enforce
the strength of the basic frame. Attached to that frame are front and
rear sub-frames to carry axles and engine.
It took 8 years from
concept to production via an exhaustive design, engineering and
testing programme, the first prototype in 1954 and put into
test-service in 1956 to wean-out in-service problems, with SOP (start
of full scale production) in 1959, with components made by AEC in
Southall S.W. London and build at Park Royal in W. London.
As such a prolific
'public good' achievement, the name of Bill Durrant, Colin Curtis and
Douglass Scott should be recognised.
They knew it would be
the holistical understanding and application of 'The Modular
Approach' that would balance the cost-quality-speed equation and so
provide good long-term efficient service through deliberately
designed-in cost constraint.
Television / Popular
Culture :
Since the writings of
HG Wells “going to moon”, Isaac Asimov's ideas about the “ROBOT”
and Fritz Lang's cinematic presentation of a future 'Metropolis', the
merging of science fact and conjecture has generated science fiction;
this 'hyper-contextualisation' – ever since and latterly created at
'warp-speed' on our screens, considered the philosophical nebulous
for heralding “the shape of things to come”.
The second-half century
backdrop saw the corresponding rise of Sci-Fi hero vs villain comic
books, and so as to better animate such figures, by the time the
1960s arrived a broad cast of 'save the day' puppet-based characters
were adventuring by air, land and sea; from Captain Scarlet to Joe
90.
The largely
Anglo-American televisual popular culture of the time used as an
effective 'soft-power' exercise, first for domestic audiences,
thereafter international recipients. Plots devised across the world -
from the London Underground to Amazonian Rain Forest - to demonstrate
a paternal influence regards globally relevant social issues; with of
course much of that stemming from lookalikes of Cold War enemies.
None are better known
than 'Thunderbirds', especially so in its original 1960s puppet
format. (Though also known to younger generations in both live-action
and computer generated depictions).
The Tracey sons took on
the mantle of highly collaborative modern-day guardians, able to
reach the farthest distances of the planet and even into space with a
full suite of specialist aircraft and associated equipment; assisted
by their 'London Agent' Lady Penelope in her (then ironically)
“chinese wheeled” pink Rolls-Royce.
But of particular note
to mission success was the big green cargo carrier: Thunderbird 2,
its launch sequence the joy of the 1960s school-boy.
Arriving after
Thunderbird 1 (the reconnaissance craft), TB2 operated as the
multi-role strategic and tactical heavy hauler. It's basic form could
be termed a “perimeter air-frame” or “void chassis frame”: an
arrangement which allows for the swallowing carrying one of a range
of modular cargo 'Pods'.
Each of the 6 pods
dedicated to a specific task with suitable equipment inside.
So, unlike the fast
response, 'TB1', Thunderbird 2 was the task-master, dedicated to the
successful outcome of the specific challenge encountered. Critically
it achieved this because of its ability to fundamentally reconfigure
itself, in what is essentially a “bolted-on” format for the
urgent need.
Thanks to its speedy
reconfigurability the functional flexibility afforded meant that in
this fictionalised (yet largely factually correct) world, that the
right equipment was 'put on the ground' using a highly rational 'mix
and match' approach of a separate transport vehicle accompanied by a
specifically tailored functional box.
The functional
inspiration for this vehicle was undoubtedly the Sikorsky S-61
'heavy-lift' helicopter of the period for its 'empty belly' airframe,
whilst the Fairchild C-119 airplane, nicknamed the “Flying BoxCar”,
was used for general aero-aesthetic.
Thunderbirds in Context
-
The TV series
producers, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, had come from affluent
sociological academic backgrounds. Together with bright and informed
script-writers, set designers, model-makers and puppeteers, they
could see how the best-practices of the armed forces of the period
could be adopted for the global social good; from 'Recon to
Clean-Up'. This central idea of a worldwide 'International Rescue'
task force was a knowing complimentary parallel to the then growing
humanitarian remit of the United Nations, itself largely led by the
US.
[NB Interestingly in
this very vein, in 1981 a real volunteer organisation named the
International Rescue Corps was established in Scotland. The work of
the UN itself obviously much expanded during the past fifty years].
Automotive:
As states previously
the auto-industry has long sought forms of modularisation where
feasible, whether from complete vehicle architecture, down to
specific fitments. This spanning the rationales of 'Common
Components', 'Re-Positionable Items' and 'Changable Parts'
From 'common
components' perspective, this the longest industry trend given the
obvious cost gains, with application across various different model
types of similar segments (eg door frames, door handles, door locks,
door hinges, front lamp units, side-lamps, the industry norm right up
the the 1990s. This often provided the advantage of an obvious brand
style, but increased public design conscious and higher stylistic
aspiration began to limit the obvious use of such as ploy hence the
need to gain component commonality and cost savings 'under the skin'.
This leading to much deployed 'module sets' of sub-systems (as
pioneered by VW Group) and reduced aesthetic quality-enginering in
“invisible areas” such as the unseen paint coatings behind the
dashboard (led by Toyota-Lexus).
[NB Nonethless the
drive for as much unseen commonality across as much of the model
range as feasible has been, and continues to be, a prime engineering
goal, both 'horizontally' across a specific model's variants,
'vertically' typically across two neighbouring segment classes, from
city cars to large SUVs, and 'extended horizontally' in the form of
JV programmes with other manufacturers].
Historically, vehicle
styling trends fluctuated over the decades (in sine-wave pattern)
from 'geometric' to 'organic' and back and forth in form, and 'clean'
to 'ornamental' and back and forth in accoutrements. With specific
broader socially related fashion trends also leading and periodically
impacting the designer's mind, from 1930s Art Deco
pseudo-intellectual 'Streamlining' to 1950s 'Pop-u-Lux' colour and
Chrome' to 1970s New Modernism inspired by the dual impact on the
public consciousness of both the Scandinavian-look and the Space-look
adopted from futuristic films.
It was the latter which
influenced many in the car world, and led to the 'modular' gaining
ground where appropriate, best seen through to the use of
specifically inter-changable items, such the trend for LHD-RHD
'switchable' instrument binnacles by many makers, the 'Basic-Beauty'
idea taken further by others to enhance utility and reduce skin-panel
and glazing tooling costs (best shown by the orginal FIAT Panda),
with the 'switchable' ideology deployed for the intended mid 1990s
revolution of the original SmartCar, offering the ability for owners
to easily swap the car's outer panels.
However, whilst the
tenets of modularity regards product commonality and
re-congiurability / inter-changability is undoubtedly more amenable
to utility orientated commercial user-buyer, since the Panda's 1980s
heyday the increase in apparent wealth related 'status symbolism' in
all things consumerist, over the idea and advantage of functional
rationality, has become increasingly entrenched in private car
ownership. Differentiation and (believed) uniqueness rates much
higher, and so the need for greater stylistic freedom which in turns
undermines the foundations for modularisation.
Even so, the idea of
'symbolic utility' remains – even if not used fully – in the
premium badge SUV and Cross-Over, with even a noted return of the
utilitarian by typically older people, with the popularity of
car-based van derived MPVs (PSA's Berlingo/Partner, FIATs Doblo/Qubo,
and of course Japan's 'Tall-Boy' kei and small cars still very
popular domestically for their comparative 'TARDIS'-like
functionality.
Yet carrozzeria and
automakers have sought to explore and try to popularise the modular,
three of the best illustrations being...
1982 - ItalDesign
'Capsula' Concept -
Further to the
MegaGamma Taxi concept of extreme space utilisation, the 'Capsula'
was what could be later considered as the first 'skateboard' platform
for an ICE package, the term and basis later adopted by GM, Tesla and
others regards EVs.
Given Italy's,
Europe's, Japan's and South America's small urban roadways Guigario
believed that FIAT (or another VM) could create something akin to an
updated small 'everyman' Model T : the factory configurable
'task-body-built' car for a myriad of applications and users. It was
shown as a full scale model as a private car with enhanced
green-house visibility and wide 'gullwing' side-door, to heighten its
social interactiveness with the city. But was illustrated with
alternative body types on its double-belt-line: School-Bus /
Ambulance (Van) / Drop-Side and Canvas-Top Pick Up / Tow-Truck and
'Jolly' (Beach Car).
[NB a short personal
conversation with Fabrizio Guigario (Giorgetto's son) in 2001 at the
Goodwood FoS (Style et Lux), led to the received understanding – by
reading between the lines - that the car was destined as a design
exercise to tempt FIAT into targeting 'Capsula' for Brazil so as to
grow its local market share and create a true 'Brazilian Car' to
surpass the VW Brasilia].
1995 - Mercedes Vario
Concept -
At this point in time
(before its ill-fated purchase of Chrysler to expand product range
and market coverage) Daimler sought to explore the increasingly
important issue of dealer-based customer contact as 'service depth'
became as hot topic, and lateral thinking regards solutions provision
for what was still a somewhat select, comfortably-off luxury audience
that had broad lifestyles, and so possibly sought greater vehicle
flexibility, depending upon 'mood and mode'.
The outcome was the
original Vario concept (not related to the later passenger-taxi van).
This mooted the possibility that the vehicle owner could swap
body-styles depending upon need or desire, so spanning Coupe,
Convertible and Wagon variants.
The base car itself was
complete with doors, all except for the upper rear portion behind the
A-pillar to mid-point on the rear quarter-panel and inner structure,
wherein a descrete shut-line was used to merge a different upper-body
style, and the use of a pillarless (ie non-existant B-post)
architecture.
The concept itself was
soon overtaken, and so still-born before true market testing, by the
big picture strategy regards the merger-acquisition with Chrysler.
1994 - Renault 'Modus'
Concept -
Though the name is now
familiar as the small Modus MPV of 2004, this concept arrived a
decade earlier..
The vehicle itself was
akin to the new functionality trend being set-out by Japanese
automakers, themselves seeking to maximise their own medium, small
and kei car related urban and rural functionality, that would
themselves range from yet more camping cars to the extremes of
personal pods to micro semi-trailers.
The concept Modus drew
its inspiration from Renault's other divisions and beyond, from its
Van division in terms of innate utility and its Heavy Truck division
in terms of a tall passenger cab with tall 'bubble' glazing.
Less technically
sophisticated as 'Capsula' the intent was nevertheless to create an
urban adaptable vehicle for many different uses.
The central idea was
for the vehicle's low rear deck to accept various alternative rear
body types, ranging from standard panel van, to glazed passenger unit
(so akin to latter city MPVs), to Pick Up, to task specific 'pod'
(camping, refrigeration, security, and much else).
In concept it appeared
to evolve upon the same principles as the 'camper back' seen fitted
to American full size and small pick-ups in the 1970s and 1980s,
unlike those retro-fitted campers, with a specific technical
solution to allow the pod to slot-into and lock-into the vehicle
deck's lower frame and inner-sides.
In Summary -
Across many diverse
fields, the central rational of proposed and implemented 'innovative
modularisation' has both promised and delivered transformative gains
across the realms of lifecycle costs and long-term continuation,
overall operational quality and a reduced time-scale of ultimately
very necessary repeat procurement..
To this end, those that
directly lead and fund the UK's Emergency Services, could and indeed
should “create the future” for both the nation itself and the
myriad of opportunities for international export sales into tomorrow
and far beyond.
