Product Platform Management Practice at Cetetherm

Cetetherm is a company developing and manufacturing different types of heat exchanging systems (HES). It has two different product lines, one for small HES and one for large HES. The case example being described in this chapter is about the implementation of a product platform for the large HES, systems that are used by professional users in buildings connected to district heating system. The other product line consists of smaller HES that are mainly used in family houses. The market for large HES is exceptionally heterogeneous, meaning that there are many difficulties involved for individual firms trying to increase their market shares. In the large HES business, there are different rules and regulations in each country, and there are even often several different regions with specific technical demands on products within each country. That is why it is nearly impossible for an individual manufacturer to cover all these policies with a narrow set of standard products and thereby becoming a superior player.