Platforms are a way of sharing technology across multiple products, thereby delivering slightly different end-products using the same technical ‘template’. Re-using modules, sub-assemblies, or fundamental technologies across multiple products can increase the combined manufacturing volumes, thereby reducing individual costs. Platforms can also enable the development costs for each technology to be spread out over a larger number of products.

Each technology platform can be applied to different product platforms, enabling design skill, experience and lessons learned to transfer across the company.

Within a particular platform, different products can offer a range of feature levels or marketing priorities, in order to match the needs of different market segments.

The different products produced from each platform can be targeted towards different user groups, thereby helping to resolve the inevitable compromise between being functional, usable, and desirable for users with a range of capabilities, whilst remaining viable for the business.