The use of projection to latent structures to establish customer preference models in laptop computer industry

Abstract

In this report, the author illustrates how PLS (Projection to Latent Structures) has elevated its prospective and potential to be utilized in the product development phase, which requires much strategic prediction and forecasting on customers’ requirement and demands for the performance of a product. A company has a high possibility to attract more customers and capture a larger portion of market share if they strategically and efficiently increase the satisfactions of the customers by improving the performance attributes that highly valued by the consumers and also introducing new attributes which will excites them. In this study, the author integrates PLS and Kano models to establish a decision making model for designers and engineers in the laptop industry. Using it in the early product development phase can minimize the unknowns and uncertainties, and decrease the risk bared in most of the design stage. SIMCA-P+ and Microsoft Excel software have been employed by the author to assist the calculations and analysis involved in this project.