Abstract
This paper presentsan overview of the challenge to integrate product and process life cycles in maintaining global competitiveness of an enterprise and proposes IEKOS as a possible solution . It provides the reader with a framework of two virtual life cycles which create a problem solving matrix for the industrial engineer. In this matrix, bordered by the virtual enterprise life cycle and the virtual product life cycles, the business functions of analyze, design deploy and operate are predominantly functions executed by the, industrial engineer. The different phases of each life cycle serves as a framework to a virtual industrial engineering toolkit providing access to detailed functions, formats, examples and a series of software and other "tools" available to the industrial engineer.In conclusion a brief overview is provided of the progress of the IEKOS toolkit which is under development at the department of Industrial Engineering at Stellenbosch University.
Highlights
Recent Improvements in communication and Information Technology and a reduction in protective control on local markets have lead to a continuous increase in the level of global competitiveness in the manufacturing industry
The increase in complexity of product and enterprise design as an integrated whole rather than as two separate processes has led to the development of an integrated electronic support platform, the Industrial Engineering Knowledge Object System (IEKOS)
This paper describes the rationale, the focus of research activities and the application thereof in global competition in the manufacturing marketplace
Summary
Recent Improvements in communication and Information Technology and a reduction in protective control on local markets have lead to a continuous increase in the level of global competitiveness in the manufacturing industry. Agile product development requires information from the different phases of development to be available in real time throughout the organization. Several Enterprise Engineering or redesign methodologies have been developed over the last decade These methodologies help to structure the design of entire enterprises by providing reference architectures and modelling tools. The most common of these are CIMOSA , PERA, GRAI-GIM and GERAM (under development) These methodologies all aim to facilitate enterprise integration by providing referance architectures and tools which can be used to break down the enterprise into entities. An integrated product / enterprise life cycle matrix such as the one in Figure 3 below is essential in the competitiveness race. The boundaries of enterprises are set to change in the future, with a strong solid core and a much broarder periphery, fluctuating in size and in structure to adapt to changes in the environment
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