Supporting Collaborative Innovation Processes in Smart Product Value Creation Networks

Abstract

The development of smart products and systems includes a dramatically growing share of non-mechanical domains like microelectronic and software. This determines fundamentally new collaboration challenges and needs for system and product developers and their industrial organizations. Besides the rising number of relevant engineering disciplines (e.g. product-related internet-based service engineering and data platform engineering), the collaboration across several disciplines needs to become more systematic and has to be based on consistent system models. Since traditional value chains are transforming into new agile and distributed value creation networks, engineering collaboration approaches and solutions also have to stronger emphasize model-based, cross-company engineering collaboration. Also, the number of engineering stakeholders involved is increasing, while at the same time stakeholders are taking on new roles and completely new players are emerging, the collaboration share also has to grow continuously. This paper introduces a generic methodical approach for modeling collaborative innovation processes in value creation networks for smart products and supporting them with information technology by using an integrated, cross-company knowledge base. The support of engineering collaboration with a generic common reference innovation process along the value creation network with a seamless transformation into the engineering phase, are part of the focused approach goals. This generic approach has been instantiated according to the specific needs of early innovation phases in the field of automotive microelectronic integration considering the whole value creation network.