Collaborative Product Development Environment Research Articles

Knowledge-Sharing Strategies in Distributed Collaborative Product Development

Knowledge-sharing strategies are used across the industry as open innovation and distributed collaboration are becoming more popular to achieve technological competencies, faster time-to-market, competitiveness and growth. Sharing of knowledge can provide benefits to manufacturing and new product development (NPD) companies in improving their product quality and enhancing business potential. This paper examines the implementation of knowledge-sharing strategies in New Zealand aimed at bridging the physical locational issues to achieve collaborative benefits in NPD firms through an in-depth case study. The analysis of this only one, but interesting, case extends a holistic multi-mediation model by Pateli and Lioukas for the effect of functional involvement in a distributed collaborative product development environment. This study explores the external and internal knowledge transfer and how it affects early-stage, late-stage, and the overall product development process. Findings present a knowledge-sharing toolset that enhances innovation in all stages of product development overcoming the environmental factors to improve early and late-stage development through a two-way knowledge-transfer loop with distributed stakeholders. An encouraging management culture is found as key for transparent knowledge transfer across cross-functional teams. The organizational structure and management style play an important role for both external and internal distribution of knowledge.

Supply chain performance improvement within collaborative product development environment

The linkage between new product developments (NPD) with supply chain management (SCM) process gives an edge to improve performance in supply chain by launching a new product. The main objective of the ongoing aspects of research is identifying important decision making points of NPD along with frameworks of SCM which are already existing in literature and guiding supply chain about the decision making in collaborative supply chain. By reviewing the literature existing in recent times regarding NPD, its performance management, while identifying gaps in currently used frameworks and highlighting key decision making points in collaborative supply chain linked to NPD. A methodology for NPD-SCM integration has been developed from the results from this study, which furthermore is in line with the complete enterprise instead of employing simply NPD processes.

Supply chain performance improvement within collaborative product development environment

The linkage between new product developments (NPD) with supply chain management (SCM) process gives an edge to improve performance in supply chain by launching a new product. The main objective of the ongoing aspects of research is identifying important decision making points of NPD along with frameworks of SCM which are already existing in literature and guiding supply chain about the decision making in collaborative supply chain. By reviewing the literature existing in recent times regarding NPD, its performance management, while identifying gaps in currently used frameworks and highlighting key decision making points in collaborative supply chain linked to NPD. A methodology for NPD-SCM integration has been developed from the results from this study, which furthermore is in line with the complete enterprise instead of employing simply NPD processes.

제품데이터품질(PDQ) 평가에 따른 함정 제품모델의 형상 품질검증 자동화 초기 시스템

우리 해군은 함정 제품모델(Naval Ship Product Model, NSPM)을 중심으로 하는 협업 제품개발 환경 구축을 통해 설계 데이터의 재사용성과 M&S의 활용도를 높이고 있다. 그 결과 설계결과의 신뢰성이 높아지고 있으며, 이를 활용한 운영, 건조 시뮬레이션을 통해 소요군의 요구사항이 면밀히 반영되도록 하는 연구도 진행 중에 있다. 이에 따라 설계 데이터의 DB 구축 및 그 품질에 대한 중요성이 부각되고 있으나, 그와 관련된 연구는 초기상태에 머물러 있는 실정이다. 본 연구에서는 저자들의 선행연구 결과인 함정 제품모델의 품질검증 방법론에 기초하여 함정 제품모델을 구성하고 있는 형상요소의 구체적인 품질검증 방안과 이를 자동화하기 위한 연구를 수행하였다. 함정 제품모델 데이터 중 상대적으로 중요하며, 검증과정에 많은 시간이 소요되고 있는 선각모델을 사례연구 대상으로 정의하였으며, 자동차산업에서 사용되고 있는 제품데이터품질(Product Data Quality, PDQ)을 형상검증 기준으로 활용하였다. 최종적으로 선각모델의 형상 품질검증을 위한 기준과 알고리즘을 제안하였으며 이에 기반 한 초기 시스템을 개발하였다. Recently, R.O.K. Navy is increasing re-usability of design data and application of M&S(Modeling and Simulation) through the establishment of collaborative product development environment focused on Naval Ship Product Model(NSPM). As a result, the reliability of the result of design is getting better, and furthermore, a study to improve quality of construction through simulation of production/operation is in progress. Accordingly, the database construction of design data and the DB(Database) quality become important, but there was not research related to those or it was just initial state. This paper conducted research about system of the quality verification process of shape elements which compose NSPM based on the quality verification guideline of NSPM as the result of the precedent study. The hull surface was limited as verification object. The study to verify two things that application of basic drawing by the cad model of hull surface, and whether there is error in the geometric quality of cad model was progressed. To achieve this goal, the verification criteria and algorithm were defined and the prototype system which is based on was developed.

Collaborative New Product Development Environments: Implications for Supply Chain Management

SUMMARYInput from managers at manufacturing firms was utilized to learn more about the state of new product development (NPD). This study confirms that many firms do not take an integrated approach to NPD despite the advantages of doing so. Senior managers can assist in attaining higher levels of customer satisfaction by shaping organizational settings conducive to collaborative NPD. Supply chain managers can promote integrated NPD by championing the inclusion of manufacturing, suppliers and customers.

Leading a Sea Change in Naval Ship Design: Toward Collaborative Product Development

In October 1989, the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) conducted the Ship Design for Producibility Workshop with broad participation from the Navy, shipbuilders, ship design agents, and academia. The Workshop was one of NAVSEA's first Total Quality Leadership (TQL) initiatives and was subsequently expanded by NAVSEA's Chief Engineer (CHENG) and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (DASN) for Ships into the Ship Design, Acquisition, and Construction (DAC) Process Improvement Project. In addition, the National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) initiated a number of thrusts in concurrent engineering and increased throughput. The authors describe one of these major process improvement initiatives, NAVSEA's 3-D "Product Model" Strategy to extend throughout the enterprise-wide process of warship development a primary focus on the bridge between ship design and shipbuilding. The Workshop and subsequent process improvement initiatives have had a profound impact on the naval ship design process. Yet, as reported to Congress in 2002 by the Secretary of the Navy, the unbudgeted cost growth and increased cycle times for detail design of new warships have "reached an untenable level." This necessitated the October 2004 ASN (RDA) policy memorandum on integrated digital data environment (IDDE). To realize transformational innovations in our ship designs, as well as transformational innovations in the entire warship development process, the National Naval Responsibility in Naval Engineering (NNRNE) was recently established by the Navy. To support NNR-NE the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) created the Center for Innovation in Ship Design (CISD). A summary of some recent CISD Innovation Cells and how CISD can contribute to breaking down the existing organizational cultures and institutionalizing a collaborative product development environment are also discussed. As we begin a new century, it is appropriate that our naval ship design and shipbuilding community review its progress, look at the crosscut principles of leading change, determine what it takes to bring about dramatic cultural transformation, and discuss the critical need for Navy, shipbuilder, design agent, and academia leadership to continue developing a new collaborative product development environment that fosters a sea change in the whole naval ship development process.

Application of the CMII model to an integrated engineering and manufacturing development environment

In all product development cycles, the change process is one of the most critical elements which must be well controlled. This change process, which is comprised within the configuration management methodology, must be one of the key processes supported by an integrated product development environment which supports the concurrent development of design and manufacturing. The CMII business process model proposed by the Institute of Configuration Management is very well documented and has become a reference for modelling the change process within an enterprise. It was thus proposed to evaluate how this model can be implemented within a virtual product development laboratory at Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal which integrates CAD, PDM and MPM technologies. MPM technologies support manufacturing engineers and process planners for the development and analysis of all manufacturing process information. The study has shown that the CMII business model is totally compatible with the methodologies and technologies supported in the laboratory, but that the existing technologies have to support more sophisticated workflow capabilities to support the CMII model. Moreover, the model was found to foster a highly collaborative product and manufacturing process development environment where both engineering and manufacturing information structures are kept synchronized in real time.

A DSM-based project-scheduling system for collaborative product development

Scheduling and managing a collaborative New Product Development (NPD) process for large projects is a difficult exercise that requires much effort and experience. This paper presents a prototype web-enabled scheduling system that incorporates Design Structure Matrix (DSM) to support NPD projects in a collaborative product development environment. The prototype system is implemented on the internet, based on an agent architecture. Basically, it is able to assist collaborative NPD projects in obtaining an appropriate execution sequence of project tasks, generating a project schedule effectively, monitoring the development process, and handling the dynamic events such as task delay and iteration. An illustrative example is provided.

A novel approach to collaborative product design and development environment

This paper presents a new approach to collaborative product design and development environment from a holistic perspective that facilitates virtual multidisciplinary activities. The approach accomplishes integration of a distributed collaborative product development strategy and user-centred environment. It embraces product development representation, a novel systematic framework to manage a collaborative product development (CPD) system, and a novel human-centred system. The advantage of the developed system is that it encompasses a marketing information system (MIS), a human resources management (HRM) system, a supply chain management (SCM) system, communication media, an integrated product design studio, user-centred interfaces, and databases. The developed system has been tested, with results showing major benefits such as reduced product development lead time and cost. The tangible benefit of implementing this system is that the complex product developing process is organized in a systematic, consistent, and concurrent manner to enable collaboration among team members throughout the development process. It accomplishes a guiding sequence that assists inexperienced users to follow the complex process. Therefore, an efficient product development process is generated. One of the advantageous features of this system is that the barriers between people and incompatible computer systems, resulting from non-standardization, have been eliminated.

Process-centric engineering Web services in a distributed and collaborative environment

We propose a Web service oriented and process-centric framework for supporting collaborative engineering services. The proposed approach utilizes BPEL-based (Business Process Execution Language) process templates and coordination broker-based conversation support, which can support long-running engineering transactions, engineering service orchestration and choreography, conversation over the process, and context-awareness. The process template plays an important role as a federation of published engineering services. It is managed and executed by a process orchestration and choreography broker, which works as a service dispatching and aggregation agent. It is capable of federating processes, tools, operations, and knowledge bases into a dynamic and collaborative product development environment. The paper also discusses how to support collaboration over the running process using conversation policy. Further, the paper discusses how to utilize engineering contexts in support of querying and reasoning of engineering service-related knowledge.

A web-based XML information sharing system for collaborative product development

A successful product development project must tightly integrate multi-disciplinary experts through intensive information sharing. Although many computer integrated design systems have tried to fulfil this need, information sharing in a heterogeneous, distributed, and collaborative product development environment is still problematic. This research proposes a web-based information sharing system that uses XML (eXtensible Markup Language), ontology, and access control technologies to deal with product design collaboration problems. In this study, the critical product development information is transformed into XML documents so that data can be exchanged using existing Internet protocols. Ontology analysis is conducted on the XML documents allowing semantic differences in cross-domains to be resolved. Furthermore, a role-based access control mechanism is developed to allow secure and fine-grained access control for each element in the XML documents. This web-based XML information sharing system was implemented in a new product development project. The proposed method allows designers to be more productive and innovative through seamless information sharing, exchanging, and searching.

Special Issue on Collaborative Engineering

Special Issue on Collaborative Engineering

A complete solution for neutral knowledge representation within collaborative product development environment

As product complexity and marketing competition increase, a collaborative product development environment is necessary for production engineers developing high quality products in short lead-times. To support product designers from different fields, disciplines, and locations, wishing to exchange and share data/information, the neutral form product information models, independent of application platforms, are the underlying requirement of the collaborative development environment. In this paper, a complete solution for neutral product information modelling is proposed. A series of issues referring to the representation of product information models are discussed in detail. The system function modelling, product information modelling, and description of product information model are seriatim discussed. Based on STEP standard and IDEF definition methods, taking rolling bearing as an example, an application case of complete product information modelling is stated. Within VC++ environment, the implementation of product information models is described. Lastly, several general rules for product information modelling are stated. The studies provide a set of complete solutions for product information modelling with neutral forms independent of application platforms. It provides a feasible scheme for product information exchange and sharing within collaborative product development and concurrent engineering environments .

Design and Implementation of a Distributed Information System for Collaborative Product Development

Collaborative Product Development (CPD) is an engineering process that involves decision-making through iterative communication and coordination among product designers throughout the lifecycle of the product. The high level of collaboration and communication of a CPD environment requires a robust Distributed Information System. In this paper, we review existing research related to CPD and propose an information framework termed VE4PD based on the integration of web services and agent technologies to manage the CPD process. An implementation system is developed to validate the application.

A hybrid multi-agent system architecture for enterprise integration using computer networks

The manufacturing industries are now experiencing fierce pressure of competition from every corner on this planet. In addition, the advancement in computer networks and information technologies has been gradually reshaping the manufacturing companies by shifting from the industrial age to the information era. Due to these elevated competitiveness and advanced computer technology, a number of new manufacturing and management strategies (e.g., CE or CIM) have emerged for the innovation of manufacturing enterprises. Although they have different definitions and scopes, there are several common issues: inter-enterprise functions integration; inter-enterprise resources integration; and collaboration. This paper proposes a new multi-agent system (MAS) architecture to support the inter-enterprise functions/resources integration and collaboration over the networked environment, including the hybrid agent architecture and hybrid network architecture. In contrast to the existing agent architectures, the proposed agent architecture enables agents to exhibit the hybrid (continuous and discrete) behavior and interactions. In addition, our network architecture is more suitable for building the large-scale distributed manufacturing systems that are prone to dynamic random changes of their environment. Based on the proposed MAS architecture, a collaborative product development environment is implemented as a starting point, and a multidisciplinary team-oriented design problem is illustrated to provide the vision of the proposed MAS architecture.

Conceptual design support system in a collaborative environment for injection moulding

The shortened time-to-market of new products requires experts from multiple disciplines to cooperate in product development. In this collaborative product development environment, an Internet-based conceptual design support system for Injection moulding is developed. It can help designers to put forward feasible design solutions quickly and provide strong support for collaborative design. The architecture, implementation and evaluation of this system are discussed in this paper. The proposed system makes fully use of component-based web technology and has a flexible distributed architecture. A hybrid neural network and genetic algorithm approach is also adopted for more accurate and efficient retrieval. Experiment results indicate it is superior to conventional systems in accuracy and time.

VIRTUAL MANUFACTURING: AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF COLLABORATIVE PRODUCT COMMERCE

The sweeping changes in the web-related technologies in the late 1990s have brought paradigm shift in the business environment and strategic thinking of the organizations. To remain competitive in this ever-changing business scenario, the organizations are focusing more and more on the globalization of businesses and collaboration in the product development across the value chain. This phenomenon has given rise to a new business concept — Collaborative Product Commerce (CPC) that applies web-related technologies for the integration of various value-chain constituents from suppliers to customers. It focuses on cross-enterprise teams to share the intellectual capital in real time to reduce the time-to-market in the product development life cycle. Manufacturing is the central activity that encompasses product, process, resources and plant. Manufacturing activities across the enterprises with real time exchange of information result in the optimization of design, resources and processes, which is in the true spirit of collaborative product commerce. One of the most important facilitators of the collaborative aspects of manufacturing is the virtualization of the manufacturing process components. It involves various visualization and data integration aspects. To deliver value added solutions in this area, it is imperative to have thorough expertise in the engineering services. The focus of this paper will be on virtualization aspects of manufacturing in a collaborative environment. Important paradigms of virtual manufacturing such as design-centered, production-centered and control-centered virtualization will be first discussed in brief. Virtualization of important components of manufacturing such as process planning and design, equipment designs and factory layout and resource management will be discussed in details. To conclude, significance of virtualization of manufacturing in terms of business benefits in the collaborative product development environment will be considered.

Agent-based workflow management in collaborative product development on the Internet

Product development is collaborative, involving multi-disciplinary functions and heterogeneous tools. Teamwork is essential through seamless tool integration and better co-ordination of human activities. This paper proposes to use workflow management as a mechanism to facilitate the teamwork in a collaborative product development environment where remote Web-based Decision Support Systems (TeleDSS) are extensively used by team members who are geographically distributed. The workflow of a project is modelled as a network. Its nodes correspond to the work (packages), and its edges to flows of control and data. The concept of agents is introduced to define nodes and the concept of messages to define edges. As a sandwich layer, agents act as special-purpose application clients for the remote TeleDSS application servers. Agents are delegated to manipulate the corresponding TeleDSS on behalf of their human users. Details of the proceedings are recorded by agents as their properties for future references or shared uses by other team members. Through flow messages, agents are able to share input and output data and request for remote services. One of the major contributions is that agents, once defined, can be reused for different projects without any changes.

Product Development in a Collaborative Design Environment

This paper reports the development of a collaborative product development environment using multi-disciplinary analysis and de sign (MAD) technology and the information infrastructure of the WWW/Internet. The proposed product development environment provides a two level hierarchical setup for product development within the framework of a collaborative product development (CPD) system through the collocation of product designers (first level) and design services (second level). The prototype CPD system offers the following facilities for web based product development: (1) an environment for the visual presentation, interactive refinement and specification of product specifi cations on VRML based sharable CAD models on the web, (2) web integrated product design data management system for supporting CPD tasks, and (3) web based design and manufacturability analysis. The prototype CPD system has been implemented using a variety of com mercial packages such as I-DEAS and CastCHECK, and programming languages such as JAVA, C, PERL and FORTRAN77 and also en compasses a collection of web servers on different computing platforms such as SUN, DEC-Alpha and Windows NT workstations