ICE 2003, Espoo,
Finland
Proceedings
of the ICE 2003, the 9th
International Conference on Concurrent Enterprising, Espoo,
Finland,
2003-06-16/18, contains 67 papers structured in 8 sections covering the
following subjects: CE Methods and Tools, Knowledge Management, Virtual
Organisations, Innovation and Project Management, B2B Networks,
Industrial
Cases and Training and Education. In the following, highlights of
selected
papers are presented following the sequence in the proceedings:
CE Methods and Tools: research results on interactive
requirements acquisition based on combining constrain processing
techniques and
machine learning and using user-specified examples are reported.
Applicability
is demonstrated using a printed circuit board example, (Sulivan et
al).
Integration of Quality Function Deployment (QFD), Value Engineering
(VE) and
Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) will improve product design.
The
concept has been tested in 5 case studies employing different
combinations of
the three tools (Mendoza et al). An automotive supplier
strategy for a
new product development and its global introduction as well as the
adopted
methods and procedures are presented (Atkinson, Al-Ashaab). A
framework
for conceptualising the context of design decisions in trade-off
situations has
been developed. This framework is based on a case study with a car
manufacturer
covering designers, supervisors and mangers that revealed that
trade-off
decisions override the company guidelines for decision making (Belecheanu
et
al). System engineering as a process oriented approach has been
deployed in
car development for co-ordination of concurrent engineering tasks. The
system
engineering process model (ISO 15288) introduces four process
categories:
enterprise, project, technical and agreement processes leading to two
main
co-ordination categories: internal to the product development project
(project
processes) and with the production system development (technical
processes) (Lardeur
et al). A framework for product development effectiveness in
services and
goods is proposed, which extends the composite model of concurrent
engineering
effectiveness (Hull).
Following an extensive analysis the original composite model of
concurrent
engineering effectiveness is extended itself to include a strategy
process in
addition to the three original constructs organisation, process and
tools/technology (Collins, Hull).
Knowledge Management (KM): The
paper describes
first results on product knowledge management for the extended
enterprise,
which is developed by the European funded project Product
Integrated
Knowledge Management for the extended Enterprise
- PRIME. The key objects of the PRIME methodology are the extended
enterprise, its product and process specification and its knowledge.
These
objects are specified by data models of Product support information,
Knowledge
engineering Process, Extended enterprise organisation model (Düsing et al). The need for support of the complete knowledge
and product life cycle is emphasised and results from the Germany
funded project
KnowWork are presented (Denkma, Apitz).. A knowledge
logistics
framework for enterprise application integration is proposed that uses
an KSNet-(Knowledge
Source Network) approach. The nodes of the KSNet represent elements
of
e-business like end users/customers, experts, repositories, documents,
and
information/knowledge management tools. The approach is demonstrated
using as
examples an automotive supply chain and a portable hospital (Smirnow
et al).
Similarly a system architecture is proposed that combines product life
cycle
and KM technologies. The architecture consists of a three layer
functionality,
which provide: repository and integration components (lowest level,
Basic
knowledge management (middle layer), User applications (upper layer).
Product
data are linked to KM tools, which are based on semantic network
knowledge
representation (Hahn). Results from the Germany
funded project Service
Provider for Knowledge Networks report on integration of new
ICT-driven
organisational concepts with KM social construction of knowledge in
extended
organisations are reviewed using the European funded project Web
Enabled
Information Services for Engineering - WISE as an example (Meriluoto).
A conceptual model is presented, which captures intra- and
inter-organisational
knowledge interactions in the telecommunication industry. Focus is on
knowledge
sharing in the course of product developments (Gupta et al). An
information ontology for knowledge asset trading is developed in the
European
funded project Intelligent Knowledge Asset Sharing and Trading -
INKASS
to be used as the data structure specification in the INKASS knowledge
trading platform (Abecker et al). A modelling approach for
knowledge
intensive processes is presented that supports not only information
management,
but access to knowledge as well. The Knowledge Modeller Declaration
language
- KDML is used in an example (Gronau). To establish and
develop
knowledge communities the Airbus company has deployed the Engineering
Book
of Knowledge - EboK, which consists of a internet-based tool and a
community building process. The tool supports individual community
knowledge
taxonomy (structure and terminology), identification of roles and
responsibilities and author/reviewer principles assuring contents
quality (Langenberg).
Technology and methods for support of sharing and reuse of modelling
and
simulation of design knowledge has been developed in the European
funded
project Clockwork and is
implemented in the Clockwork
Knowledge Management Tool – CKMT. The tool supports the four-world
modelling and simulation structure, which allows representation of the
real,
conceptual ideal and simulated world. The tool has been employed in two
industrial case studies (Mulholland et al). New KM concepts to
be used
in turbulent environment are discussed in 2 papers: looking at complex
adaptive
systems (Wunram et al) and an evaluation of classical research
approaches and their shortcommings (Wolf et al). The European
funded
project Delivery of Context-Sensitive Organisational Knowledge –
DÉCOR
has developed and tested a solution for business-process oriented KM.
The
results from two case studies are reported (Abecker et al). A
tool that
allows non-IT users to create and use complex data structures has been
developed in the European funded project Collaborative working
within the
Aeronautic Supply Chain - CASH. Results from a case study are
reported (Marchiori
et al). An Overview on methods for diagnosis and regulation of
Competencies
of SME-type multi-enterprise systems are provided by the French funded
project Groupements
d’Enterprise Coopérantes: Potentialités, Moyens,
Evolutions – GRECOPME.
Results include competency maps, potentials and identification of needs
for
further developments for the co-operative enterprise (Boucher)
Virtual Organisations – Modelling:A new approach of extended
enterprise modelling includes modelling of the negotiation process
employing
fractals, game theory and neural network structures (Vasiliu,
Browne).
Modelling and control of supplier networks in an e-logistics
environment are
analysed for different business environments and strategies for the
identification of critical success factors are provided. Examples are
from the
food industry, project business and IT wholesale (Laurikkala et al).
The
methodology of adaptive complex systems (CAS) is used for the analysis
and
design of virtual enterprises. (Dumitrache et al).
Classification and
distinguishing popular enterprise concepts with the goal to develop a
three
dimensional model to be implemented in a tool for creating different
network
models. The three dimensions identified in the paper are degree of a)
organisational knowledge/learning b) customisation and c)
collaboration/virtuallity (Ellmann, Eschenbächer).
Virtual Organisations – Management: A typology of virtual enterprises
is derived from 10 case studies and their organisational and managerial
features are determined. The identified types are: virtual contractor,
virtual
allocation networks and virtual support network. Organisational and
management
tools for communication, co-ordination and co-operation are employed.
Establishing mutual trust as well as regulatory contracts are still the
main
issues in the VE management (Hausner et al). Research on
virtual
enterprises within the CE domain is reviewed. Three types of VE
topologies: 1)
process oriented, 2) main contractor, 3) project oriented. Conclusions
are
focus is shifting from methodologies and infrastructures towards
management
aspects like KM organisational design and legal aspects (Katzy,
Löh).
Tool management is seen as a key integration for virtual organisations
and a
tool registration and management services kernel is developed in the
European
funded project E-Colleg (Witczynski et al). The
Europena funded
project ALIVE has developed a set of legal templates to enable
set-up
and management of VEs. These have been validated in a number of
industry
workshops and specific training sessions (Weitzenboeck et al).
Innovation and Project
Management: A series of 40 inventive
strategies following from
the study of over 2 million of win-win solutions have been analysed for
their
applicability to CE. Potential use of the strategies id demonstrated by
an
exemplary problem (Mann). The paper shows the
possibility to
assist the steering of innovation product processes taking into account
collective risks and economics (Sechi, Sönen). The
causes of failures in global R&D projects are identified with focus
on
collaboration, KM and virtual team environment. One of the main
limiting
factors is the poor communication and knowledge sharing of the virtual
team. A
collaborative tool has bee developed in the Irish funded project eNableSME
that is based on a five area framework: goals, actions, teams, results
and community
(Precup
et al). The role of social
capital in inter-organisational
networks for product innovation is studied in two cases. Social capital
is the
sum of resources embedded in the social relationships possessed by a
network
unit and it has three highly interrelated dimensions: structural,
relational
and cognitive (Haahtela,
et al). Project complexity
is managed
using an information model that focuses on the local objects and their
structure and their interactions within the project and its environment
(Marle, Lardeur).
The creative factory model is extended to include design chain
characteristics
and factors in order to model innovation in a design chain (Passey et al).
Technologies
for B2B
Networks: The results from
four cases of incubating new VE
networks are presented. Using the concept of action research during the
four
major phases of the network incubation: preparation, forming
institutionalisation and pilot project. A key element the balanced
approach of
jointly pursuing a business opportunity and to build the network
culture using
a network coach as facilitator (Löh et al). A reference
architecture for
automated business process integration has been developed in the
European
project openXchange. The
architecture is component based and
identifies a meta process with four phases: modelling, profiling
agreement and
transaction. The architecture follows the ebXML and the openTRANS
standards and
has been implemented at various pilot sites (Hinderer et al).
Collaborative business in manufacturing networks can be supported by
web
services. Following a discussion of the evolution of collaborative
business and
its components, the web service technologies is presented (Thoben et al).
The European funded project Intelligent Networking of Dynamically
Interrelated
Actors – INDIA has developed a
methodology and a
supporting tool for collaborative supply chain management (Kühnle et al).
The transfer of enterprises into the digital economy will be supported
by the
eTRANSFER system architecture consisting of a methodology and a set of
tools
for redesigning the enterprise operation (Markellos et al).
The enterprise engineering in SME-type production networks is supported
by a
toolbox developed in the European funded project PRODCHAIN
(Stich
et al). A typology of
knowledge sharing networks has identified
five types of networks: Open Knowledge Source, Intra-Organisational
Networks,
Membership-based Networks, Knowledge Supply and Learning Networks (Apostolou et al).
Requirements and concepts for a system integrating both the demand
(planning)
and the supply (fulfilment) process in the distributed environment of
supply
chains are described (Chang et al).
Industrial Cases:
Three case studies report results from applications in the aerospace
industry:
ISO 10303-AP233 interfaces in the systems engineering domain (Eckert,
Johansson); Collaborative
applications supporting distributed
engineering (Rupp,
Steiner); Technical, safety
and security aspects
in transformation of air transport to a concurrent enterprise (Kesseler).
In addition, RETEC, a Spanish initiative on promotion of CE is
described (Galan
et al).
Training
and Education: A
world-wide survey of over 300 master programs of manufacturing
curricula is
presented and a the structure of a framework for has been developed
(Precup).
The main features of a collaborative web-based environment are reported
that
offers distant training, documentation and consultancy services (Cristea et al).
For more information: F. Weber, K.S.
Pawar, K-D Thoben, (Eds.), Enterprise
Engineering in the Networked Economy, 542 pages, Published by University of Nottingham,
ISBN 0 85358 119 3 and http://www.ice-2003.org
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