CIMOSA - News
Editor: Martin Zelm, Gehenbuehlstr. 18A, D-70499
Stuttgart,
martin.zelm@cimosa.de
The CIMOSA - News is published by the CIMOSA Association.
The CIMOSA News will report on CIMOSA applications, evolution of its technical
specification, advancements in standardisation and related items. Contributions
from other parties are welcome. The CIMOSA - News will be printed periodically
and is also available in the internet at http://www.cimosa.de.
Workshop report:
The workshop started with an overview on the relevant
state of the art followed by the participants presentations that covered
a rather broad range of subjects relevant to the three streams of the workshop:
1. Modelling Frameworks (relating to ENV 40003): Discussing scope and purpose of enterprise modelling. The presentations went into details on formalisation, levels of abstraction (example ARIS) and framework extensions into shop floor and equipment level. Two contributions with specific comments on the current ENV 40003 and three on formal representations of modelling, model contents and the role of mathematics in standards completed this rather extensive coverage.
2. Modelling Constructs (relating to ENV 12204): A constructive critique on ENV 12204 was followed with two contributions on XML and its use in enterprise modelling.
3. Model Execution Support (relating to ENV 13550): Starting with a presentation on multiple agent the subject was further detailed by a paper on services for enterprise modelling and a report on OPAL, an application of a middle ware concept.
Each of the three themes was further discussed in three working groups. Abstracts of the presentations will be published on the CIMOSA web site including a link to the author for further information. The papers will be published as a collection of proceedings from similar workshops and an ICEIMT/IEMC type conference planned for the future.
Working group results:
The first two of the three working groups established
a base for further work by identifying major issues and corresponding actions.
An action plan has been developed, subsequent tasks have been identified
and assigned to people to provide input for the standardisation work. All
groups identified research work to be done for further evolution in the
area of enterprise engineering and integration. Specific work items identified:
Working group 1 on Frameworks:
A seminar under this title, organised by the ITEM-HSG, University St.Gallen and the Business and Tourism School Chur/Switzerland was held on April 12 at the SME Centre Chur.
Due to increased competition and a more complex business environment, enterprises have to focus more on their core competencies. Complementary competencies, particularly in the design of their enterprise processes can only be provided to SMEs via co-operations. The awareness of the increasing importance of national and international co-operations and their benefits is existing. On the other hand, enterprises hesitate to enter such co-operations. The main reason for the scepticism of SMEs seems to be a deficit of methodologies and management techniques for inter-enterprise co-operations.
The seminar presented suitable organisational and logistic solutions, ITC tools as well as the prototype of a Web based Business portal for SMEs developed in the research project ‘Shared Net Services’. The portal provides independently from the business sector, services for controlling, human resource management and enterprise resource planning (ERP) in SMEs. Contact point : mathias.mueller@unisg.ch
VRCILT is a multimedia learning tool for enterprise modelling and integration to teach the CIMOSA architecture, modelling language and methodology. CILT has also been used as a reference tool for project analysis and re-engineering. The tool follows the CIMOSA specification and consists of a tutorial addressing the modelling framework, modelling language and methodology. It provides a Virtual Reality navigation feature for ease of operation .
The new VRCILT version of May 2000 comprises an elaborate graphical design, particularly easy operation features as well as practical application examples attached to each chapter - relating to processes, products, organisation, resources and factory lay-out. Further, a navigation tour through a virtual enterprise using internet browsers ( Netscape Navigator or MS Internet Explorer) is being implemented. The tool was developed by GIP (Gestión e Ingeniería de la Producción) a research group at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia/Spain involved in R&D and education. A tool CD and can be ordered from GIP, for more information contact Dr. Angel Ortiz Bas, aortiz@omp.upv.es
New inputs have provided for the data base of the CIMOSA Web site http://www.cimosa.de . Previous and current issues of the COA News are available. Contacts with publishers and ICT tool builders have been established
‘Enterprise Engineering and Integration - Why and How',
a primer on concepts, purpose and business value, CIMOSA Association, private
publication.
‘CIMOSA - a primer on key concepts, purpose and business
value’, CIMOSA Association. This brochure as well as other selected papers,
abstracts and literature hyperlinks are available at www.cimosa.de
and http://cimosa.cnt.pl.
CIMOSA Association
The CIMOSA Association (COA) is a non-profit organisation involved in promotion of Enterprise Engineering and Integration based on CIMOSA and its active support in national, European and international standardisation. COA members are industrial and research organisations.