Know4Car · An Internet-based Collaborative Platform for Managing Manufacturing Knowledge

Current digital manufacturing ICT platforms have provided a series of tools, including CAx, PDM and PLM systems, to support engineers in a series of collaborative activities, allowing them to communicate as well as to design and validate the manufacturing processes.However, they still have a long way to go for effectively addressing engineering knowledge management issues:- Today's ERP systems are often detached from the engineering knowledge they are associated with, while PLM systems provide no link to actual performance indicators, such as cost, time, and quality parameters- Current User Interfaces (UI) are often too complex and require much effort to follow and use effectively;- Knowledge is often dispersed over many stakeholders and many IT systems;- There is still a significant absence of robust tools for automatic knowledge capturing as well as for systematic reuse of knowledge, especially in the area of engineering;<br/>The Know4Car project will attempt to address the following objectives:- The more efficient knowledge management and collaboration throughout the product lifecycle, supporting the capture, the systematic organization in the form of manufacturing templates of knowledge;- To revolutionize the UI context in the engineering office and the shop floor, with particular emphasis on training activities:- Faster, easier, error-free UI for data entry / checking in the shop floor along with serious games options for instantaneous knowledge retrieval, training and/or design purposes;<br/>Ultimately, Know4Car aims at delivering a state-of-the-art web-based ICT platform for managing manufacturing knowledge, comprising the following key characteristics:- Web-based Engineering Desktop" for agent-based collaborative design (using cross-platform runtime environments, such as Adobe Air / Flash) throughout the value chain, using PPIs and manufacturing templates