CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
23 May 2013
Company News
CONTACT, Fraunhofer IPK and VDI Publish a Study on Collaborative Product Development
CONTACT Software, the Fraunhofer IPK in Berlin, and the German association of Engineers VDI have joined forces to publish a comprehensive study on collaborative product development*. The book, whose findings are underpinned by an exceptionally impressive set of statistics, provides the most up-to-date survey in this field currently available. The data comes from the largest study of its type undertaken anywhere in the world in recent years and was recorded from more than 1,400 product developers, project managers and management staff working in the R&D, IT and process sectors across a range of industries. The results of the survey show how engineers perceive the context in which they are currently working, what their main requirements and problems are in terms of their cooperation with other departments and enterprises, and the areas in which digital tools need to provide them with better support than in the past.
During this study, CONTACT, the IPK, and the VDI asked engineers to share their experience and opinions with reference to the design of engineering processes and the corresponding tools. The findings confirmed the premise that product development in the modern world is primarily characterized by teamwork, partner networks and the intensive exchange of product data. The book highlights the results from four subject areas: work context, collaborative processes, tool use and ideas for future engineering collaboration. At the level of IT support, the analysis focuses on the areas of information logistics, process management, product data and product lifecycle management (PDM/PLM) as well as the use of new media in product development.
The book "Collaborative product development and digital tools. Today's shortcomings – Tomorrow's potential” provides team leaders, process experts company management, scientists and, not least, software vendors, with highly informative answers to a range of current and forward-looking questions. For instance, social media and cloud computing don´t play a significant role in the engineering world today, but solutions for mobile working are already demanded: online and offline! Functions to enhance the availability of existing data and information and to synchronize these at team level and across processes are still high on the wish list. And the desire for increased transparency in project activities continues to be the most important topic in the field of collaborative product development.
"The growing requirements and possibilities mean that everyone involved needs a more accurate and more reliable picture of what is happening in practice. This study makes an important contribution to achieving this aim," explains Dr. Roland Drewinski, member of the CONTACT management board.
The study can be purchased from book retailers or can be obtained on request from CONTACT Software (info@contact.de).
*KOLLABORATIVE PRODUKTENTWICKLUNG UND DIGITALE WERKZEUGE. DEFIZITE HEUTE – POTENZIALE MORGEN (in German with an executive summary in English) Editors: Prof. Dr. Rainer Stark, Dr. Roland Drewinski, Dr. Haygazun Hayka, Dr. Heinz Bedenbender. Year of publication: 2013 (103 pages with more than 30 tables and figures) ISBN 978-3-00-039111-8, purchase price €120.00 incl. sales tax.
Become a member of the CIMdata PLM Community to receive your daily PLM news and much more.
Tell us what you think of the CIMdata Newsletter. Send your feedback.
CIMdata is committed to your privacy. Your personal information will never be sold or shared outside of CIMdata without your express permission.