Collaborative Engineering and the Internet

Book excerpt: Via the Web. In manufacturing, new communication technologies have ushered in a new era for the team-based product development strategy of concurrent engineering. Known as collaborative engineering, the new phase makes it unnecessary for team members to be in the same room. seated around the same table. The team members can be scattered around the facility, around the city, around the country, and even around the world, and can still contribute their valuable input. More complex than traditional concurrent engineering, collaborative engineering not only deals with collaboration itself, but also the infrastructure and environments that enable and nurture it. Going far beyond describing the use of the internet, Anthony Mills thoroughly examines the principles, applications and various tools relevant to this new age of industrial communications. He explains how an organization can use them effectively in welding together personnel and suppliers - no matter how far flung - so that they can play major roles in the organization's success.