CUSTOMIZING PRODUCT DATA MANAGEMENT FOR SYSTEMS ENGINEERING IN AN INFORMAL LEAN-INFLUENCED ORGANIZATION

Journal article, 2010

The aim of this research work has been to investigate the need to formalize the systems engineering processes for embedded systems at a large automotive company. Further, formalization could be developed by using a commercial Product Data Management (PDM) system as a hub for systems engineering data is investigated. It was found that the case company employs an informal work process where responsibility is delegated to the individual design engineer. The enforcement of formal reports and deliverables is hence quite low. The company rather employs a series of meetings in order to balance the product properties and to follow up on work progress. The rigid test process employed is however more formalized which facilitates use of IT tools. The PDM system was customized to work for two demonstrator cases focusing on integration and workflow. An application solution was written using Visual C# to automate the design task in conjunction with the PDM system and simulation software. It is concluded that the case company has unique and specific needs that are not completely covered in today's PDM systems. This study further showed that PDM systems are flexible and can be customized to meet many of the needs. Nonetheless, it is questionable if the PDM solution fully supports the informal and lean influenced organization.