Dr. S.X. Huang National CIMS Center

TSINGHUA University

Feb. 15, 2008

Email:huangsx@tsinghua.edu.cn

Web-based Engineering Portal for Collaborative Product Development (CPD)

Contents Challenges of CPD Visions of the paper Related technologies and works Solutions for CPD

Reference processes of CPD Engineering Collaborative Portal

Use case

Changes of Business

partnerscustomers

suppliers

contractors

subcontractors

other ...

competition between companies

competition between complex value chains / supply chains

communication between companies by mail, phone, fax, ...

support of business transactions by the use of

networked information- and communication technologies

market positioning predominantly by core competencies

customer loyalty byindividual support

profit by optimization ofinternal production processes

profit by efficient useof intellectual propertiy / know-how

available within the whole supply chain

local bindings /local supply markets market globalisation

Intra- integration -intentional distance with suppliers

Inter- integration of business partners as

early as possible

1990‘s today‘s

Challenges for Collaborative Product Development

Increasing number of co-operating partners involved in the product

development process Dynamic combination

of partners Distributed product

development in time in quality in budget

producer tool-supplier(manufacturing

facilities)

componentsuppliercustomer

Task SolutionP r o c e s s

Challenges for Collaborative Product Development

Factors influencing CPD

Data quality,Data

Management

InformationExchange and

sharing

Processes andWorkflow

"Time-To-Market"

Multi-discipline

Protection ofIntellectualproperties

CulturalDifferencesAcquisition

and use ofknowledge

Costs

producer tool-supplier(manufacturing

facilities)

componentsuppliercustomer

Objectives To provide an overall framework based on Internet technologies supporting c

ommon product development processes between dislocated partners Locate and evaluate potential suppliers / engineering partners in different cultural

areas Initiate contact with potential partners supported by a Cultural Repository and a re

pository of Best Practices Establish a common computer-aided engineering process, safeguarding each part

ner‘s intellectual property and considering cultural characteristics To interconnect heterogeneous Systems

Providing a central point of access on a (virtually) integrated product information model

Sharing & connecting product information stored in various PDM/ERP systems transparently through an integrated view

Providing mechanisms in order to define classified or unnecessary information in order to hide information.

Linking together the partner‘s individual engineering processes for a comprehensive, and integrated supply chain

Vision of Research

CollaborationPortal

Specificationof Requirements

(Products, Partners)

Evaluation of potentialCollaboration Partners

Search for appropriateCollaboration Partners

Exchange / Sharing of Product Dataduring the Collaborative Process

Integration ofProcesses and Data

Respect CulturalDifferences

Related Work

Enterprise modeling Workflow management Integration platform Service science

Enterprise modeling

Enterpri seDi agnosi s

v Assessmentv Performance

Evaluation

Busi nessI mprovement

v BPIv Enterprise Integrationv Supply Chainv Extended Enterprise

Busi nessOperati on

v Workflow Management

v Trainingv Monitor and Control

I nfo. Systems

v Simulationv PDMv ERP

Enterpri se model ing

Enterpri se descri pt i on

Architecture of enterprise modeling

Information Viewpoint Function Viewpoint Organization Viewpoint Resource Viewpoint Product ViewpointProcess Viewpoint

Req. AnalysisSystem DesignSystem ImplementationSystem Maintenance

Enterprise Model

Constructor

Ref. Model

Viewpoint

InstantiationLife

Cycle

Workflow management

Data level Logic level Application level

Message queue

Workflow background service Application

adapterApplication

Document management

system

Distributed workflow execution service

Event release

Management tool

Modeling tool

Queue module clientDatabase

Structure of CIMFLOW (Developed by us)

Integration Platform

Enterprise Service BusUniEAP ESB

Application Access ServicesUniEAP BizAdapter

Application ServicesUniEAP MW /

UniEAP Framework

Process ServicesUniEAP Workflow

Interaction ServicesUniEAP Portal / UniEAP Form / UniEAP Pageflow

Data Access ServicesUniEAP DataMaster

Information ServicesUniEAP DRM

UniEAP Report

Reusable Services BaseUniEAP Components

Management ServicesUniEAP Management Console

All-Life-Cycle Development EnvironmentUniEAP Workshop

Service science

Our researches: service modeling service composition service workflow

Service Science, short for Services Sciences, Management, and Engineering (SSME) Definition 1: The application of scientific, management, and engineering disciplines to tasks that one

organization beneficially performs for and with another (‘services’) Definition 2: The study of service systems.

Evolution & Design: Interactions & Value Coproduction: Specialization & Coordination:

Solutions for CPD Business Solution IT Solution

Business Solution

Search Partners

Establish Collaboration

Engineering Development

IT Solution

Web-based UI Service

Collaboration Service

RNC CCP PMC SMC VVC CR

Infrastructure Service

Data Service Integration Service Meta data model

Domain data model

Application Service

PDM CAD CAM CAE ERP SCM

Service Bus

Service Bus Service Bus

Service Bus

Connectors Interface (SOAP)

IT Solution

Web-based UI Service

Collaboration Service

RNC CCP PMC SMC VVC CR

Infrastructure Service

Data Service Integration Service Meta data model

Domain data model

Application Service

PDM CAD CAM CAE ERP SCM

Service Bus

Service Bus Service Bus

Service Bus

Connectors Interface (SOAP)

The application service (AS) layer provides functionalities to access private information sources of the enterprises involved in a collaboration, like PDM-systems, ERP-systems, etc. The connection between portal and the application systems is realized with SOAP. Therefore an adapter must be implemented for every application, which assumes the mapping between the enterprises’ applications and SOAP.

IT Solution

Web-based UI Service

Collaboration Service

RNC CCP PMC SMC VVC CR

Infrastructure Service

Data Service Integration Service Meta data model

Domain data model

Application Service

PDM CAD CAM CAE ERP SCM

Service Bus

Service Bus Service Bus

Service Bus

Connectors Interface (SOAP)

The infrastructure layer provides the basic data service and integration service for CPD. All data flows within portal are supported by the infrastructure. The data service manages distributed data sources and offers a transparent view on the data for the portal services. The integration service provides the interaction mechanism between portal components.

IT Solution

Web-based UI Service

Collaboration Service

RNC CCP PMC SMC VVC CR

Infrastructure Service

Data Service Integration Service Meta data model

Domain data model

Application Service

PDM CAD CAM CAE ERP SCM

Service Bus

Service Bus Service Bus

Service Bus

Connectors Interface (SOAP)

Request & Navigation Component (RNC): The Request and Navigation Component offers functionalities to find a relevant partner, initiate contact with the found partner, and establish collaboration by defining universal conditions and arranging competences and responsibilities.

Check of Collaboration Partners Component (CCP): The CCP is utilized to support the collaboration initiation. It is divided into three services: partner matching, evaluation of Matching Results, and evaluation of Offers during Negotiation.

Process Management Component (PMC): PMC provides functionalities for modeling and executing the CPD processes. The process models are saved in the portal in a certain process definiton format, which can be interpreted by the workflow engine, which coordinates the execution of these business processes.

IT Solution

Web-based UI Service

Collaboration Service

RNC CCP PMC SMC VVC CR

Infrastructure Service

Data Service Integration Service Meta data model

Domain data model

Application Service

PDM CAD CAM CAE ERP SCM

Service Bus

Service Bus Service Bus

Service Bus

Connectors Interface (SOAP)

Specification Modeler Component (SMC): SMC lets users define and manage product requirements. It further provides functionality for the checking of consistency and completeness of requirements and product properties.

Visualization & Validation Component (VVC): VVC allows users to define different views on engineering data and to validate the data. The data is only shared by involved partners.

Cultural Repository Component (CR): In order to override the problems in different cultural backgrounds and differences in language and education, a cultural repository is foreseen. Its is request-based advisory systems and literature databases.

IT Solution

Web-based UI Service

Collaboration Service

RNC CCP PMC SMC VVC CR

Infrastructure Service

Data Service Integration Service Meta data model

Domain data model

Application Service

PDM CAD CAM CAE ERP SCM

Service Bus

Service Bus Service Bus

Service Bus

Connectors Interface (SOAP)

UI service layer: In portal, the UI service will be provided for browsing available information resources or navigating through networked data structures. The UI services interact with the other services via HTTP or SOAP.

User Interface of the portalTo register an enterprise and login in the portal

User Interface of the portalTo create new user

User Interface of the portalTo define the products and services of enterprise

User Interface of the portalTo match the requirements

User Interface of the portalTo manage requirements

User Interface of the portalTo define collaborative processes

User Interface of the portalTo share and exchange of data

User Interface of the portalTo access culture repository

Case StudyScenario Description: The scenario selected in this paper is about the collaborative development of a new variant of a car in Mercedes-Benz. There is an existing type: Mercedes-Benz “A-Class A 210”. The new variant should be bullet proofed. Only parts, concerning the bullet resistance have to be modified. In this scenario only the left rear door is modified. The scenario demonstrates the whole development process beginning with the search for a new supplier for a window motor and ending with a certified prototype of a bullet proofed.

Case StudyStakeholders in the scenario

* OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer. SUP: Supplier. BOA: Official Board

Shortcut Name Description

OEM Mercedes-Benz Development of the whole car, management of

the suppliers and development partners.

SUP 1 Car Engineering Solutions Development (design) of the modified door,

including the window glass.

SUP 2 Electric-Motor-Corporation Supplier of the window motor.

BOA Shelling Office Official institution, tests the new guard variant,

before it gets the sign of authorization to be

called “bullet proofed”. They also provide

guidelines to reach the authorization.

Case Study Scenario Steps:

1. User login and registration,

2. Search for a new supplier, matching of possible suppliers,

3. Sign the contract,

4. Define a new product by using a template,

5. Definition of initial requirements,

6. Consistence check,

7. Start of the development process

8. Definition of detailed requirements,

9. Consistence checking, CAD visualization

10.Data exchange (using the security tool for CAD data, DMU, simulation)

11.Testing, release,

12.End of development project

Contributions of the portal

* SP: Searching Partner, CE: Collaboration Establishment, CPD: Collaborative Product Development

Name Phase Description

IS, UI SP, CE, CPD Showing and handling of the distributed data (Requirements, CATIA

V5-files, pictures, “pdf” and “Word”-documents). Integration of the

portal components.

RNC SP, CE Search for a new supplier for the window motor.

CCP SP, CE Locating of a new supplier for the window motor.

PMC CPD Modelling and Management the development processes between

the project partners.

VVC SP, CE, CPD Visualisation of the CAD model and data (product requirements,

pictures, “pdf”- and “Word”-documents).

SMC SP, CE, CPD Definition of the initial (process and product) and detailed

requirements, use of templates, consistency check of the

requirements including an automated generating of new

requirements, interactions between OEM and Supplier according the

requirements.

CR SP, CE, CPD Notification of the users about differences between some countries

according norms and laws.

Supported by

Dragon-- Development of an InteRActive EnGineering Portal for Open Networks (http://www.dragon.uni-karlsruhe.de)

ImportNET---Intelligent modular open source Platform for intercultural and cross-domain SME Networks (http://improtnet.imi.uni-karlsruhe.de)

Contact me at:E-mail: huangsx@tsinghua.edu.cn