Toward a multi-agent information management infrastructure for product family planning and mass customisation

Steven B. Shooter, Timothy W. Simpson, Soundar R.T. Kumara, Robert B. Stone, Janis P. Terpenny
2005 International Journal of Mass Customisation  
Development of complex new products requires numerous decisions by many individuals and groups, which are often geographically and temporally distributed. There is a need to share and coordinate distributed resources and synchronise decisions. Recent advances in Information Technology (IT) pose an untapped potential in assisting the capture, storage, retrieval, and facilitated use of product development information. By sharing assets such as components, processes, and knowledge across a family
more » ... f products, companies can efficiently develop differentiated products and increase the flexibility and responsiveness of their product realisation process. This paper describes a recent effort in realising an information management infrastructure for product family planning and platform customisation. Particular focus is on current research thrusts: • an evolutionary approach to product platforming • a bottom-up approach to product platforming • industry-based platform case studies • exploration of ontologies for representing product family information • filtering techniques to facilitate reuse of manufacturing information in product families. 'Toward a multi-agent information management infrastructure for product family planning and mass customisation', Int. J. Mass Customisation, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp.134-155. Biographical notes: Steven B. Shooter is Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Bucknell University where he teaches design and mechatronics. His research involves information management in design and mechatronic systems' design. As a registered Professional Engineer, he is also actively engaged in applied projects with industry that involve product development or the development of product realisation infrastructure. He received his BSME
doi:10.1504/ijmassc.2005.007354 fatcat:7uqtw3jbt5aodea66x56fvkfia