Converting Computer-Integrated Manufacturing into an Intelligent Information System by Combining CIM with Concurrent Engineering and Knowledge Management

Some industrial organizations, which use computer - integrated manufacturing ( CIM) for managing intelligent product and process data during a concurrent processing, are facing acute implementation difficulties. Some of the difficulties are due to the fact that CIM - in the current form - is not able to adequately address knowledge management and concurrent engineering ( CE) issues. Also, it is not possible to use CIM to solve problems related to decision and control, even though there has been an increasing interest in subjects like artificial intelligence ( Al), knowledge based systems(KBS), expert systems, etc. In order to improve the productivity gain through CIM, EDS focused its information technology ( IT) vision on the combined potential of concurrent engineering ( CE), knowledge management ( KM) and computer - integrated manufacturing ( CIM) technologies. Through a number of IT and CIM implementations it is realized that CE, KM and CIM do go hand in hand. The three together provide a formidable base, which is called intelligent information system (IIS) in this paper. The paper describes the rationales used for creating an IIS framework at EDS, its usefulness to our clients and a make - up of this emerging IIS framework for integrated product development. Further, the paper describes what constitutes an intelligent information system ( IIS). The most standard form of CIM commonly provides a battery of tools and systems - computer - aided X - functions ( CAXs) and computer - integrated X - functions (CIXs). Where X stands for a typical lifecycle function, such as design ( CAD), engineering ( CAE), process planning ( CAPP), manufacturing ( CAM), etc.