Integrated management system for product collaborative development chain

Although involving supplier into new product development can be beneficial to firm's cost, quality and innovation, this approach has been a great challenge to implementing in manufacturing industry. It is mainly due to the lack of a systematic implementing methodology and the corresponding enabling tools. A modeling methodology and a web based framework, which can be used to efficiently optimizing and managing the information and resource of the Product Collaborative Development Chain (PCDC), were proposed. The modeling process of PCDC was illustrated using Axiomatic Design (AD), which was based on the zigzag mapping process between four domains: resources requirement, product platform, and PCDC architecture, implementation process. The characteristics and function requirements of the PCDC integrated management system were summarized. Key technologies such as platform optimization, part and supplier selection and management, task decomposition and allocation, and project implementation and coordination mechanism were discussed respectively. The process of system implementation and the design of the framework to supporting inter-firm's product collaborative development were then proposed and a reference model was put forward. Finally, a web based prototype system for implementing PCDC was illustrated and some conclusions were given.