Knowledge model to support feedback in engineering

Producing companies are forced to reduce their time-to-market to ensure their competitiveness. The process of product realization is still affected by an approach based on numerous iterations. Other departments' information and expert knowledge is inadequate and cannot be used at an early stage. An integrative process model for the activities of product design and assembly planning is described, which combines these two currently independent engineering processes in a workflow-oriented way. Based on this holistic process model, the concept of a generic knowledge and information model for feedback in engineering is introduced. It fosters the targeted and IT-based transfer of knowledge components and experience from assembly planning and assembly as feedback into the different phases of the design process. Existing approaches are analyzed, knowledge elements identified and potential methods presented to ensure feedback in engineering on short-term and on long-term.