Engineering data management and its role in implementing a concurrent engineering environment

This paper focuses on the role that engineering data management (EDM) can play in helping to integrate the various activities involved in concurrent product development, e.g. design, development, manufacturing and support. The paper looks at findings from reviews of current development processes and highlights the varying forms of EDM. The benefits of EDM and ways to avoid pitfalls of implementation are also discussed, in addition to a real life case study at IBM, UK. In conclusion, the paper highlights the necessity of EDM in order to promote a concurrent engineering (CE) environment to allow for efficient product development.