Product and Production Configuration Method - enhancing the customer driven value chain by the cognitive dimension

Concurrent product and production design in conjunction with mass customisation is in the focus of the work presented in this paper. The novel Product and Production Configuration Method (PPCM) is embedded in two dimensions: the value chain dimension and the cognitive dimension. The value chain dimension includes the synchronisation of product and production design considering all variants implied by the customer. The cognitive dimension captures the knowledge generation and exploitation within an organization. Relations and dependencies between the variants demanded by the customer and the corresponding product- and production-properties can be tracked and documented by the PPCM. The knowledge about these dependencies is crucial when synchronising product and production data. A case study demonstrating the capabilities of the PPCM concludes this work.