Synopsis
Competitive edge in today's world markets can only be achieved by an integrated approach to manufacturing. Concurrent or Simultaneous Engineering offers the promise of a reduced product development cycle, using complex technologies to satisfy customer demand for high quality, competitively-priced products brought to market in minimum time. The CONSENS implementation of Concurrent/Simultaneous Engineering (CSE) is an integrated package developed over recent years by some of the leading manufacturers and research institutes in Europe. It is the product of the flagship EU research project into the use of IT in Manufacturing led by the Fraunhofer Institute in Stuttgart. In particular, this study describes the management of change, network organisation, CONSENS architecture and module integration, SiFrame Management Information System, design for CSE and industrial implementations of CONSENS.