An object-based knowledge integration system for product development a case study

Purpose - The purpose of this research is to study how knowledge-based systems are applied in an industrial environment. This paper attempts to propose a system, object-based knowledge integration system (OBKIS) which supports the early stages of product development. Design/methodology/approach - This proposed system characterizes the "dynamic" information exchange capability through its distinct features to include executable tasks within product information script that is being utilized in various functional groups, thereby introducing the action items to be carried out in relevant areas. To achieve the "dynamic" information exchange capability, object technology, which is favorable to the creation of inter-related modularized data objects, is incorporated into the product information script to facilitate the active information interchange process. The universal extensible markup language (XML) is also adopted to facilitate data exchange between the database and the knowledge base in order to make real time data and knowledge available throughout the enterprise. Findings - Further research on developing the well-structured XML schema is needed in order to provide a well-understood syntax and self-defined mark-up language to suit particular needs of product data exchange. For verification and measurement, it is suggested that one should evaluate the system in terms of data reliability, transformation accuracy and effectiveness for improving product design process. Practical implications - The implications of these for information flows and management of product data during product development are discussed. In order to validate the feasibility of the proposed system, a prototype is developed for a local company so as to provide linking between the system design concept and system implementation in a practical environment. Originality/value - The significance of this research is that a new product data schema for the initial phase of product development is formulated and the proposed system supports invoking various behaviors for the same message and overriding the pre-defined inherited operation such that a flexible correlation can be formulated in the iterative product design process.