Building an adaptive manufacturing enterprise for the Hong Kong watchmaking industry

In this paper, we discuss the development of a prototype DMN as a portal-based information exchange system for the design, manufacture and distribution of customised products for the watchmaking industry in Hong Kong. The e-portal serves as an enabling tool for the industry to share information instantly and globally among all the participants in the value chain and presents an unprecedented opportunity for a wider industrial collaboration among them. The portal offers flexibility to 'change by design' and creates distinctive knowledge for the channel partners in an industry characterised by a mature market. It allows them to address the challenges of fast response product development and manufacturing and hence better adapt to customer demands and coordinate go-to-market strategies in increasingly shorter time frames.