Springer Methods and Tools for Effective Knowledge Life-Cycle-Management

This unique book will help readers understand the complex topic of Knowledge Management. Moreover, the book underlines why knowledge is one of the most important strategic issues in achieving future manufacturing competitiveness. From the Back Cover Knowledge Management is a broad, critical and strategic issue for all companies. Indeed, knowledge is the key to competitiveness, for today’s competitive business environment requires reactivity, flexibility, agility and innovation. While knowledge itself is difficult to measure, it manifests itself in improved products, technologies and businesses. Four years ago, based on the experience of many leading experts worldwide, CIRP (The International Academy for Production Engineering) decided to prepare and structure a proposal for a Network of Excellence. The European Community agreed to fund this NoE, with the aim of building a "Knowledge Community in Production." This aim was achievable because the NoE partners represented the most important universities in Europe and had strong partnerships with laboratories in distant locations, such as Japan, Australia, South Africa and the USA. This book provides an understanding of what knowledge is and of why it is one of the most strategic issues in future manufacturing competitiveness, which will be based primarily on high-level technologies and innovative products. The collective experience that contributed to the publication of this book is unique in that it is based on 34 complementary contributions that represent the state of affairs and current topics in Knowledge Management today. The book describes fundamental Knowledge Management concepts, methods and tools as well as concrete experiences which are presented and discussed. The specific European context and some sample cases from European manufacturing knowledge sharing also provide original added value to the book. About the Author Prof. A. Bernard was graduated in 1982 at ENS Cachan. He contributed to LURPA laboratory since 1983 and obtained his PhD in 1989, on 3D feature-based manufacturing of forging dies. Then, as an assistant professor, he worked in Ecole Centrale Paris on product, technology and process modelling. He also created, in 1993, the rapid prototyping and reverse engineering platform of Ecole Centrale Paris, the CREATE. From September 1996 to October 2001, he has been Professor in CRAN laboratory in Nancy, where he managed a research group on mechanical and production engineering. Since 2001, he has been Professor in Ecole Centrale de Nantes. He was the Head of the "Industrial products and systems engineering" department for three years and he is now Deputy Director for Research of Ecole Centrale de Nantes. Concerning his recent research activities, he founded and was the Head of the "Virtual Engineering for industrial engineering" research team in IRCCyN laboratory for four years. Prof. A. Bernard has been the vice-president of AFPR (French Rapid Prototyping Association) and its representative in GARPA (Global Alliance of Rapid Prototyping Associations) for 15 years. Since July 2003, he has been one of the members of the delegation for scientific evaluation at the French Ministry of Research for four years. Prof. A. Bernard is member of national scientific committees and of professional and scientific international organizations. He is also member of the editorial board of six journals (Rapid Prototyping J, IJ PLM (Guest Editor Europe), IJ Product Development, IJ Numerical Engineering, Virtual and Physical Prototyping J, Academic J Manufacturing Engineering) and reviewer for others (CAD, Computers in Industry, CERA, Robotics and CIM, IJ CIM, J Engineering Manufacture, Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, ASME Transactions Journal of Computing information Science in Engineering, IJ Design and Innovation Research, Mécanique et Industries, Document