Holonic engineering data management framework for allied concurrent engineering

Summary form only given. This paper presents a holonic system framework for engineering data management to support allied concurrent engineering by providing functions for product and process item definition and management, project planning and management, system configuration and management, activity work. area service, information service and library management. The framework is designed based on the concepts of holonic systems to reflect the distributed, collaborative, agile, dispersed and heterogeneous natures of allied concurrent engineering processes. In the proposed framework, key elements such as information items, libraries, and information management units etc. are defined as "holons" which have autonomous, cooperative and configurable properties