International competition is characterized by the increasing dynamics of innovation.
Shorter product life cycles are forcing enterprises to develop and deploy a growing number of new products at a faster rate in order to successfully compete in the international marketplace. In addition, there is increasing emphasis on customized products tailored to the special needs of particular customers. In recent years, a range of generic tools has been developed to speed up design, analysis and manufacture of new products. Integration of these tools is necessary to enable development of innovative, high-quality products at a reasonable price. Data flow, databases, information accessibility and compatibility will be investigated.