The challenge of collaborative design in the automotive industry: beyond digital mock-ups, rethinking organisation around communities

摘要

Design has acquired a crucial role, developing alongside the profound changes that have taken place in the automotive industry. To increase the efficiency of this design work, we are helping in the development and widespread use of new design tools capable of enabling remote collaborative design. One of these tools - Digital Mock-Ups (DMUs) - seems to be becoming essential. The aim of this paper is to show why and how automotive manufacturers should concern themselves not only with tools but also with the evolution of the governance principles regarding design activities. The benefits for a community-based organisation, connected to the current platform-based design organisation, will therefore be examined.