The design, development and manufacture of many new products involves the selection and use of components produced by electronic component manufacturers. The degree of complexity involved depends on the nature of the product. For example, for the auto manufacturer, the range of components and sub-components is vast. Choosing the right components from the right suppliers requires time, effort and high cost. As products become increasingly more complex, so too does the design and development process, and the challenges involved for industry are significant. One such challenge is the need for access to reliable, unambiguous, standardized component information throughout the product life cycle in a way that increases efficiency and reduces cost.

Under ESPRIT (the European Strategic Programme for Research and Development in Information Technology, [part of the European Union's IT Programme]), Project CIREP, which began in July 1996 and is due for completion in December 1998, is facing that challenge by seeking to develop an information system which will provide a direct digital information flow between component manufacturers and users. The goal is to permit the specification, management, distribution and exploitation of component information throughout the product life cycle by supporting the definition of component classes and allowing the incorporation of the description of single components of each class into the user's industrial component database.

The CIREP consortium brings together component manufacturers (AVX, Philips and Siemens), component users (Aerospatiale and Thomson-CSF) and technology providers (Codus, Aspect, Euritis, Spring and the University of Hagen). Furthermore, a user group has been set up to provide a forum for dissemination and encourage technology take-up and an advisory board (ADEPA) to advise on the contribution to standards and ensure technology transfer to the SME (small to medium enterprise) community.

The component manufacturer needs to be able to catalog and present information relating to its product components in a way that is easily accessible to the user. Users need access to reliable information that can be integrated directly into their individual computer-aided design (CAD) systems. The CIREP architecture is designed to meet these needs through use of Internet/intranet technology which provides communication facilities and the user interface on a worldwide scale.


Basic CIREP architecture

To ensure reliability of information, the CIREP system is based on the EXPRESS meta model of the standards IEC61360 of the International Electro-Technical Committee and ISO13584 of the International Standards Organization. Given that the tools and methodologies developed in CIREP are intended to be used by a wide range of interested parties, the importance of standards is crucial. The IEC61360 standard provides the methodology for definition of all characteristic parameters which are used to describe electronic components as well as providing a dictionary of such definitions.

The ISO13584 standard is used for constructing "templates" for component families and allowing the modeling of families and the interrelationships between them. Indeed, one of the unique aspects of the project is its contribution to the development of these standards by extending them through the use of "templates," or component data item lists (CDILs), which permit the expansion of component data and allow for the specification and structuring of such component families.

Furthermore, a number of tools have been developed which permit the capture of dictionary information as well as component information, facilitate the search and download of information from Internet-based component databases, support the customization of downloaded information for integration into the user's CAD system and provide for issues relating to security of information flow and the protection of intellectual property rights. Nevertheless, should individual nodes within the system require direct point-to-point connections, these can be established through a number of options such as modem, or integrated services digital network (ISDN).


The CIREP methodology

The methodology employed by CIREP can be viewed as a number of stages. In the initial stage the component manufacturer describes components as dictionary information based on the meta-model of IEC61360, and component families which are captured as a CDIL. The IEC maintenance agency provides standardized CDILs. Where a standard CDIL suited to the manufacturers requirements does not exist, the component manufacturer then builds a CDIL using the CIREP component information modeling tool (CIMT).

The CIMT uses information in the standard dictionary to identify a relevant component class together with a corresponding list of properties, or data element types. In the event that a suitable component class does not exist, the manufacturer can define his own dictionary class, which will be submitted to the maintenance agency for inclusion in the standard IEC dictionary.

Once the CDIL is complete, the component manufacturer then uses the component information capture tool (CICT) to construct a CDIL instance or list of parameter values used in the description of the component family. The CDIL and CDIL instance are generated in STEP physical file format. Once generated, the file can then be encrypted and have a signature added to allow authentication.

The file can then be transferred to the information broker's database where the information can be stored and searched for by external users. The end user can download the information from the broker's database and verify its authenticity. The component information handling system tool (CIHS) developed in CIREP takes account of two types of user. On the one hand the component librarian downloads component information into the design database. Through the CIHS, the librarian extracts the precise data needed from the component family and adds it to any other information needed for procurement of design. On the other hand, the designer is able to use the precise and relevant information in the design database.

The CIHS houses three tools: 1. an import tool to extract the information from the STEP physical file format, file from the CIREP system and transfer it to the CIHS family database; 2. a customizing tool to facilitate the integration of information into the user's design database, and 3. an explore tool that allows the designer to retrieve information for use in in-house CAD systems.


The benefits to business

The contribution of the work carried out in CIREP to the future competitiveness of industry is significant. The application of concurrent engineering practices depends on enhanced levels of integration of enterprise functions throughout the complete product life cycle. This will only be possible if all enterprise functions have ready access to computer-sensible representations of components used in the definition of higher-order products. At present, component users find it necessary to develop and maintain in-house corporate libraries of component information, translating such information from a paper-based source into computer-sensible format. This activity is a costly exercise given that descriptions of component characteristics are not standardized and as such, require interpretation by highly qualified engineers to ensure consistency. Furthermore, the process is error-prone and time-consuming and invariably leads to problems with product quality, resulting in the need for re-work.

The costs to industry of managing component information are unclear since costs involved are, for the most part, hidden costs. In 1990, estimates for the U.S. market put the costs of managing in-house component libraries at around $9 billion annually, while the annual costs to component manufacturers was an estimated $5 billion. These figures are considered to be extremely conservative. There can be little doubt that such costs present a significant barrier to market entry, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The benefits to business of the CIREP approach are clear. According to Jean Lebrun of Thomson-CSF, project manager of CIREP, savings of between 50-80 percent of total cost for electronic component users can be expected. This reduced cost and increased efficiency throughout the entire product life cycle will have a significant impact on the competitiveness of component users. By providing easily accessible and exploitable information about their product portfolios, component manufacturers will be able to strengthen their market position both locally and globally. Increased costs due to problems relating to data transfer and control will be avoided through the standardization of component information and innovative methods of electronic transfer.

Clearly the CIREP approach is set to make an important contribution to the ongoing development of a computer integrated manufacturing environment and the world of electronic commerce.