Abstract
In a competitive, demand-driven global marketplace, personal computer (PC) makers offer mass customization by allowing customers to configure their own PCs and to select miscellaneous components according to their individual needs. Under such circumstances, effective and efficient configuration management (CM) that ensures the functional and physical feasibility of component assembly is essential for valid online ordering and for subsequence supply chain management. In regards to CM for the build-to-order PC industry, this paper focuses on the development of a prototype web-based PDM system for PC configuration management. First, a build-to-order (BTO) business model for PC design and production is depicted. Comprehensive CM consists of four integrated activities, i.e., configuration identification, configuration control, configuration status accounting and configuration audit. Four Application Activity Models (AAMs) in accordance with the activities are explored to demonstrate the CM procedures for PC assembly. This paper also presents the STEP-based product data models that are applied for neutral, global technical data exchanges on the web-based PDM system. It is the goal of this paper to promote consistent and concurrent product data management and exchanges between suppliers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and customers.