Collaborative innovation through distributed engineering services

Rapid advancement in information and communication technology in recent decades has presented new opportunities for carrying out sophisticated engineering work in distributed teams, using tools and techniques collectively referred to as Distributed Collaborative Engineering (DCE). This kind of on-line collaboration not only cuts costs due to reduced travel, but also fosters innovation in product development, by bringing together groups of people in collaborative teams with complementary competences, that would otherwise be difficult to realize. Moreover, the convergence of technologies for telecommunication and information technology now makes it possible for companies specialized in collaboration technology to deliver sophisticated services for DCE, which can be purchased by engineering companies on a pay-per-use basis. By outsourcing the installation, management and support of the collaboration tools, the engineering companies can focus on their product development projects while harnessing the full potential of DCE to become more efficient and competitive. We believe that this new way of conducting engineering work will be an important key to innovation in the future. In this paper, we analyze the requirements for delivering DCE as a service and describe the implications this has in terms of systems design, business models and competence requirements. Furthermore, in addition to the primary return on investment in DCE services, we cite cost reductions and reduced CO2 emissions as further benefits.Godkänd; 2009; 20091002 (maglof