Challenges of information reuse in customer-oriented engineering networks

Project-based engineering companies are striving for innovation acceleration, and lean supply and product processes throughout the product lifecycle. The business orientation of engineer-to-order companies is customer-centric due to the nature of engineer-to-order products, which are tailored and customized according to the specific requirements of each customer. However, this customer orientation may lead to inefficient performance, due to a lack of mechanisms to reuse proven concepts, designs and production facilities, as well as an absence of feedback mechanisms from products in use and service. These challenges have been recognized in earlier empirical research projects conducted in companies providing engineer-to-order products. Based on an exploratory study of the existing literature, this paper aims to identify factors hindering product-related information reuse in an engineering business environment that comprises several networks of actors during the lifecycle of engineer-to-order products. The main challenges of information reuse in an engineer-to-order context are related to reuse situations, which require combining existing information with experience-based knowledge. A typology of factors and challenges of information reuse is built, and organizational development needs at different organizational levels as well as further research needs are identified.