Know-CoM: Decentralized knowledge management systems for cooperating die- and mold-making SMEs

The die- and mold-making industry can be characterized by small and medium enterprises (SMEs), sophisticated technologies, and highly skilled employees who have to cooperate in order to fulfill orders of customers with which they are engaged in an intensive process of knowledge exchange. The knowledge-intensive production process of die and mold makers consequently requires an integrated organizational and technical solution to support the sharing of documented knowledge as well as collaboration. Standard knowledge management systems (KMS) primarily target the organization-internal processes and documented knowledge of large organizations. Know-CoM intends to overcome the limitations of these solutions and explicitly targets SMEs as well as knowledge processes that cross organizational boundaries. KnowCoM is a European Commission-funded CRAFT project that provides an advanced concept of decentralized management of access privileges to personal, protected, and public knowledge spaces. An easy-to-use solution supports the capturing of experiences. A joint knowledge structure brokers context across organizational boundaries and eases discovery of knowledge and experts. Finally, a knowledge management certification technique allows for a coordinated reuse of knowledge that is integrated with the daily work practices of die and mold makers.