Systematic management of knowledge as an integral part of the infrastructure of tool and die making companies

Due to its key role in the value chain between the product development and the mass production the tool and die industry is one of the most important industries in the manufacturing sector. In an increasingly global production environment the tool and die industry in high wage countries like Germany or Japan stands in an aggressive competition with suppliers from Eastern Europe or China. Additionally there are the three major trends in production engineering that have a direct impact on the tool and die industry: low factor costs in Eastern Europe and Asia, an increasing product derivation as well as a demographic change in society. To cope with those trends and to stay competitive the tool and die industry has to manage both organizational and technological challenges. One of those challenges is the systematic management of the organizational and personal knowledge. Especially in technological focused industry sectors like the tool and die industry the establishment of knowledge management methods has been neglected. However knowledge management is an integral part of the infrastructure in manufacturing. This paper therefore defines the key methods for an effective knowledge management in the tool and die industry.