Practicing modelling in manufacturing

Abstract

This paper is about understanding modelling practices in manufacturing and contribute in methodologies and approaches facilitating introduction of modelling in a company. Based on ethnographic studies at real work environments and scenario-building workshops, we could identify and analyse several issues like how to involve and engage domain workers in modelling activities, that there are four different levels of formal and informal models (paper-based, table-based, non-executable and executable), that domain workers are first of all interested in the first two levels especially to support product design. Furthermore, modelling of products and processes are interlinked, and different approaches to modelling must be supported and encouraged in an enterprise to enable participation of domain workers in modelling activities.