A Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system is considered as a set of tools and methodologies to manage the evolution of product-related information and processes during a product's life cycle from the initial stage of conception to the last stage of product disposal. On the other hand, previous research [1] has provided different definitions for PLM, including that it is a business strategy to enhance the integration and collaboration activities during definition, sharing and usage of engineering data, i.e., wherever information is needed throughout the product life cycle. PLM as a business strategy is not only a key consideration for large companies, but is also becoming a must for small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), who consider product development as a core competency [2].Due to competition and globalisation in the marketplace, working in supply chain networks has become essential for enterprises to have access to optimal information and communication technologies in order to enhance their performance. However, inspite of SMEs also being interested in the same technologies, problems in structuring prevent them from having good exchanges of information [3].When a company is planning to develop or implementing a PLM system, a key consideration for those responsible, is to complete a maturity assessment. Through the use of a maturity model, the company will be able to measure the level of implementation of PLM or the methods required to extend it [4]. In the authors' previous study [5], the maturity levels relating to collaboration between SMEs and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) was analysed. This maturity exercise, which had five levels, depicted the situation of collaboration from initial level to the optimal point. Based on the proposed PLM axes of Strategy, Organisation, Processes and Tools, it was possible to classify the activities of each level; this method of classification was important from the point of view of identifying the domain and personal responsibilities by activity.Given the situation that all SMEs, in following certain maturity level, are not the same, it is believed that maturity levels in themselves, are not sufficient to determine levels of collaboration and may need further adoption indicators of PLM to determine more precisely their correct level. The role of the 'Adoption' indicator of PLM in SMEs will be considered further in the next section and the effectiveness of these indicators, through the employment of probability methods, will be measured.The Proposed Methodology:

Abstract-In an increasingly competitive globalised manufacturing environment, the necessity to develop new products and introduce innovative enhancements to existing ranges has created a critical need for the increased utilisation and sharing of organisational and employee knowledge. The capture of this knowledge within industry is of paramount importance as organisations seek to survive and remain competitive. Crowdsourcing, as a collaborative idea generation and problem solving activity, allows employees to capture explicit knowledge from large groups of colleagues and teams, and offers the potential to extract previously unknown tacit knowledge in a less formal virtual environment. This paper provides a review of recently published literature relating to crowdsourcing in the manufacturing industry and offers suggestions for the future direction of crowdsourcing research in manufacturing and product development.

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Abstract-Nowadays, Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) are facing fast changes in technological advancement. These changes encourage them to be more innovative and to offer their Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) quality products with ever shorter deadlines, which is not an easy task. This project (BENEFITS) aims to provide innovative solutions to keep the most exploitable SME's skills within its local regions. This paper focuses on Business Process Modeling (BPM) and process interactions during the development phases of innovative products.

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems have gained growing acceptance for managing all information relating to products throughout their full lifecycle, from idea conceptualisation through operations to servicing and disposal. This paper, through an in-depth exploratory study into a leading power generation manufacturing organisation, presents current PLM issues experienced by manufacturing companies, exploring three separate topics: 1) PLM, 2) Knowledge Management and Lessons Learnt and 3) Product Servicing and Maintenance. Following a review of published literature, results of the investigation are presented, analysing the responses of 17 employees interviewed. With respect to Product Development, it was found that information traceability is time consuming and change management requests take too long to complete. Results relating to knowledge management indicate that the Company operates a 'who you know' culture, but do aim to capture lessons learned on the manufacturing shop floor and assembly lines. Therefore, a prototype design is proposed to integrate the capturing of lessons learnt within the existing PLM system.

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