European Cooperation. German Experience in the Use of Common Technical Languages for Chemical Process Industries

Abstract

New information technologies will effect most areas of society, especially science, technology and industrial management. It will, on the one hand, even sharpen global competition. But on the other hand, it offers enormous possibilities, especially due to global cooperation.

Based on our experiences in Germany, we discuss these amazing chances new information technologies will offer. Three different examples of network-ing are presented, integration partners in Russia, Western Europe and the United States. All examples originate from chemical engineering and chemical process industries, but can, as pointed out, be easily generalized to other fields of industry and society. We explain how and why this kind of collaboration is so crucial, as well as the impact innovation centers connected in national, multinational or even global networks can have to improve strongly the competitive situation of industries and especially of small and medium enterprises (SME).

It shows that, as in all other changing situations, management is challenged to a large degree in this transition periode. Based on the practical examples, basic guidelines for a Total Information Management (TIM) are derived, allowing to take best advantage of the new opportunities.

It is shown that a key component of information management lies in the choice and maintenance of a common technical language (CTL), a common platform for frictionless cooperation. This language itself has to obey certain criteria that are deduced from experience.

Finally, the transmission of the language, especially necessary security standards, and the communicational infrastructures are addressed, that will in the future be at least as vital for national prosperity as all traditional means of infrastructure.