Knowledge renewal in industry, a question of relationship between product and process

In order to consolidate their competitive advantages, companies have adopted new organisational structures for design. However, these structures are often inadequate to the innovative process. The latter would be far better served by a knowledge development process revealing the importance of the relationship between product development and process manufacturing. In the particular case of the mould industry, process engineers, as intermediaries between product and tool, play a crucial role here. But, while they contribute to knowledge creation, they are not universally active in the entire knowledge renewal process. Case studies show some difficulties encountered by companies in integrating process knowledge in production. Two models emphasise the role of the combination of three resources – material, human and symbolic resources – in organisations to enhance the renewal of knowledge between product and process developments.