Capture, analyse and decide: using knowledge management as a strategic tool in refrigeration product design

Getting products to market in a timely manner offers companies the opportunities of competitive advantage. To achieve `timely delivery in a knowledge-based industry requires more than simply capturing knowledge and storing it for re-use. The use of knowledge management systems, it is argued can be use strategically to improve make-span processes and thus enable competitive advantage. This research of a commercial refrigeration manufacturing company shows that knowledge, both explicit and tacit, can be captured and then stored in a knowledge management system. This KMS can then be mined effectively, with both the KMS and knowledge mining process resolving the identified strategic business problems.