ABSTRACT
One approach toward successful business for companies that market, develop, and produce products is integrated product development (Andreasen & Hein, 2000). Th e fundamental idea is that by organizing cross-functional project teams to carry out product development activities more or less concurrently, the product development time and cost will decrease, and the product quality will increase. Th e concept promotes established, but continuously improved, design processes, the utilization of structured design methods, as well as the use of effi cient design tools, such as computer-aided engineering (CAE) tools. Th e latter is apparent in modern industry where more and more design activities are carried out in a virtual world by the aid of computer-created products, environments, and situations.
