Four years ago, based on the experience of many leading experts worldwide, CIRP (The International Academy for Production Engineering) decided to prepare and structure a proposal for a Network of Excellence. The European Community agreed to fund this NoE, with the aim of building a "Knowledge Community in Production." This aim was achievable because the NoE partners represented the most important universities in Europe and had strong partnerships with laboratories in distant locations, such as Japan, Australia, South Africa and the USA.

This book provides an understanding of what knowledge is and of why it is one of the most strategic issues in future manufacturing competitiveness, which will be based primarily on high-level technologies and innovative products.

The collective experience that contributed to the publication of this book is unique in that it is based on 34 complementary contributions that represent the state of affairs and current topics in Knowledge Management today. The book describes fundamental Knowledge Management concepts, methods and tools as well as concrete experiences which are presented and discussed. The specific European context and some sample cases from European manufacturing knowledge sharing also provide original added value to the book.