Using holistic product models to describe industrial production

Abstract The paper introduces a novel approach to taking a holistic view of industrial products and building formal product models capable of integrating data in a wider perspective than what is implemented in the ISO-10303 and ISO-14040,…, 14043 product models. The approach is unique in the sense that it is built upon a unifying ontology according to which any real thing can be represented as an object with four prefixed attributes: Purpose, Structure, State, and Performance. The approach is illustrated by building a holistic model for a fibrous product of a pulping process. The model, which is an object hierarchy, is displayed by using graphical notation. The model demonstrates, in particular, how a product in a process industry can be formally associated with material resources, their conservation and recycling.