Innovative Design Technology (IDT) relates to the designers of the factory and products of the future, designing the innovative, customisable, value-added products of the future, and the factory machines and systems required to produce them. It includes product knowledge management, computer-aided innovation, and advanced computer aided manufacture. It is here that critical concurrency through the product life-cycle, as well as across the extended enterprise, is achieved, with huge impact on time-to-market and product development cost. Two key issues are identified: