ALTHOUGH SIMULTANEOUS ENGINEERING HAS CHANGED MANUFACTURING PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE IN A NUMBER OF ORGANIZATIONS, THERE IS A LACK OF SUPPORTING TOOLS WHICH EFFECTIVELY PROVIDE COMMUNICATION AND INTERFACE BETWEEN THE MEMBERS OF THE TEAM, BOTH DURING AND BETWEEN MEETINGS. THIS PAPER PRESENTS A SOLUTION FOR THE PROBLEM BY OFFERING THE DESIGN OF AN EXPERT SYSTEM WHICH INTEGRATES THE AUTOMATION TOOLS AND ACTS AS A COMMUNICATION LINK FOR THE SE TEAM. THE AUTOMATION TOOLS USED BY A SE GROUP, SUCH AS CAD, CAM, MRP, ETC., ARE PRESENTED TOGETHER WITH THE KNOWLEDGE BASES NEEDED TO ACHIEVE THEIR INTEGRATION. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL EXPERT SYSTEM ARE PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED. THE SYSTEM IS GEARED TOWARD EMPHASIZING DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURABILITY.