This paper describes epee, a distributed environment for the integration of software applications. It was developed with the aim of aiding the process of design by providing the necessary support for a design information management system. The software environment is first described in general terms and then our specific application of epee to process engineering design is presented. epee uses an object-oriented approach to data management. Data are represented as objects whose definitions, via templates, reflect the process engineering design environment. The use of focussed methods promotes a consistent look and feel to the tools in the environment. Method reuse reduces software development costs and increases users’ confidence in the reliability of the methods. The benefits of the history recording mechanism in epee and its object publishing facilities are described. A history record is a critical component of a high level design management system. This, together with the sharing of data through object publishing, provides the necessary support for collaborative design. The application of epee to process engineering design illustrates the benefits of object-oriented techniques to the process systems and design community. The inherent extensibility of object definitions facilitates the application of the support system to any area of design. The dynamic nature of object definitions in epee encourages exploration and experimentation with new data types and methods.