Archive for the ‘OpenPDM’ Category
Tuesday, January 21st, 2020
The shipyard thyssenkrupp Marine Systems has commissioned PROSTEP AG’s shipbuilding experts to draw up a roadmap for the shipbuilding production area in Kiel to digitally integrate manufacturing. The shipbuilders want to make the coordination processes in development, production and assembly more digitally integrated and thus accelerate manufacturing of steel construction.
Today, the departments and companies involved in shipbuilding generally still exchange their product information on the basis of drawings and often even paper, which makes coordination time-consuming and error-prone. Consistent information models and the use of digital technologies can significantly improve the integration of cross-departmental processes. A prerequisite for this is the reliable identification of interruptions and bottlenecks in the information flows.
Starting from the existing enterprise architecture, PROSTEP used a standardized method of capability-based potential analysis, which is based on value stream mapping, to create a capability roadmap for shipbuilding production. In a sense, it describes the target status and allows our shipbuilding experts to identify potential for improvement in the information flow and IT support for the communication processes between design, work preparation and steel production.
Together with the project team at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, PROSTEP’s shipbuilding experts have identified three key areas of action with 20 concrete measures.
They are to be implemented in the next project steps:
- Firstly, the establishment of a digital twin of hull construction with the aim of being able to map and control the production processes digitally;
- Secondly, the implementation of digital documentation processes for the quality inspections of welding processes and seams and
- Thirdly, the digital connection of the semi-finished product and material suppliers to the digital production processes.
The interdisciplinary team not only identified the measures, but also prioritized them and arranged them in a roadmap. After a project duration of only six weeks, it was able to present the project results to the central production management of the Kiel shipyard. This was a complete success for the shipbuilding production division, which hopes that it will be able to prioritize its digitization projects at the Kiel location more effectively.
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Saturday, December 21st, 2019
At Aras ACE Europe 2019 in Munich, PROSTEP presented the OpenPDM integration platform with the connector to the Aras Innovator PLM platform. Integrations between Aras and other PLM systems are now on the Aras price list. Through the intensified cooperation between Aras and PROSTEP, users of the Aras platform will be optimally supported in realizing complex multi-PLM integration scenarios in the future.
OpenPDM is the world’s leading platform for the integration of various PLM, ERP, Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) and simulation data management systems, which also supports the integration of IoT platforms. It serves as a neutral intermediate layer through which metadata and structures between different enterprise applications can be automatically exchanged and synchronized. The standards-based connectors help to minimize the integration effort and facilitate the quick integration of new systems into an existing system landscape. Thanks to its modular architecture and the use of microservices, OpenPDM can now also be used in hybrid cloud scenarios.
PROSTEP has been offering a powerful OpenPDM connector to Aras Innovator for some time now, which makes it possible to integrate the Aras platform into heterogeneous PLM system landscapes. Aras has now added PROSTEP integration solutions to its price list, underscoring its interest in continuous further development and maintenance of the integration module. The connector supports Aras Innovator from version 11 and can also be used with the current version 12, which has been available since the middle of the year.
Thanks to the large number of available connectors to other PLM systems, PROSTEP’s integration platform offers good support for companies that want to use Aras Innovator as a cross-system PLM backbone for merging data from different enterprise applications – one of the typical application scenarios in the Aras customer base. But the dedicated connection of a single other PLM system to Aras Innovator can also be optimally implemented within the OpenPDM solution suite based on predefined use cases.
Around 380 customers worldwide currently use the Aras platform – mainly larger companies with relatively complex PLM installations in the automotive, aerospace, mechanical and plant engineering, high-tech and medical device industries. This is exactly the clientele that PROSTEP addresses with its range of consulting and solutions. This is the reason why we want to try to work more closely with Aras and its partners on customer projects in the future.
By Peter Pfalzgraf
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Tuesday, October 15th, 2019
The shipbuilding experts at PROSTEP had a “hot” autumn with a wealth of events. Our new flagship product OpenPDM SHIP was always with us. The integration platform, which connects special applications for shipbuilding with classic mechanical CAD applications and common PDM/PLM and ERP systems via standardized connectors, attracted attention everywhere.
We officially introduced OpenPDM SHIP at ICCAS 2019 in Rotterdam, the world’s largest vendor-neutral conference for computer applications in shipbuilding. Of course, visitors to the AVEVA World Conference Marine Europe in Malmö, the ShipConstructor EMEA Conference in Lisbon and to number of other events at which we were represented were also able to take a look at the integration platform and its most important components. With OpenPDM SHIP, PROSTEP underscores its claim to be the leading specialist for the creation of end-to-end digital processes in shipbuilding and shipping.
With approx. 150 participants from shipyards, suppliers, classification societies, universities and software manufacturers, ICCAS was the ideal forum for presenting OpenPDM SHIP. We were not only represented in Rotterdam with a booth but were also able to inform the visitors in two lectures about the potential benefits of the integration platform when using Best in Class tools and setting up a digital thread for shipbuilding and shipping. The digital thread is the prerequisite for the digital twin, which was a dominant topic at ICCAS. In addition to the technical challenges, the question of who really owns the data and who may use it was also discussed. Shipyards, ship owners, operators, suppliers and classification societies still have to agree on a common usage model.
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) were also important topics in Rotterdam, with this year’s discussion focusing on possible applications in production and operation. This showed that the effort required to process the data is still an important obstacle to the wider use of the technology. Between the presentations, we had interesting discussions with shipyards and with our partners about weak points in the tools and processes, which provided us with important suggestions for the further development of OpenPDM SHIP.
Apart from ICCAS, we have been at numerous user conferences in recent weeks and months with the aim of intensifying cooperation with the respective software manufacturer and explaining the advantages of OpenPDM SHIP to its customers. The approx. 150 participants of the AVEVA World Conference Marine Europe showed great interest in the possibility of connecting AVEVA Marine very easily with common enterprise systems for controlling product development and manufacturing processes (PDM/PLM, ERP and MES) via our standards-based integration platform. In a workshop we were able to show them that our connectors not only reduce the integration effort, but also offer them maximum flexibility in selecting their CAx, PDM/PLM and ERP systems.
For the first time this year we attended the ShipConstructor EMEA Conference in Lisbon, also with OpenPDM SHIP and the new connector to SSI’s Autodesk-based ship development solution. With the latest expansion of our integration platform, we are addressing an interesting new customer base and consolidating our position as a leading integration specialist in the maritime industry. We presented two interesting integration scenarios to the participants of the event which met with great interest, namely the horizontal data exchange between NAPA Steel and ShipConstructor on the one hand and the connection to common PDM systems on the other hand. This enabled us to make interesting contacts with potential new customers.
We presented a somewhat different integration scenario to the approx. 100 participants at the User Seminar Korea organized by NAPA for the Korean shipyards, development offices and classification societies. The focus was on the loss-free exchange of feature information between NAPA Steel and AVEVA Marine Hull, but also on data exchange with mechanical CAD systems such as CATIA or NX. The interest of the participants has strengthened our decision to participate in the event in Korea. The cooperation with NAPA and the local user community is developing very positively from our point of view.
From Korea to Rostock, where the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft invited to the Go-3D again this year. The event, which was attended by numerous representatives of shipyards, design offices, the supplier industry, universities, software houses and of course PROSTEP, was primarily concerned with the application of 3D technology in industry and research. We impressed the participants with a lecture on “From a free data exchange format to a real design model”, which showed, using the example of the Meyer Turku use case, how native CAD models can be generated again from neutral IFC data for further processing. Impressive because our solution based on OpenPDM SHIP not only recognizes features, but also takes into account the different procedures of suppliers and shipyards.
It was a “hot” autumn, but participation in the events was worth it for all of us. We succeeded in generating the necessary awareness for OpenPDM SHIP and the uniqueness of our integration platform among the customers of the various software manufacturers.
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Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019
Being among the top 100 suppliers to the automotive industry, Webasto generated sales of 3.4 billion euros and had more than 13,000 employees at over 50 locations (with 30 of these being manufacturing plants) during financial year 2018. The core business comprises a wide range of products for vehicle manufacturers: sunroofs, panorama roofs and convertible roofs, heating systems for cars and commercial vehicles with all types of drive systems, together with battery systems and charging solutions for hybrid and electric vehicles. Webasto moreover has a strong market position in the aftermarket business and provides dealers and consumers with customized solutions and services for thermo management and e-mobility.
In the last ten years Webasto has also grown strongly through company takeovers. Important milestones were the acquisition of the convertible division of Edscha, the North American business of Karmann, the Diavia air conditioning business of Delphi Italia and the Efficient Energy Systems (EES) business of AeroVironment, which today manufactures charging solutions under the name Webasto Charging Systems Inc. In addition, the company has recently bought the shares of its long-standing South Korean joint venture partner. The joint venture Webasto Donghee, with headquarters in Ulsan (South Korea) that previously focused on production and sales of panorama roofs, is now part of Webasto’s worldwide development and production network, thus strengthening its position in Asia further.
Heterogeneous PDM landscape
One consequence of the takeovers is that the company today has a heterogeneous PDM system landscape. The roof and thermal systems division uses PTC Windchill, the convertible division SAP PLM, Webasto Charging Systems Inc. Oracle Agile PLM and the former South Korean joint venture, the Teamcenter software from Siemens PLM. The development and change processes of the various divisions are not uniform either, which makes it more difficult to handle global development and production projects.
Particularly in the field of roof systems, Webasto faces the challenge of developing products for global customers and manufacturing them at various locations. “Whereas we used to develop roof systems for a specific vehicle, we now offer our customers platforms that can be installed in several vehicle types or brands of an automobile manufacturer with certain adaptations,” explains Jorge Ortiz, who is responsible for user training in the central PLM project team. This saves development costs, but also means that every change must be coordinated with all development departments involved.
Another challenge is that Webasto is becoming a mechatronic focused company that develops and manufactures its own software and electronic components. The basis for this was laid, among other things, by the takeover of the electronics service provider Schaidt Innovations. This necessarily requires a closer connection of software development to the product development process and the IT systems supporting it.
The Webasto strategy is therefore to establish a uniform organization and implement a globally uniform product development process for all divisions, which can be mapped in a uniform system environment. This process will also support Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) in the future, as Ortiz explains: “We want to create a CAD/PLM development environment with uniform data structures and enable users to access data quickly and easily via a single point of truth, regardless of their location and region.
Approach to production
When selecting the new PLM solution, Webasto was faced with the alternative of either looking for greater proximity to the CAD landscape with CATIA V5 and Dassault Systèmes’ 3D experience platform as the target system, or approaching the SAP ERP system. None of the existing PDM systems met the requirements of an enterprise-wide PLM platform. In the case of Windchill, it was an older version that was gradually being phased out of maintenance and with which users were no longer satisfied with the usability.
After a longer selection phase, the project team decided to introduce the SAP-based PLM solution 4PEP from ILC GmbH, a decision that was backed by the assessment of an independent consulting firm. “4PEP gives us the opportunity to better integrate development and production processes by providing all information digitally,” says Ortiz, explaining the main reasons for the decision. The flexibility of the software and the willingness of the software manufacturer to consider Webasto’s special needs on the basis of the automotive-specific reference approach also spoke in favor of ILC. The software house also had a strong partner in PROSTEP AG for the integration of 4PEP and 3DExperience.
4PEP is an industry-specific PLM solution with preconfigured processes and methods optimized for the supply industry. Among other things, it offers modules for product structure and variant management, configuration and change management, master data management, but also for requirements management, project control and cost management. Webasto thus simplifies variant handling, for example, by no longer defining color variants of roof systems during development, but only during production coordination, explains Ansgar Villis, Deputy Managing Director of ILC GmbH and project manager in the Webasto project.
Cooperation with PROSTEP
The partnership with PROSTEP was very helpful in winning and carrying out the demanding PLM project, as Villis continues. The company is a recognized integration specialist with a wealth of industry experience, process know-how and technological expertise, as well as strategic partnerships with leading CAx and PLM manufacturers, Ortiz confirms. Based on the OpenPDM integration platform, the company has developed standardized connectors for 3DExperience and 4PEP, which can be quickly adapted to customer-specific requirements. Based on PROSTEP technology, Webasto also intends to integrate the Rational RTC software, which is used in the electronics sector for configuration and software management.
In close cooperation with ILC, PROSTEP implemented the data mapping for the various integration cases – starting with the transfer of design orders to the 3D Experience platform. During the pre-delivery of development stages for the procurement process, models and drawings are then converted into the neutral formats JT and 3D PDF, transferred to 4PEP and stamped with the note that they may only be used for requests. Once the design is complete, OpenPDM triggers a complex approval workflow in 4PEP that integrates purchasing, manufacturing, costing and controlling. If everyone approves the release, the integration platform reports the status change back to 3DExperience and ensures that the derived neutral formats are automatically re-stamped. The most complex integration case is the exchange of change orders, because with Webasto individual parts can be changed without immediately versioning the product structure or the parts list. This only happens when the parts are installed.
The integration cases must be partially readjusted, firstly because the new development environment is still under construction and secondly because the processes to be mapped are extended so that changes to the processes in 3DExperience and 4PEP occur. The flexibility of the integration platform, which allows changes or extensions to be implemented with minimal effort, has therefore proven to be an advantage, as Ortiz emphasizes: “OpenPDM is a very robust platform that has been in reliable operation since it was first launched.
The challenge of data migration
In the first project phase, the new CAD and PLM solution was implemented together with the integration platform in the convertible division and tested in a pilot project, which will be followed by others. “However, everything we do here is coordinated with the other divisions, which are already working with the new systems and can contribute their experience,” says Ortiz. This is important in order to standardize processes across all divisions.
One of the potential hurdles that arose during the pilot project was the coordination of the product structures between the participating systems 3DExperience, 4PEP and SAP. In principle, Webasto wants to manage E- and M-BOM in 4PEP to ensure consistency between development and production. Which of the three systems, however, is to assume the leading role in the case of changes has not yet been finally clarified. It will be a compromise to ensure the strongest possible link between the systems, without limiting their flexibility too much, as Ortiz says.
The pilot project also showed that the effort for data migration was greater than expected. “Existing parts and standard components lacked certain attribute information that the new systems and processes expect,” says Ortiz. “Another critical topic is the handling of the kinematics functions, which are very important for the convertible division. It has changed greatly from CATIA V5 to V6, so that the changed processes had to be taken into account during the migration.”
Points in the direction of digitization
At the end of this year, the second project phase will start with a pilot project in the field of roof systems. The biggest challenge will be to completely migrate the Windchill data to 4PEP and then to correctly link it to the CAD data via OpenPDM, which will be migrated in parallel from ENOVIA VPM to 3D Experience. A lot of information, which is represented in the form of tables on the drawings, must be transferred to the models or the PLM system. “Our goal is to no longer have drawings in PLM, but only models and information from which the representations can then be derived,” concludes Ortiz. “The PLM project should help us set the course for digitization and industry 4.0.”
By Mirko Theiß
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Saturday, July 27th, 2019
The IT landscapes in the maritime industry are characterized by the fact that special shipbuilding applications are often used for initial, basic and detail design as well as for production preparation. Although they enabled the specialist departments to carry out their work particularly efficiently, they require powerful integrations from an entrepreneurial point of view in order to be able to use the digital information throughout the process. Consistent processes and information flows are the prerequisite for building a digital ship model that can accompany the entire ship life cycle.
The development of proprietary interfaces is not only time-consuming and cost-intensive, but also complicates the exchange of existing applications or the rapid integration of new ones. Based on the proven OpenPDM technology, which is used by many companies for the integration of different enterprise systems, data migration and cross-company collaboration, PROSTEP has therefore created an extension of this integration platform specially designed for the maritime industry. An essential component of this platform are standards-based connectors that simplify both the horizontal integration between different authoring systems and their vertical integration into the enterprise systems which manage the product structures (PDM, PLM, ERP, etc.).
OpenPDM SHIP enables data exchange between special shipbuilding applications such as NAPA, AVEVA Marine, CADMATIC or ShipConstructor and mechanical CAD systems such as CATIA or NX. The latter are often used for the construction of complex interiors, e.g. for public areas in cruise ships or large yachts. When transferring information from mechanical to shipbuilding specific CAD applications and vice versa, the integration platform maps the different data models to each other. This allows companies to use the CAD tool of their choice for any task in the ship development process without losing valuable information during conversion and data exchange.
On the other hand, OpenPDM SHIP supports the creation of complex CAx process chains with arbitrary synchronization points from initial design in NAPA or NAPA Steel to basic and detail design in AVEVA Marine or CADMATIC to production preparation, for which some shipyards use the NESTIX software. The challenge with CAx integration is that the coherent ship geometry for the subsequent processes and systems must be broken down into manufacturable components and transferred with the production-relevant information. The integration platform supports this process and enables the consistent use of digital information in all phases of the ship development process.
OpenPDM SHIP also provides connectors to common PDM/PLM and ERP systems (3D Experience, ARAS Innovator, Teamcenter, SAP, Windchill, etc.) to merge CAx data from different source systems into a digital ship model and control this model through the ship life cycle. The vertical integration of the authoring systems into the data and process management environment is a prerequisite for comprehensible ship development processes and consistent management of all information generated. At the same time, the integration platform offers the possibility to link the digital ship model for Digital Twin applications with the real operating data.
OpenPDM SHIP is now available and will be continuously expanded with new integrations. In cooperation with SSI and SSI’s European sales partner NDAR (Nick Danese Advanced Research), PROSTEP is currently developing an OpenPDM SHIP connector for the SSI Enterprise platform. It is the basis for exchanging CAD models between NAPA Steel and the Autodesk-based ship development platform ShipConstructor and for importing the ShipConstructor data into common PDM/PLM systems.
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Monday, May 6th, 2019
PROSTEP continues to expand the world’s leading PLM integration platform OpenPDM by adding standard connectors that allow a wide range of different PLM, ERP and other backend systems to be connected “as-is” and the data to be synchronized or migrated. The company recently created a seamless integration between the cloud PLM solution from Arena Solutions and SAP’s ERP system, which is already in productive use at customer sites in the USA.
Arena Solutions, a US American PLM manufacturer, is a true pioneer when it comes to cloud PLM. The company has been offering its customers cloud-based SaaS applications for product lifecycle management and quality assurance for over 15 years. They are primarily used by smaller start-ups and leading high-tech companies in the USA but also by customers in 80 other countries.
The company has created an integration solution between Arena PLM and SAP together with PROSTEP’s US subsidiary that makes it possible for customers to bring their new products to market faster. The OpenPDM-based integration ensures that manufacturing is always working with the latest version of BOMs, article master data, approved manufacturing lists and associated documents.
The OpenPDM connector accesses the Arena PLM module ERP Exchange, which exports product information like BOMs, change orders, article master data and parts master data as a PDX package in XML format. OpenPDM validates the data and any changes made to it and then automatically imports it into SAP. It is also possible to supply different instances of the ERP system with data. Data transfer is logged and can be monitored in a dashboard to enable immediate response to any errors that occur while the data is being transferred.
With its OpenPDM connector for Arena PLM, PROSTEP demonstrates that the world’s leading integration platform can also be used to connect cloud-based PLM solutions with on-premise enterprise applications. The company is currently developing an enhanced connector to the cloud-based ERP solution SAP S/4 HANA, which will allow OpenPDM to also support hybrid cloud/cloud scenarios in the future.
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Thursday, May 2nd, 2019
The automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler has decided to use PROSTEP’s OpenPDM integration platform to connect its existing PLM and ERP system landscape to the new Engineering Cockpit in Aras Innovator. We are also developing a new connector for Schaeffler that will connect the application lifecycle management (ALM) system PTC Integrity Lifecycle Management (ILM).
Aras Innovator is Schaeffler’s overarching PLM platform for mechatronic product development and model-based systems engineering (MBSE). The plan is to merge not only the mechanical and electrical/electronic product data in the new Engineering Cockpit but also the software development statuses. At Schaeffler, the latter are managed using PTC Integrity, which controls the entire software development process. Hence the request to connect the ALM system to the Engineering Cockpit.
Schaeffler decided last year not to develop the interfaces for connecting the various IT systems in-house but instead implement OpenPDM as middleware. The fact that PROSTEP’s standards-based integration platform offers maximum investment protection and requires less effort to develop and maintain the integrations – thanks to the fact that tried-and-tested connectors for the existing CAD, PLM and ERP systems PTC Creo, PTC Windchill and SAP are already available – worked to its advantage. As we did not yet offer integration with PTC ILM, Schaeffler commissioned us to develop an appropriate connector.
The new PTC ILM connector allows us to expand our portfolio of standard integrations and take an important step towards supporting application lifecycle management. ALM is becoming increasingly important in the context of developing smart, connected products. The first release of the new connector was delivered to Schaeffler before Easter and can in the future also be used by other customers.
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Friday, April 5th, 2019
At this year’s Schiff&Hafen Maritim 4.0 conference, PROSTEP’s shipbuilding experts outlined the challenges faced when it comes to end-to-end digitalization in the maritime supply chain and the benefits of a digital vessel twin. The choice of topic for their presentation was a good one, as the event is primarily attended by shipping experts who are interested in optimizing their working fleet.
Maritim 4.0 in Hamburg was well attended with approximately 100 representatives from shipping companies, equipment manufacturers and classification societies. The event focused less on shipbuilding than on shipping, i.e. the challenges facing ship operators. We explained to the participants the role the digital vessel twin (DVT) plays in monitoring and optimizing operation of the vessels. The term DVT refers to a digital representation of the vessel that is linked to the physical asset and enables new services such as predictive maintenance or remote inspection – something mentioned by a representative from the classification society DNVGL. Without the DVT, the vision of autonomous vessels would also never be feasible.
In our presentation, we made it clear that the end-to-end provision of digital product information over the entire lifecycle of a vessel is a key prerequisite for the digital twin. Ship operators today face the challenge of making digital product information available to their various partners throughout the vessel lifecycle in an efficient, needs-oriented and purpose-related manner. We used practical application examples to demonstrate how companies in other industries make service-relevant information available via the OpenDXM CCenter collaboration platform, thus managing the balancing act between end-to-end digitalization and know-how protection.
Another reason our presentation met with great interest among participants was the fact that we were able to point out similarities to the digitalization efforts being made in other industries. Carmakers and automotive suppliers, for example, are trying to ensure the homologation of autonomous driving functions with the help of simulation-based validation and verification processes – an approach that could also be of interest to the maritime industry. We have set important accents with the DVT topic at Maritim 4.0 and established promising contacts with potential new customers.
In the panel discussion that followed, which was headed up by Prof. Dr. Uwe von Lukas from Fraunhofer IGD in Rostock, several participants raised the question of which standards are needed to create digital vessel twins in view of the large number of IT systems used. We think that the technical problem encountered in the context of end-to-end digitalization of the DVT can be solved using a variety of standards, as demonstrated by examples from other industries. However, data continuity across company boundaries remains a challenge in light of the fact that organizational aspects and aspects such as IP protection expand the number of requirements. Lukas suggested creating a maritime data space, i.e. an open, industry-specific platform for exchanging digital data.
The question of where data acquisition and documentation for the digital twin should take place aroused some controversy during the event. While equipment manufacturers see this taking place on land or in the cloud to ensure the provision of new services, shipping companies think it should accompany the ship on board in order to support the crews during operation. They are after all faced with the challenge of having to repeatedly prepare and document emission-specific data in line with different country-specific requirements, a process that is still paper-based. For us, this was an important input which allows us to further sharpen our DVT concept.
By Lars Wagner
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Friday, February 1st, 2019
This year, PROSTEP is sponsoring the COMPIT Conference in Tullamore, Ireland, where it will give a presentation on the integration of shipbuilding design tools in the early development phase. Specifically, the new NAPA-AVEVA interface will be presented and the associated improved possibilities it offers for a continuous integration of data and processes in shipbuilding.
Companies in the marine and offshore industries are spoilt for choice when it comes to digitizing their business processes: either they opt for a Best of Suite approach, i.e. an integrated solution for ship design from a single manufacturer that may not cover all the functional requirements of the various disciplines and areas. Or they use the best solutions for the various tasks and are therefore faced with the question of how to integrate the digital tool chain in such a way that the data flows as consistently as possible.
Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages, but in most cases the shipbuilders opt for the Best of Breed approach because of their grown IT landscapes. However, it will only be successful if the cost of integrating the tool landscape is lower than the additional effort resulting from the functional limitations of a Best of Suite solution. As a specialist for CAD and PLM integration, PROSTEP will explain to COMPIT participants which requirements they should consider when integrating the tool chain from a business perspective and with a view to the IT organization.
The implementation of an interface is not enough. First of all, it must be clarified whether the data should flow in one or both directions, whether all the information required by the target system is available in the source system, whether its data models are compatible, and whether native data or only geometric representations are required. Also important are aspects such as the use of catalog part libraries, which may have to be standardized. In addition, the question arises as to how often data synchronization must take place, which data volumes must be synchronized, and whether the exchange process should be permanently monitored. Only then can you start looking for standard interfaces for importing and exporting data.
Using the new NAPA Steel / AVEVA Marine interface as an example, PROSTEP will then explain the challenges of integrating two shipbuilding-specific CAD applications in more detail. PROSTEP presented the interface concept for the first time last autumn at the NAPA User Conference in Helsinki, where it met with great interest.
NAPA Steel is mainly used in the early design phase, e.g. for the calculation of buoyancy, drag and maneuverability. However, most shipyards use AVEVA Marine software to design their vessels’ steel structures and outfitting. Although both are intent-driven systems that do not primarily generate explicit geometry but describe the way in which they are generated parametrically and via topological relationships to other elements, the data from NAPA Steel cannot be used one-to-one in AVEVA Marine. The different semantics of the two systems must be mapped to each other in such a way that topology definition, parametric breakthroughs and other features can be transferred in best quality or rebuilt in the target system.
The special feature of the import strategy developed by PROSTEP is its high error tolerance: the interface is able to transfer even non-accurately defined topology information in a lower quality, e.g. as pure geometry. The user does not have to read through long error reports to understand which data has which quality, but recognizes this by means of the different color shades. The interface is developed on behalf of NAPA and already supports the transmission of 80 percent of the components in the current development stage.
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Wednesday, January 30th, 2019
In January, PROSTEP AG celebrated its 25th anniversary together with approximately 300 employees, former employees and friends of the company at Centralstation, a cultural center in Darmstadt. Top-class speakers from industry and the research community, including representatives from BMW, Bosch, Daimler, Schaeffler and the University of Stuttgart, took a look at what PLM might look like in the future. In their presentations, they outlined the challenges arising in the age of digital transformation, challenges that the PLM consulting and software house is well equipped to handle.
Dr. Bernd Pätzold, CEO of PROSPTEP AG, welcomed around 300 employees, former employees and friends of the company to the anniversary celebrations, which were held in what was once one of the city’s power stations and now serves as a cultural center. But, as Pätzold said, the company wasn’t interested in talking about the past but about the future. He nevertheless used the celebrations as an opportunity to thank the company’s founders and long-serving employees for the commitment they have shown. The guests partied until late into the night, enjoying lively musical entertainment that enticed a number of people onto the dance floor.
“The next 25 years will be even better,” said Pätzold, even though he has no magic formula for the future. Dr. Martin Holland, responsible for Business Development at PROSTEP, described to those present where the journey could take them. Sometimes it is better to first make a decision and then plan how to implement it, he said, alluding to Caesar’s decision to cross the Rubicon. The Internet of Things, the cloud, blockchain and artificial intelligence are all topics of the future that PROSTEP is examining closely.
In his talk, Holland presented a 1:1 model of a Mars Rover that the company had built together with student employees with the aim of creating a “testing ground” for topics such as IoT integration and the linking of digital twins and VR technology using the Mission Control Center. The winners of the Fraunhofer blockchain hackathon sponsored by PROSTEP, illustrated at one of the exhibition stands how blockchain could be used to make paying for coffee more fair. And they also offered the best coffee in the room.
The future of PLM has already begun
Professor Oliver Riedel, head of the Institute for Control Engineering of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Units (ISW) at the University of Stuttgart and a member of the board of directors of the Fraunhofer IAO, took a wide-sweeping look at PLM of the future. In addition to digital transformation, globalization and glocalization, mankind and society, and in particular the demographic change, which will exacerbate the shortage of skilled workers, are the key megatrends impacting on “PLM 2040 and Beyond”
“The level of complexity will continue to increase, not decrease,” predicted Riedel. And if this complexity is to be made manageable, everything needs be interlinked more efficiently. This applies, for example, to automation technology, which blurs the functional boundaries between ERP and MES, but also to the linking of digital shadows as representations of the past and digital twins as representations of the product as a living entity in the future, PLM will also require greater flexibility through the merging of development and operations. There are examples that demonstrate that DevOps is making more agile development possible not only in the software sector but for all products.
Agility was the watchword for Ralf Waltram, head of IT Delivery at the BMW Group, who presented the carmaker’s showcase projects involving the implementation of agile approaches in corporate IT to the guests. Becoming 100% agile is BMW’s answer to the disruptive changes brought about by digitalization and it has four main thrusts: processes, technology, organization and culture. IT is no longer organized according to projects but instead is organized in agile, product-oriented teams that are responsible for the solutions’ development and operations (DevOps). Back2Code is the maxim, i.e. BMW is once again developing more software itself. Waltram said that the company’s experiences with agile methods in SAP environments have also been good. User satisfaction has improved dramatically thanks to the faster provision of new functions, and the number of open tickets has been reduced by 72 percent.
Waltram went on to say that a more open, intuitive IT landscape is an important prerequisite for implementing agile methods. This was also made clear in the presentation given by Dirk Spindler, head of R&D Processes Methods and Tools at Schaeffler. As Spindler said, the company is very diversified, has a huge portfolio comprising approximately 20,000 products and uses different business models. The desire to standardize the IT landscape is an illusion that has devoured an enormous amount of money. Schaeffler intends to achieve its objective of fully-integrated PLM by setting up a model-based product engineering process and linking the data on an overarching platform. The aim is to ensure that the workplace of the future provide users with only the functions and information that they needs for their work in a cockpit.
On the road to digital transformation
While many companies are still busy digitalizing their business processes, Daimler is already giving thought to the digital transformation of its business models. Connected, Autonomous, Shared Services and Electric (CASE) are closely interwoven new topics that are bringing about a radical change in the way in which work is performed, methods and business models,” said Dr. Siegmar Haasis, CIO of R&D Cars. But they also have to be financed by the company’s core business. As far as IT is concerned, this means not only agile approaches but also an even higher level of digital frontloading in order to get the vehicles on the road faster and make them right the first time round: “When it comes to autonomous driving, the race will not be won on the road but in the computer center,” said Haasis. The supreme discipline here is the digital twin in the context of a holistic approach that supports different variants.
Digital transformation cannot be achieved on its own but only together with partners. Jochen Breh, who works in Governance IT Architecture at Bosch, underscored this point in his talk on the IoT platforms and ecosystems of the future. “Even the best solution will fail without an ecosystem,” Breh explained. On the other hand, an ecosystem can only function properly if all the parties involved, from the owner of the ecosystem to the developers to the customers, benefit from it. IoT platforms provide the technological basis for these ecosystems because, as Breh went on to explain, solutions are created on them. Because distributed ecosystems are going to grow closer together, open source and microservices are the key to building platforms quickly and for connecting them with each other.
At the same time, platforms and ecosystems are a prerequisite for successful transformation of business models. PROSTEP sees itself as a guide accompanying customers on this journey. In a round table at the end of the program of presentations, the executive board and managers from of the various business units explained to the audience just how broadly the company is positioned, thus ensuring that it is well-equipped to tackle the challenges of the future. PLM strategy consulting, Industry 4.0 readiness, MBSE and validation, collaboration, blockchain and agility are the aces they hold when it comes to shaping the digital future. Not to mention major projects like updating Daimler’s Smaragd installation. “I take off my hat to you and want to thank you all for everything you are doing”, Dr. Siegmar Haasis said in his presentation. That was certainly the best anniversary gift that PROSTEP employees’ could have received.
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