Dian Kreatif Increases Sales by 40% with PLM Solutions from IBM and Dassault Systèmes

International maker of intricate, pre-fabricated domes for prestigious building projects worldwide achieves major ROI with CATIA

Malacca, Malaysia, and Paris, France – February 17, 2004 – IBM and Dassault Systèmes (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) today announced that world-famous dome-maker and yacht designer, Dian Kreatif Sdn Bhd, has achieved significant competitive advantage from their PLM Solutions.

Since implementing CATIA, the world’s leading virtual design solution from IBM and Dassault Systèmes in 1999, Dian Kreatif has seen its sales jump by 40% annually. Dian Kreatif’s majestic, high-tech composite domes adorn religious and public buildings around the world including Abraham’s Tomb in Mecca, the Conference Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, and Malaysia’s seat of government in Putrajaya.

Prior to migrating to CATIA, Dian Kreatif typically required six months to construct a 35-meter diameter dome on-site due to the complexity of the structure. Today, the company needs only six to seven weeks. Total design and construction time has been cut to less than four month for a fully decorated dome.

“CATIA’s virtual design has helped us speed development by rendering paper-laden processes nearly obsolete,” said Jurgen Heer, head of composite and boat engineering, Dian Kreatif. “Not only does the software reduce the voluminous paper documentation typically used in design and construction, it also facilitates a common, process-oriented design approach, governed by the use of one master assembly, thus minimizing the risk of errors.”

According to Heer, the virtual design platform serves as “catalyst” during the building process, rapidly transforming ideas into reality using digital techniques rather than traditional painstakingly-slow architectural design approaches. He cites the dome of the Putrajaya Mosque, erected in a record six weeks. “These domes can be manufactured, shipped out, and assembled on-site in a fraction of the time it takes to cast a concrete dome, allowing buildings to be closed off to the elements so that internal fittings can be installed sooner,” said Heer.

The IBM PLM solution developed by Dassault Systèmes adds up to a more efficient, more cost-effective and speedier design and manufacturing process, giving Dian Kreatif a vital competitive edge in the unique dome business. “With this digital approach, we can walk through the assembly process and solve any assembly problems before they appear,” said Heer says. This translates into significant savings in terms of process time and material costs.

CATIA is also used for all the other downstream tasks, such as tool design, adding laminate information to CATIA-generated drawings, virtual layout of tiles for decoration, and realistic rendering of domes for sales presentations and “impressing the clients.”

Dian Kreatif also designs yachts using its PLM platform. Heer points out that the building of composite domes and ocean-going racing yachts has more in common than just the material used. “The curves of a dome and a boat hull are both very technically demanding to design and build. As trivial as it looks to create a spherical shape of 30 meters in diameter, the reality is that a very high level of precision is required,” said Heer.

"IBM understands the process involved in business transformation and we have empowered our clients with superior technologies so that they are able to anticipate and capitalize on the demands within the marketplace," said Loo Hwai Sheng, PLM Director, IBM Malaysia. "Dian Kreatif is a case in point of how savvy clients have been able to transform ideas into business success."

“Dian Kreatif is a perfect example of how Dassault Systèmes’ PLM Solutions bring value to small-to-medium sized businesses,” Denis Senpéré, vice president, PLM Europe, Dassault Systèmes. “CATIA design products enable companies of all sizes, from global aerospace manufacturers to specialized SMBs such as Dian Kreatif, to intuitively design high quality structures and parts and anticipate their manufacturability.”