Fisker Automotive Eco-Luxury Car Effort Achieves Electric Success With Dassault Systèmes PLM Solutions

Integrated PLM Platform Gets Vehicles on the Road Faster

LAS VEGAS – November 8, 2011 — Dassault Systèmes (DS) (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announced today that premium green automobile manufacturer Fisker Automotive has relied upon CATIA for virtual design and ENOVIA for product data management and collaboration in the development of its Karma and Surf models. Recognized as the leading automotive industry design solution, the integrated capabilities of CATIA enabled Fisker to work from a single architecture for everything from wire harness design through Class A surfacing, while ENOVIA managed the design data across multiple global locations. Fisker also employs Dassault Systèmes’ 3DVIA and SIMULIA solutions in its product development processes. 

“We are proud to have successfully delivered highly-stylized vehicles while achieving all our eco-requirements,” said Mikael Elley, director of Fisker IT. “The standardized collaborative design methods enabled through CATIA and managed by ENOVIA SmarTeam help to save us time and money, as well as encourage innovation and sharing of labor among our globally-dispersed teams.”

CATIA’s knowledgeware capabilities streamline the design process so that designers have more time to incorporate and test different design features that can help to reduce energy consumption, and facilitate end-of-life recycling and recovery. Fisker relied upon CATIA to help optimize numerous factors that impact vehicle energy usage, including aerodynamics, rolling resistance and vehicle weight, to name a few.

With numerous suppliers involved in the design and manufacture of the vehicles, ENOVIA allowed the company to integrate and manage its information among its supply base, while tracking design changes and capturing best practices. This approach, in combination with Fisker’s unique design process, helped the company to quickly launch its second model vehicle, the Surf. With the integrated digital design platform from Dassault Systèmes, the first Surf manufactured was not a prototype, but a full production model.

“CATIA’s functionality in both solid and surface modeling has enabled Fisker to develop a more efficient product development process where all design elements are integrated through one model, eliminating non-value added math conversion time,” said Paul Houghton, Fisker’s director of Operations. “This allows us to focus more on creativity so that we can deliver vehicles with unique styling in shorter time frames.”

Implementation and training for Fisker was supplied by Dassault Systèmes’ channel partner Tata Technologies, a leading IT technologies consultant and provider. “We are proud to have played a role in the successful launch of these unique eco-luxury vehicles,” said Gary Griffith, Tata Technologies. “With the successful launch of the Karma and Surf, Fisker has experienced the importance of a tightly integrated product development solution and we look forward to supporting the company as it goes forward in producing new designs.”