IBM and Dassault Systèmes Announce Industry Solution for Automotive Manufacturers and Suppliers

“Generative Car” first in a series of industry-specific PLM solutions -- dramatically reduces design cycle time through reuse of company know-how across extended enterprise

Paris, France – November 4, 2003 – IBM and Dassault Systèmes (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) today announced an IBM Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Industry Solution for the automotive industry. The Generative Car solution is a comprehensive offering that applies to all facets of automotive development processes, including Body, Interior and Exterior trim, Chassis, Powertrain, Electrical, and Vehicle Synthesis and Assembly.

The Generative Car solution consists of a set of integrated products from CATIA, ENOVIA, and DELMIA, combined with a set of IBM Best Practices and DS PLM Practices developed for the automotive industry. It enables automotive manufacturers and suppliers to leverage valuable corporate knowledge in order to meet market demands for an ever-increasing number of vehicle models. It permits simultaneous engineering, fast design change, and seamless processes from early styling to manufacturing definition.

Computer models in the solution incorporate component and knowledge rules that reflect design practice and past experience. These models or “intelligent templates” automatically adapt to new products or their corresponding manufacturing processes, and evolve dynamically as those requirements change. By employing intelligent templates, automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and their suppliers can leverage existing design knowledge to generate new components and vehicles, dramatically reducing product development cycles. Generative modeling enables high carry-over of standard parts to develop many vehicle models from the same components.

“We have been able to ‘hard code’ the lessons we have learned into CATIA V5 design templates and build in our experience with Knowledgeware,” said Darren Cairns, engineering director of UK-based Integral Powertrain Ltd. “By using the Generative approach to Powertrain development, we can generate detailed and accurate concepts in 40 % less time, and so win more business and stay ahead of our competition.”

“For more than two decades, IBM has been working hand-in-hand with leading automotive manufacturers and suppliers to provide specialized IT solutions for vehicle development,” said Jean-Marc Deshays, worldwide automotive business leader, IBM Product Lifecycle Management. “This industry-specific solution will help automotive OEMs and suppliers cope with the evolution of the automotive market. Cars are perceived more and more as fashion items to the consumer. Consequently, to deliver varied products in lower volume in line with changing consumer trends, the automotive industry requires standardization of parts, more process automation, and reuse of knowledge, development tools, and facilities. This is what today’s new solution delivers: automotive industry applications and best practices for faster roll-out of innovative vehicles.”

“The Generative Car solution enables carmakers to optimize their business processes in order to reduce the time between Styling Freeze and Start of Production,” said Pierre Moreau, vice president PLM Automotive Solutions, Dassault Systèmes. “The knowledge reuse capabilities in the solution give automakers the means to leverage their intellectual capital and speed development of new models while reducing costs. The end result is a marked increase in competitiveness in an industry where reactivity and adaptability have become basic survival skills.”

IBM PLM Industry Solutions are based on industry-specific IBM Best Practices and DS PLM Practices, and selected applications from the IBM PLM portfolio, developed by Dassault Systèmes. They are easily implemented and lead to increased productivity, profitability, and rapid return on investment. The Solutions apply to companies of all sizes in the following industries: Automotive; Aerospace and Defense; Industrial Machinery; Consumer Goods; Plastics; Electronics; Shipbuilding; Consumer Packaged Goods; and Chemical and Petroleum.