NSC Schlumberger Develops Better Textile Machines with Product Lifecycle Management Solutions from IBM and Dassault Systemes

PLM Solutions CATIA V5 and SMARTEAM improve development time after only 18 months - PLM strategy to be extended throughout entire enterprise

Paris and Guebwiller, France – November 21, 2002 – NSC Schlumberger, IBM, and Dassault Systemes (NASDAQ: DASTY; Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) today announced the successful implementation of an IBM Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution based on Dassault Systemes’ products, CATIA V5 and SMARTEAM. The PLM solution was deployed across NSC Schlumberger’s fiber-to-yarn division 18 months ago in order to develop new textile machines. The project, executed in three factories in France, involved the design, marketing and maintenance divisions. Schlumberger expects product development time to improve by 25%. As a result of this successful implementation, the company has decided to extend the IBM PLM solution to the other four subsidiaries of NSC Group.

 

The implementation of CATIA V5 and SMARTEAM at NSC Schlumberger has created concrete business value and rapid return on the PLM platform investment. This is exemplified by the elimination of the production of three costly prototypes for each new project. With the PLM platform in place, NSC now only produces one final prototype. The PLM platform has also allowed NSC to rapidly test various models in 3D, including new components and new mechanisms. In addition, maintenance is greatly improved, making NSC far more competitive by avoiding costly errors frequently involved in the maintenance phase. Overall, the implementation of the IBM PLM platform coupled with the support of IBM Business Consulting Services (BCS) will result in a 25% improvement in development time at NSC.

 

NSC has relied upon the support and implementation services from IBM BCS to determine the criteria for the new design platform and an appropriate product development strategy. IBM started by evaluating NSC’s production environment and working processes and adapting CATIA V5 to NSC’s business requirements. NSC Schlumberger and IBM, working with Dassault Systemes, developed new methodologies to create a true PLM strategy tailored to NSC’s specific industry needs by sharing common experiences. After creating new design scenarios and new collaborative working methods, IBM BCS deployed the solutions, integrated the tools, and provided training and educational support for the product-related functions.

 

NSC fiber-to-yarn designs and manufactures a wide range of industrial machinery that produces yarn from natural or synthetic fibers. The division boasts a market share of over 50%. Although many of its competitors are moving operations to the Asia-Pacific region to decrease costs, NSC chose to become more competitive by creating more efficient textile machines and improving the product life cycle, especially concerning maintenance.

 

NSC evaluated several solutions and partners, and chose CATIA V5 for its ease of use and ability to foster creativity and innovation in the design process. They chose to complement the virtual design application with the product data management application SMARTEAM, also part of the IBM PLM product line, for its exceptional flexibility and ease of use in their environment. The two solutions met the many prerequisites established during the evaluation phase by NSC.

 

“The results were beyond what we had hoped for,” said Gérard Gaire, director of Research and Development, NSC Schlumberger. “Our goal is to achieve similar results across our other four subsidiaries, using collaborative work processes and managing the product lifecycle from the budding idea through to maintenance. With the help of IBM, we are exploiting powerful PLM solutions and methodologies, essential to growing our market share.”

 

“By implementing IBM PLM solutions for product development and product data management, and complementing this PLM platform with collaborative methodologies, NSC Schlumberger is setting an example of how e-business should be done. And after only 18 months, the investment is paying off. We salute NSC Schlumberger for their winning vision and will continue to help them reap the many business benefits IBM PLM solutions offers.” said Klaus Schaeffer, vice president EMEA, IBM Product Lifecycle Management.

 

“NSC Schlumberger’s decision to use CATIA V5 after performing extensive comparative testing illustrates CATIA’s superior performance as the world’s leading 3D Product Lifecycle Management solution for fabrication and assembly industries,” said Philippe Forestier, executive vice president of Sales and Marketing at Dassault Systemes. “NSC’s choice of SMARTEAM to complement CATIA V5 underscores the seamless integration between the two 3D PLM solutions, giving NSC the capability to manage highly complex processes and data with ease, efficiency and speed.”