Product Lifecycle Management Solutions from IBM and Dassault Systemes Power EDAG Digital Factory / Digital Product Initiative

Automotive supplier grows its use of 3D product development technology to develop innovative prototypes for world’s major automotive manufacturers

Fulda, Germany and Paris, France – December 19, 2002 – EDAG Engineering + Design AG, IBM, and Dassault Systemes today announced the signature of a multi-million euro software contract covering company-wide design software migration at EDAG. More than 500 seats of CATIA V5, the world’s best selling product development application, will be deployed at EDAG, further advancing the company’s corporate strategy to develop all of its products digitally before manufacture, in order to give its customers innovative, high quality merchandise quickly and at a competitive price.

CATIA V5, developed by Dassault Systemes, is a core solution in IBM’s Product Lifecycle Management portfolio. EDAG cited CATIA V5’s ease of use, powerful digital mock-up of product models, and excellent results during the evaluation program as the critical factors in its choice. In addition, CATIA software is the worldwide standard in the automotive industry, making it a natural choice for EDAG, a major engineering partner for automotive manufacturers worldwide.

“After extensive evaluation and comparison to other leading CAD applications, we concluded that CATIA V5 is a powerful application with respect to quality, design conception time and cost, said Roland Günther, IT-Manager, EDAG AG. “Another important factor is the organization that supplies the software. We need world-class expertise and support that the IBM team and their partners offer.”

EDAG has been an IBM PLM customer for over ten years. EDAG’s most successful vehicle design concept, the SMART car, was designed using CATIA V4. With the signature of today’s contract, the company is opting for the newer, more powerful version of the software.

“We are moving to CATIA V5 as a means to improve productivity, design more innovative products and enhance design capability,” continued Mr. Günther. “Implementing CATIA V5 carries additional benefits because it is currently used in the automotive industry. More and more of our customers use CATIA V5 or are currently in the decision and migration process. Being able to share product design models with our customers before actually building a physical product gives them more decision-making ability, increasing their satisfaction and allowing us to get a product right the first time around.“

“Momentum is growing, said Klaus Schaefer, vice president, IBM PLM Europe Middle East Africa. “Customers around the world, large, medium and small, are adopting best-of-breed solutions from IBM and Dassault Systemes. The fact that customers are turning to IBM PLM as their resource to best help them implement their PLM strategy underscores the relevance and the benefits that our solutions offer: increased productivity, innovation, and efficiency to stay on top of the competition.”

“In today’s highly competitive automotive industry, efficient product development, fast development cycles, and innovative design are critical to a company’s success,” said Etienne Droit, executive vice president of sales and marketing, Dassault Systemes. “EDAG’s move to CATIA V5, the world’s leading 3D product development solution and global standard in automotive manufacturing, will generate tremendous collaborative synergies between EDAG, its suppliers and customers, and give its designers the tools and extra time required for true cutting-edge innovation.”

EDAG, with more than 3,600 employees worldwide, offers vehicle development expertise, such as prototypes, turnkey production systems and vehicle development systems. These systems rely on a powerful product development system that facilitate the definition of a digital product and integrate design and simulation applications.

PLM solutions from IBM and Dassault Systemes address the needs of manufacturing companies by allowing product-centric e-collaboration across geographic boundaries, both internally by all product-related functions and with suppliers and customers. They foster innovation, lead to improved product quality and reduced costs and product development times.