Airbus Optimizes Aircraft Product Development with CATIA V5 from IBM and Dassault Systemes

In less than 18 months, more than 50% of Airbus CAD activity migrated to CATIA. Second phase of innovation strategy  calls for installation of more than 2000 CATIA seats by IBM Global Services and Dassault Systemes.

 

Toulouse and Paris, France, October 2, 2002 – Airbus, IBM, and Dassault Systemes (NASDAQ: DASTY; Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) today announced that Airbus has successfully completed the first phase of a plan to streamline product development using CATIA V5. The plan to implement CATIA V5, the world’s leading computer-aided design, manufacturing and engineering application from IBM and developed by Dassault Systemes, began in September 2000 and will continue over the next three years.

 

The second phase of the project is underway and includes the installation of more than 2000 CATIA V5 seats and the integration of Airbus’s entire design, development and manufacturing processes. Airbus is innovating product development with its next generation aircraft including the A380 jumbo airliner and A400 military transport plane. The goal is to link once-disparate departments with CATIA’s collaborative knowledge management tools empowered with three-dimensional information on products and processes.  

In order to implement the latter phase of the project, Airbus also confirms its engagement in services activities with IBM Global Services PLM Business Consulting Services (BCS) practice working with Dassault Systemes. IBM’s PLM BCS team will handle integration of CATIA V5 design solutions at Airbus company-wide, including manufacturing centers in France, Germany, Spain and the UK.  The team will also undertake all implementation of the PLM solutions, including integration, training, technical support, data migration services and customized development for Airbus.  

"Deploying common methods and processes based on a common set of tools across the whole entity is a major driver to harmonize the development processes in Airbus,” said Rolf-Stefan Scheible, vice-president Airbus Concurrent Engineering (ACE). “This will reduce development time and costs significantly from the very beginning of the project.  Another key advantage of the migration to CATIA V5 is that this solution is standard to the entire aerospace and supply industry and provides digital mock-up functions that meet our rigorous demands."

“As the need for more effective aircraft development processes increases, aerospace companies need to increase productivity and efficiency,” said Ed Petrozelli, general manager, IBM PLM. “We are pleased to provide the aerospace industry with innovative and comprehensive Product Lifecycle Management tools and best practices to satisfy the needs of their own customers. IBM Product Lifecycle Management’s product portfolio, supported by IBM industry expertise, gives companies like Airbus new tools to support the innovative methods they are developing in order to build better aircraft.”

“The ability of Airbus, IBM, and Dassault Systemes to smoothly engineer and implement the transition from legacy systems to new breakthrough technologies has been key to success of the Airbus innovation strategy,” said Etienne Droit, executive vice president Sales and Marketing, Dassault Systemes. “In addition to that cooperation, Airbus productions teams are now increasingly benefiting from Dassault Systemes’ 3D Product Lifecycle Management CATIA and DELMIA solutions to work concurrently on digital mock-ups and move forward in parallel in designing, developing, and integrating all parts of an aircraft.”