Scania Reaches New Level of Efficiency With Product Development Technology From IBM and Dassault Systemes

Truck Manufacturer Will Standardize Use of CATIA V5 And Create A Collaborative 3D Workspace To Improve Product Development

 

Stockholm, Sweden and Paris, France, July 23, 2002 - Scania, one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and engines, today announced the signing of a contract with IBM and Dassault Systemes (Nasdaq: DASTY; Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) for the delivery of product development and product data management solutions. The project will impact more than 800 users of Dassault Systemes’ CATIA V5, ENOVIAVPM and DELMIA applications at Scania’s product development and production centers in six countries. The deal is the latest step in Scania's strategy to widen and increase efficiency in product development.<br/>

 

 

As part of the package, 3,000 Scania employees will gain access to ENOVIA 3d com, a Web-based tool enabling them to see and retrieve product construction information online. IBM will also furnish DELMIA products used for virtual definition and simulation of the manufacturing process, with technical support from local IBM business partner, Delfoi. Inauguration of the new system is planned for late 2003 with company-wide migration planned for mid-2005.<br/>

 

 

 

"Our vision is for all divisions within the product development process, such as tool manufacturers, laboratory staff, production personnel, marketing personnel and service planners, to be able to work simultaneously and also be receptive to assessment and insights about the trucks from all different areas of the organization," said Göran Hammarberg, head of Technical Development and Product Development Support at Scania's Technical Center in Södertälje. "Introducing the latest PLM solutions, CATIA V5, ENOVIAVPM, ENOVIA 3d com, and DELMIA supports this vision by allowing everybody involved in the development of a new truck to work within the same platform."

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The agreement confirms IBM’s and Dassault Systemes’ penetration of the heavy truck industry where they supply PLM and other IT solutions to eight of the top ten manufacturers in the world. "Scania is known for delivering the highest quality vehicles. They are determined to stay one step ahead of the competition, and we are convinced that the decision to standardize using CATIA, DELMIA and ENOVIA can guarantee that lead," said Klaus Schaefer, vice president Europe Middle East Africa, IBM Product Lifecycle Management. "We see our cooperation with Scania as yet further proof of IBM’s stronghold in both the automobile/industrial vehicle market and across all manufacturing industries.”<br/>

 

 

 

 

“This contract is a clear example that industry leaders such as Scania understand the value that an integrated 3D PLM solution can bring,” said Etienne Droit, executive vice president Sales and Marketing, Dassault Systemes. “Scania will cover the entire manufacturing process with CATIA, DELMIA, and ENOVIA from digital design to collaborative data management to production and support. The company will be able to innovate, share and reuse data across their teams and divisions, and increase their market responsiveness.”

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At Scania, more than 1,300 researchers and manufacturing technicians work in Research and Development, which was based in the past on a mixed Computer Aided Design (CAD) environment, including earlier versions of CATIA used by some 500 employees. The company will now standardize on Version 5 of CATIA, which is more powerful, easier to use and has more functionality than its predecessor. Using this single shared tool, every part of the production organization can participate in new technical solutions and how they are constructed, from the earliest stages of the product development. <br/>

 

 

 

"We have often had to rework the underlying scheme in the development of a product in order for it to function in all of Scania's different CAD programs throughout the company,” said Hammarberg. “Standardization makes it easier to go back to the start, and add elements to the master scheme that were created in different parts of the organization, all of which saves a tremendous amount of time. Of course we'll save time by standardizing, but the biggest gain as I see it lies in the improved quality that results from a cross-functional and parallel process in product development. For example, in chassis assembly, with PLM solutions and methodology support from IBM and Dassault Systemes, we hope to reduce or completely eliminate construction changes, making assembly work both safer and of higher quality."