In today’s markets Engineering and Manufacturing is facing unprecedented challenges due to increased complexity in breadth and depth as well as in variety. Distributed global development and production are the consequence of globalization. Market volatility and lack of predictability require tools to react quickly, appropriately and consistently to any changes or anomalies based on the right data. 

The keystone of all these challenges has one major common point: Digital Continuity. It is the prerequisite to Virtual Twin in order to streamline all Industry Processes.

Over years or even decades business processes have been digitalized such as design, engineering, manufacturing. Although each data silo has been improved and optimized but they still have been an island of automation with digital discontinuities. At that time, various facets of collaboration, data or information exchange were used between technical teams. Why only technical? Because information was defined in formats and only available to a specific group with a license for specialized software
(e.g. CAD, CAE). How it was implemented? In the age of ubiquitous computers, we managed collaboration by network drives, FTP accounts and sometimes e-mail attachments.

However, such tools are not enough especially for effective global collaboration with suppliers, co-operators or customers and at the same time available to the business level of the company
(i.e. managers of individual groups, departments or plants).

• Why suppliers or co-operators? We cannot design, manufacture or service ourselves. Globalization (not necessarily understood as cooperation between companies from different continents) is not only a "trend", but is the result of business requirements.
  
  
• Why customers? If the customer is involved at an early stage of product development, he can make comments or suggest structural changes that, implemented by the new product definition team, will increase the probability of success of the project.
  
  
• Why the company's business level? If managers of different levels and of different specialties have access to the same data and the ability to visualize it then it comprehensively represent the current state of fulfillment of the tasks of the company, team or individual employee. They can more easily manage, make decisions, supervise the fulfillment of tasks and projects and approve or suggest alternative solutions.

Is a collaboration platform a solution for every business?

Every company has value by using supportive processes of collaboration and information exchange. The answer to this question is affirmative in general. However, the implementation of a collaborative platform cannot replace all software or used IT systems overnight in every company, as every company is different. Further it is not easy to change today's work environment into even the best collaborative platform because it requires time, investment and sometimes it is difficult, especially in the case of using very specialized applications for which an integration to the platform does not yet exist. If other systems can be integrated (i.e. interlinked) then the word CONNECTED gets a slightly different term.

Is CATIA CONNECTED ENGINEERING the answer to reach Digital Continuity and seamless collaboration?

First CATIA CONNECTED ENGINEERING is an initiative from Dassault Systemes by using 3DEXPERIENCE Platform as a collaboration platform. This platform is all about connecting People, Data & Processes for Product Innovation and Continuous Product Development Governance.

The CATIA CONNECTED ENGINEERING approach removes digital discontinuities from your engineering processes. It opens the full world of the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform as a collaboration platform to CATIA V5 users.

What does that mean in detail?

• CATIA V5 data are stored in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform in the common product format
• Usage of 3DEXPERIENCE platform directly from the CATIA V5 immersive user interface
• No need to migrate CATIA V5 data, just import to the  3DEXPERIENCE platform.

What are the benefits?

• User view
  • Take advantage of all capabilities of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.
  • Use functionality, not available in CATIA V5,
         (e.g. realistic rendering, simulation,...)
  • Securing of IP / know how protection
  • Spatial selection and intelligent loading technology
  • Benefit from a technology for real concurrent engineering
  • Data exchange: OEM and suppliers & 3D
  • Fast comparator of different design levels
  • Agile innovation and cooperation with everyone who is involved at all levels
    
    
• Decision maker view
  • Investment in the future - secures a long-term strategy
  • Protect customer investments in CATIA V5
  • Independence, connectivity & adaptable
  • Data, handling & collaboration
  • no disruption on existing processes

The CATIA CONNECTED ENGINEERING initiative is primarily, targeted at CATIA V5 users. CATIA 3DEXPERIENCE is the successor of CATIA V5 of this system. CATIA 3DEXPERIENCE is the successor of the CATIA V5 on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. Due to various reasons, it is sometimes not possible to implement such a change in one step and therefore we propose a multi-stage transformation - of course towards the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

The first step of this transformation is GET CONNECTED, i.e. the connection of all users (including those who work with CATIA V5) to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform by using the Collaborative Business Innovator role. It delivers underpinning apps and services that digitally connect all users in the value stream: 

• to establish social communities with consumers and customers 
• to share, experiment and innovate effectively

The next step GET READY is the Collaborative Industry Innovator and Collaborative Designer for CATIA V5. The Collaborative Industry Innovator connects people in the innovation process, enabling them to organize, manage and collaborate on product development in an easily accessible, consistent and secured manner. In addition the Collaborative Designer for CATIA V5 enables to:

• Connect CATIA V5 to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform
• Perform data and lifecycle management from within CATIA V5
• View and markup design data in a web browser
• Contribute design data to the complete product definition

By using third step ACCELERATE users can benefit from supplemental approaches without disruption of fundamental design process while extending capabilities which are not available on V5 (e.g. realistic rendering, simulation, manufacturing). Finally customers can continue with the final step TRANSFORM to get fully onboard to 3DEXPERIENCE​​​​​​​ and extend digital continuity with  full integration between product design, engineering, system engineering and manufacturing.

Thanks to the powerful integration capabilities of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform it is possible to combine different tools and manage the hybrid definition of the product structure. This enables users to define a hybrid structure of CATIA 3DEXPERIENCE and CATIA V5 or other 3rd party CAD authoring systems without conversion from xCAD format to the native platform format.

Are you ready for CATIA Connected Engineering?

Related links:

Overview website (English)

eSeminar (English)

Multi eSeminar (German)

Multi eSeminar (Polish)

eBook (English)

Overview website (German)