Dassault Systemes’ PLM initiative targets consumer packaged goods manufacturers

New out-of-the-box capabilities enable one version of the truth that can drive quality improvement and cost reduction.

November 30, 2009

Well-known for its product design and lifecycle management software in use by automotive and aerospace manufacturers, Dassault Systemes announced a new initiative designed specifically to enable consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies to increase overall organizational efficiency and cost management. Building on an industry-specific series of "CPG Accelerators," the Collaborative Business Processes Initiative for CPG is designed "to accelerate innovation by promoting global standardization and re-use of intellectual property throughout the supply chain, helping to generate global economies of scale, reduce cycle times and improve quality," according to the company.

Panasonic’s Kitchen Appliance business unit uses Dassault’s CATIA to help shorten the product development period for its new IH ranges.

Rosemary Grabowski, vice president of CPG market development for Dassault Systemes, said, "With complex global business models and high volume product lines, we’ve identified greater standardization and a single version of the truth as mission critical elements for CPG companies to successfully drive innovation and overall organization efficiency." This new initiative "will provide CPG companies with the additional organizational horsepower [needed] to explore new markets and take advantage of emerging opportunities," she added.

Specific goals of the program are help CPG manufacturers:






 

Panasonic Home Appliances Company one of first users

One of the first companies participating in the CPG initiative is Panasonic Home Appliances Company. Its Kitchen Appliance business unit is developing a line of more convenient and safer home appliances Dassault Systemes and IBM are helping Panasonic’s Kitchen Appliance BU use CATIA software, a 3D virtual design platform, for the digital development of product design plans to accelerate the introduction of induced heating (IH) appliances, such as flat cooktops, into the Japanese market. (Last month Dassault acquired IBM’s PLM organization .)

IH appliances, which are an alternative to gas-heated appliances, generate heat through a process known as Joule heating or the transfer of heat to the bottom of a cooking pan through an electromagnetic field. Heating efficiency levels are over 90% since heat is transmitted directly to the cooking area. Panasonic’s IH appliances include the industry’s first all-metal heating and light-sensor technologies., and it faces the challenge of managing complex design environments to interconnect the software, mechanical and electrical components required to manufacture such sophisticated products.

Panasonic’s Kitchen Appliance BU uses Dassault’s CATIA to help shorten the product development period and improve design quality as follows:
All design processes, from initial digital designs to physical mold designs, were done as part of one integral process to shorten the product development cycle.
Key IH appliance parts, such as resin and plate parts, were designed in a 3D format, allowing fast and direct collaboration with multiple factory mold makers. The process of mold drawing and production was shortened by 40%.
Metal parts, critical to the operation of IH appliances, were designed and tested quickly, saving up to two days of testing time by using module of CATIA Sheet Metal Design.
With CATIA Analysis features, product designers performed repeated analysis of large and complex assembly parts quickly, which allowed the Kitchen Appliance BU team to focus on delivering a high quality product early in the design process.

"Compared to other software design products, CATIA has a rich set of design functions needed for products requiring sophisticated surface and shape designs such as our electric cooking heaters," said Mr. Yasushi Morimoto, team leader, Kitchen Appliance BU, Home Appliances Company, Panasonic Corporation. "Seamless integration between CAD, CAE (computer aided engineering) and CAM (computer aided manufacturing) drove our decision to choose Dassault Systemes 3D platform. Our goal is to expand into new product development areas by enhancing collaboration among internal units, realizing global collaborative design, and improving perfection of design through expanding utilization of CAE," added Mr. Morimoto.
www.ibm.com/solutions/plm
www.3ds.com/products/catia/welcome/

See also: PLM software advances announced by Dassault, Siemens, Autodesk, Oracle .

– Edited by Renee Robbins, senior editor
Control Engineering News Desk; See information control channel .