4-page Case Study - Posted 2/22/2007

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Dassault Systèmes

Collaboration Speeds and Simplifies Global Product Life-Cycle Management

Situation

Dassault Systèmes develops and markets product life-cycle management (PLM) software and services that support industrial processes and products and provide a 3-D view of the entire life cycle, from conception to maintenance. Currently a global leader in 3-D and PLM solutions, Dassault Systèmes has 90,000 customers in 11 industries. Its CATIA suite of products aids in the digital design and simulation of new innovations, while its ENOVIA software helps organizations collaboratively manage product life-cycle information. Other solutions by Dassault Systèmes include DELMIA for digital manufacturing and SIMULIA for digital simulation.

Dassault Systèmes’ strategy has always been to embrace and extend Microsoft strategy. Because of our tight partnership with Microsoft, we’ll deliver world-class applications on top of Windows Vista as early as possible. Dominique Florack, Executive Vice President, Strategy, Research, and Development, Dassault Systèmes

• Geography
• Functional and organizational boundaries
• Time zones
• Language and culture

Diagnosing a problem such as a malfunctioning engine cooling pump on a cargo ship, for example, may take several inquiries and a significant amount of time before people find the root cause. Challenges compound when several experts from multiple locations, time zones, and disciplines are required to help identify the issue. And information that can be exchanged using 2-D media, such as engineering drawings, is somewhat limited in perspective and the amount of data it can convey. In addition, with drawings and other design information changing constantly, it’s a monumental task to keep content up-to-date.

Anticipating future industrial process needs, Dassault Systèmes continuously develops cutting-edge solutions that help manufacturers and customers manage and maintain physical assets as well as regularly improve products. As its customers face increasing global competition, Dassault Systèmes wanted to help them streamline collaboration on PLM.

As a software company, Dassault Systèmes is keenly aware that its customers need to increasingly rely on IT and IT staff to:

• Find incremental revenue opportunities.
• Reduce operational and software deployment costs.
• Achieve operational efficiencies.

Solution

Dassault Systèmes, in conjunction with Microsoft, created a proof-of-concept PLM solution for Dassault Aviation, which produces military aircraft and the Falcon executive jet. The solution aims to improve the efficiency of maintenance operations and enable Dassault Aviation to continuously, and more easily, improve its products and services.

The concept PLM solution is an example of an Office Business Application (OBA), and it relies on Windows Vista™ and the 2007 Microsoft® Office system to simplify the way people work together. It streamlines communications and tasks alike to reduce the time required to detect, diagnose, and solve a problem. It also helps bring together the people with the collective expertise needed to create a design improvement.

Henri Beringer, ENOVIA Solutions Director for Dassault Systèmes, says, “Our vision was to prove that we could vastly improve maintenance in this very complex PLM scenario and provide an efficient way to collect feedback from the maintenance operations organization and ultimately improve the product itself to require less maintenance.”

The 3-D View Worth a Thousand Words
To help identify the root cause of an issue quickly or to look for possible design improvements, team members can communicate and collaborate using the instant messaging and presence capabilities of Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005. Live Communications Server 2005 is integrated with Dassault Systèmes’ ENOVIA 3D Live software—a collaborative tool that allows all members of the extended enterprise to easily search, navigate, and explore 3D PLM data to enable contextual, real-time collaboration.

With the combined solution, people from various disciplines and locations can share the same view of a part or component while participating in a real-time, collaborative instant messaging session using Live Communications Server 2005. The Dassault Systèmes ENOVIA software provides a compelling and context-sensitive 3-D view that helps people communicate effectively despite remote locations and language barriers.

To quickly put a user in touch with the right person or people who have the necessary expertise, the concept solution uses contextual “intelligent” instant messaging contact lists made possible with Live Communications Server. When a mechanic or maintenance engineer clicks on a part, for example, the solution accesses the list of contacts for people responsible for designing or testing that part.

A Better Way to Collaborate
Helping people share information and processes across the globe requires a way to centrally manage content and processes. Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server 2007 serves as an information clearinghouse for this concept solution, providing maintenance support personnel and others with personalized report centers, dashboards, and server-based Microsoft Office Excel® 2007 spreadsheets. A support manager, for example, can check for the most frequently requested support procedures, find details on related maintenance operations, and track current product design improvements. Office SharePoint Server 2007 can help team members across functional groups find and share information and organizational expertise and make better decisions, faster. “Office SharePoint Server 2007 is vital to collaborative problem-solving and product improvements in this proof-of-concept,” states Beringer.

A Simpler Way to Work
To quickly initiate the maintenance process, support center staff can use Microsoft Office InfoPath® 2007 to complete a maintenance work order. The solution automatically routes the work order to the appropriate airplane service center. This routing capability is based on Windows® Workflow Foundation, a component of the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0, the managed code programming model for Windows. Windows Workflow Foundation offers a programming model, engine, and tools for building workflow-enabled applications that model business processes.

Representations in 3-D are easy to navigate

Upon receiving the work order, a mechanic uses Dassault Systèmes’ 3D XML player embedded in Windows Internet Explorer® to easily access and visualize the relevant part or component, as shown in Figure 1. The detailed product structure automatically reframes on the corresponding 3-D representation of the part. Next to the 3-D representation is vital information, such as the availability of spare parts in stock, possible alternative parts, and part numbers. To order a new pump, the mechanic simply clicks on a button and automatically creates a part order form using Office InfoPath 2007. The form automatically populates with information stored in Dassault Systèmes’ V5 PLM.

When people uncover an opportunity to improve a design, an engineer can quickly and automatically generate a service bulletin by importing PLM data into a Microsoft Office Word 2007 document. The Dassault Aviation service bulletin includes interactive 3-D data that helps the reader understand the modifications that need to be made to the product. This step uses 3D XML, a standard XML format for sharing 3-D information, which is embedded inside the new Office Open XML file format. The 2007 Office system uses this Office Open XML file format for Office Excel 2007, Office Word 2007, and Microsoft Office PowerPoint® 2007. The Office Open XML file format can help improve file and data management, data recovery, and interoperability with line-of-business systems by storing important metadata within the document.

Technology Early Adopters
Dassault Systèmes has always been eager to use new technologies to improve its products and processes. That’s why they engaged in a Microsoft technology adoption program that enables them to leverage early releases of Microsoft software and technology.

Dominique Florack, Executive Vice President, Strategy, Research, and Development at Dassault Systèmes, says, “Dassault Systèmes’ strategy has always been to embrace and extend Microsoft strategy. Because of our tight partnership with Microsoft, we’ll deliver world-class applications on top of Windows Vista as early as possible.”

John Squire, Vice President of Worldwide ENOVIA Marketing at Dassault Systèmes, says “Ninety-five percent of our desktop sales are on Windows. We expect the majority of those customers to migrate quickly to Windows Vista, and we’ll be ready. We are on track to deliver Windows Vista-ready versions of each of our products.”

Benefits

The proof-of-concept shows that Dassault Systèmes ENOVIA V5 PLM, along with Windows Vista and the 2007 Office system, can speed the problem detection and resolution cycle. By creating an OBA to simplify the way people work together and improve information use, Dassault Systèmes, Dassault Aviation, and its customers enjoy improved life-cycle management of physical assets and benefit from continuous innovation.

A Better Way to Work Together
“The 2007 Microsoft Office system perfectly complements our Dassault Systèmes PLM software. For example, now people can use interactive 3-D engineering representations within Microsoft Office documents,” says Beringer. “The integration of Dassault Systèmes’ 3-D XML format within the Microsoft Office system lets people solve problems using 3-D as a universal language. This tight integration is precisely the innovation that Dassault Aviation needs for its support activities.”

The proof-of-concept vastly simplifies the way people work, improving and simplifying the complex processes involved in maintaining and improving aircraft components. The use of 3-D and contextual instant messaging communication helps people gain insight and solve problems quickly. “People from a wide range of disciplines with a high degree of expertise and technical knowledge need to contribute to problem resolution and product improvement, and this solution helps them concentrate on what they do best,” remarks Squire.

Previously, it may have taken multiple phone calls, faxes, or e-mail messages to resolve an issue. In this solution … Live Communications Server brings everyone together at one time to discuss an issue, in context….” John Squire, Vice President of Worldwide ENOVIA Marketing, Dassault Systèmes

Live Communications Server helps Dassault Aviation employees instantly find and collaborate with colleagues to quickly resolve problems and to more rapidly engineer product improvements.

“Previously, it may have taken multiple phone calls, faxes, or e-mail messages to resolve an issue,” remarks Squire. “In this solution, with its ability to deliver 3-D images that can be shared and manipulated, Live Communications Server brings everyone together at one time to discuss an issue, in context—that is, with the picture of the relevant component in everyone’s view. People can very quickly get to the root of the problem or arrive at an innovation. That’s truly powerful, real-time collaboration.”

Improved Operational Efficiencies
Windows Vista addresses today’s need for operational simplicity and efficiency by making it easy for IT departments to accommodate a wide variety of user types and device types. Windows Vista is distributed in Windows Imaging Format, the new hardware-independent image-file format. An organization needs only one image addressing the different hardware configurations within the company. This format can help reduce the burden and cost for corporate IT departments.

“Our customers are telling us they want to simplify and reduce operational and deployment costs,” comments Squire. “They see Windows Vista as addressing many of their pressing concerns around deployment of PLM.”

Superior Innovation Through Improved Use of Information
The concept solution reduces innovation cycle time by making it easy to share and reuse PLM information. Expanded electronic form capabilities in the 2007 Office system, for example, help Dassault Aviation automate business processes and better integrate the familiar user experience of Microsoft Office programs with data from key company business systems.

The use of Office Open XML formats enables Dassault Aviation to integrate 3-D and PLM data from back-end systems seamlessly into documents. The result is documentation that is up-to-date and virtually error-free.

Strong Partnership for Superior Results
Of the close, successful partnership between Microsoft and Dassault Systèmes, Beringer says, “Microsoft significantly contributed to the final design of the proof-of-concept and has very efficiently helped Dassault Systèmes develop it. Because of this partnership, Microsoft and Dassault Systèmes can optimally integrate technologies to generate even more value for our mutual customers.”

Microsoft Office System
The Microsoft Office system is the business world’s chosen environment for information work, providing the programs, servers, and services that help you succeed by transforming information into impact.

For more information about the Microsoft Office system, go to:
www.microsoft.com/office

For More Information
For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in the United States or (905) 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:
www.microsoft.com

For more information about Dassault Systèmes products and services, call (33) (1) 40 99 40 99 or visit the Web site at:
www.3Ds.com

© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY