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We'll improve the automation of direct Engineering activities In the past we've put in CAD, CAM and CAE systems to automate direct Engineering tasks such as analysis, design, drafting and part programming. We didn't get the productivity benefits we expected because these systems only address parts of these activities. For example, if you are doing design work with CAD, you often want to look back at previous designs and you often want to look through old files - but you can't do that if they not on the CAD system. CAD systems have a lot of functionality for geometric modeling but they don't have much functionality to support tasks like design management and file management, so people waste time looking for information, or even worse, they re-create existing designs. The EDM/PDM system will provide the missing support functionality, such as information management, for direct Engineering activities that are already partially automated. We'll automate all our Engineering activities - and get all the benefits of automation In the past we mainly automated direct engineering activities. Now we'll use EDM/PDM to automate both direct and indirect engineering activities. As a result all these activities will get done quicker, there will be fewer quality problems, and we'll save money. Machines work much faster than people and are more reliable, so the work will get done faster and with fewer mistakes. Computers are now very cheap so there will also be a cost reduction as computers take over from people. We'll automate indirect Engineering activities With EDM/PDM we'll be able to automate a lot of indirect activities such as information management and communication, information storage and back-up, archival, sign-off, design release, configuration management and project management. They will get done better, faster and at a lower cost. EDM/PDM will automate the information management and transfer processes In the past we had to transfer information manually on paper. It was a slow process from which mistakes often arose. Drawings went missing or got mixed up. People picked the wrong version of a design or document. Documents sent by internal mail went to the wrong person or arrived late. Once we've automated with EDM/PDM, we'll be able to get the right information to the right person at the right time for less cost. Comparing EDM/PDM to the manual process is a bit like comparing fax and telephone. When you send a fax you send a brief, concise message. It's quick, cheap and clear. With the telephone you have to add all sorts of politeness, discussion and small chat about other things. There's a danger of misinterpretation. It takes longer and is more expensive. We'll improve the overall product development process Once all the individual activities in the process are automated they will get done quicker and with fewer quality problems, so the whole development process will be quicker and cheaper. We'll be able to automate better than in the past When we automated in the past, we put in computers and applications and tried to do CIM. One of the reasons it didn't work very well was that we didn't automate the information. We automated individual tasks without automating the environment around them. For example, the information input, output and management stayed manual. EDM/PDM will help us automate better. For example, it will automate information management and information communication. We'll be able to integrate already-automated activities We've got a lot of Islands of Automation - unconnected systems that we bought to automate individual engineering activities. We've CAE, CAD and CAM Islands. They are automated but the links between them aren't. When we transfer data from the CAE system to the CAD system we do it on floppy disk or on paper, and we waste time making sure we've all the right files and information. Data transfers involve manual intervention and lead to loss of time and quality. The EDM/PDM system will do this kind of work. It will automate the connections between Islands. We'll automate Engineering management activities In the past, automation of the Engineering environment hasn't really addressed management activities. It has been limited to tasks such as design and analysis. EDM/PDM can take automation to the next level. It has the potential to manage the Engineering process and to manage product development projects. The EDM/PDM system knows about all the information in the system, and it knows about the process and the people. Once we set the system up properly it will be able to take over many management activities. It will help Engineering managers to develop strategies and plans. At the project level it will tell people what to do and when they should do it. We'll automate workflow between engineering activities As soon as one engineering activity is finished, the next one should start. Often, in the past, one activity would be finished but we'd lose time before the next one started - someone would forget to tell the next person to start work, or the next person wouldn't find all the information they needed. We wasted a lot of time like that. EDM/PDM will automate the workflow, and cut out the waste. It will tell the next person to start work, and make sure they have all the information. Automated information is the first step to getting engineering work done by expert systems Once the EDM/PDM system has got the information automated, an expert system will be able to apply rules and start doing the work itself. We'll need fewer people in the process, and it won't matter so much if people leave or are sick. EDM/PDM will help us automate activities such as QFD and DFM Practices such as QFD and DFM create and make use of a lot of engineering information. EDM/PDM can help with the input, output and management activities associated with this information. We'll have push-button Engineering To start with, EDM/PDM will just automate the information and the workflow. Then it will start managing projects and practices. Eventually it will manage all our Engineering and product development activities. We'll just have to enter customer specifications, and push a button. The new product will come out at the other end of the process. |