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Designing to win
Tom Shelley finds out what it takes to overcome complex design problems to build world beating products. |
13/05/2010
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Implementing the Machinery Directive
A report on the updated Machinery Directive and the software developed to assist conformance with it and other regulatory requirements |
07/12/2009
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A problem shared
Virtual teams, working together across engineering, manufacturing and supply chains, are trendy in concept, but what do you really need to make them work? Brian Tinham reports |
15/04/2009
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Flying high
Tom Shelley reports on a particulary complicated multinational development in aerospace, only possible with the help of IT |
14/11/2008
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Fast lessons take to the air
There are big advantages to be gained from using PLM in motorsport. And now aerospace looks set to do the same, as Tom Shelley explains |
18/08/2008
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Distributed PLM takes to the web
Dassault’s Enovia-branded PLM products are being increasingly integrated, packaged for vertical markets and graphically equipped for web collaboration. Tom Shelley reports |
14/07/2008
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Flash the cache
Tom Shelley reports on how collaboration technology could be enhanced by Adobe’s acquisition of Macromedia |
19/06/2008
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Cast the net
Web EDI, e-kanbans and the like entered the lexicon of manufacturing IT several years ago, but the technologies are now ready for robust supply chain use, says Brian Tinham |
22/01/2008
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Controlling change
The motor sport industry, among others, is increasingly turning to PLM software tools to make that winning difference. Dr Tom Shelley looks at what’s happening |
03/10/2007
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Free software?
Open source is gaining prominence – and not just in the developer community – but can it really slash your costs?
Brian Tinham finds out |
25/09/2007
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Managing your change much better
Managing engineering change has always required serious attention to detail, but Dr Tom Shelley says that relatively simple integrated systems and switched on people who are serious about what they’re doing have become today’s prerequisites |
04/04/2007
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What can go wrong when you give IT the large
The news that the Airbus A380 is two years behind schedule because its German and Spanish offices were using Catia V4 CAD/CAM software, while its French and UK offices used V5, and the German engineers in Hamburg could not add their electrical wiring design changes to the common 3D digital mock-up in France, should serve as a warning to us all. |
18/12/2006
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Welcome to the secure connection
Success depends upon the speed and agility with which organisations and their partners can share information – but the barriers are numerous. Systems are typically designed for internal, confidential operation, yet, as Mark Wheeler, Adobe’s marketing director for Northern Europe, explains, there is huge business benefit in exposing some content to the supply chain. |
28/11/2006
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Visualisation speeds paths to production
In the words of Phil Sholl, managing director of AMTRI, formerly the Advanced Machine Tool Research Institute: “You cannot design a component without thinking about how you are going to make it.” At least you can, and engineers all too often do, but it’s extremely foolish. In short, it is not enough to design it, nor even to design it and then think about how it is going to be made. Engineers need to model the making of the part to see that it is feasible. Nothing new, and CAM (computer aided manufacturing) packages have had this facility for years, while wire frame simulation of machining has gradually given way to rendered solid models. However, such simulations all assume that everything is going to run perfectly, and there are many manufacturing processes that until now could not be modelled at all. |
07/11/2006
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Supply chain e-synchronisation: dream now reality
The number one technical challenge for manufacturers wanting the goal of a synchronised, demand-driven supply chain is getting ‘visibility’. Put simply, lack of real-time supply chain information is the biggest barrier to achieving the promises of cost reduction, time compression and agility. So we continue to build in safety stock, lead time and ultimately inflexibility precisely because we just don’t know what’s going on this minute, and the next and the next. It’s not that it can’t be done: it can and is with web-based technologies in all sorts of sectors – but not by many. Which brings us to the number one business challenge: recognising that our bigger picture manufacturing operations aren’t anything like as slick, cost effective or competitive as they could be. We may well have moved mountains internally in production, and even progressed lean thinking, for example, into other departments so that the right information flows just in time, the right processes are automated and the rest of it. But what about extending that to our suppliers? |
24/10/2006
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Magellan speeds up on collaborative IT
Aircraft equipment builder Magellan Aerospace (UK) has developed a collaborative system that enables its designers to work with production and suppliers all through new product development. The result is not only faster, better, more joined-up processes and faster time to market, but risk mitigation all round. |
04/10/2006
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Cosworth makes team working world class
Northampton-based race engine developer Cosworth has created a common information window for engineering, purchasing and suppliers that’s transformed its business operations. The firm implemented Documentum’s eRoom, initially for exchanging CAD information but is now enabling collaboration with customers and suppliers way beyond design. According to Cosworth head of business systems Jeremy Hill, the system, which has about 200 users internally and 100 customers and suppliers, is delivering huge benefits. “Things are so much more organised and clear. It would be a shock to see how much we’ve saved: for example, it’s probably more than doubled the effectiveness of our processes.” |
04/10/2006
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25 times faster with smart models
Engineering productivity up 25-fold and costs down accordingly, with BoMs (bills of materials) listed accurately and automatically, and engineering drawings created instantly: the judges felt Mech-Tool Engineering’s initial achievements were mouth-wateringly good, and hence this commendation. Mech-Tool is an £8m engineer-to-order company, designing and manufacturing one-offs for the oil and gas, general process and energy sectors – blast walls and, more recently, explosion-proof control rooms and fire-proof noise-control enclosures for industrial pumps, engines and turbines. It’s all costly bespoke stuff. |
04/10/2006
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CAD and PDM transform Mitsubishi MotorSports
Mitsubishi MotorSports (MMSP) has cut development times for its Lancer Evolution World Rally Championship (WRC) cars by a full 30% while also improving design accuracy, product quality and manufacturing consistency – it was a clear front runner, said the judges. It’s achievements have come since standardising on PTC’s Pro/Engineer 3D solid modelling, Wildfire collaboration tools and Pro/Intralink CAD data management system. Chief designer Paul Doe says the MMSP development team now works entirely collaboratively. It uses PTC tools for everything from development and modification of complete surface design and car components, to CAE tasks including structural and thermal simulation and FEA (finite element analysis) of highly stressed and safety-critical parts. |
04/10/2006
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3D and CAM transform fortunes at Deltron Emcon
A full 40% reduction in lead times, a 15% increase in new business in the last 12 months, 25% productivity gains and a 12% reduction in cycle times. Those are the headline improvements at electromechanical devices manufacturer Deltron Emcon – all from an investment of just £20,500 in modern CAD software. They couldn’t fail to impress the panel of judges. Says Deltron Emcon R&D manager John Hutchinson: “That investment has enabled us to improve our overall capability; it’s increased opportunities to improve margin; and it’s greatly improved our customer service, which has led to new business and substantially increased profits. It’s also enabled us to speed up new product introductions and we’ve attained higher product quality as well.” |
03/10/2006
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Outsourced logistics runs on latest SAP upgrades
One way to get your supply chain processes very slick, very flexible and very efficient, while simultaneously cutting costs is to outsource some or all of the load to a third party organisation. Jaguar, Land Rover, London Taxis, Homebase, Halfords and Vodafone are doing just that, using Unipart Logistics (ULS). Why Unipart? Because the company has built business processes and foundation IT systems for its clients that make their supply chain operations robust, reliable and very flexible to changing demands – and it is these aspects that have been highly commended by our independent panel of judges. |
02/10/2006
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