COE Member News

Prawel: Yes, excellent event. So many people I need to interact with, and learn from. I liked the networking and staying informed of Dassault activities (e.g. details of Dassault 3D Live) and industry activities. The Technifair is great to get a quick look at the latest offerings from most of the best Dassault CAA partners.

Do you attend the COE Industry Workshop – Aerospace & Defense? If so, how does the education and information differ from the COE Annual PLM Conference & TechniFair?

Prawel: Yes, every year. It is excellent for Aero types. It is more specifically focused on Aero business, so more focused information. And it’s a who’s who in the Aero business so you can count on running into people you need to interact with.

As a committed member of this association, what aspects of COE would you like to see grow in the near future?

Prawel: Networking activities – the receptions are great but short, and there are many people to talk to.

Based on the current status of the marketplace, where do you think COE should focus its energy and resources in the next few years?

Prawel: Reaching out to all companies, not just members, to get them to see the value of the annual and industry meetings. They will join.

COE Volunteer Spotlight with Mark Chitjian and Jim Barkelew

Mark Chitjian and Jim Barkelew are DPC Co-Chairs for Digital Manufacturing NC (DMN). They put the “product” in PLM!

When did you begin your COE Volunteer Participation?

Chitjian: I started around 1990 as a COE Speaker by presenting PIC breakout sessions and attending the DPC.

Barkelew: I started with the first COE, informally assisting as needed. As COE grew, I worked with the Enhancement Request effort continuously as it grew into its present Development Planning Council (DPC) form.

How does your Role in Development Planning Council affect product function?

Chitjian: The DPC provides Dassault Systemes development a window into the manufacturing community's requirements. We gather COE member company requirements that fuel the development process. This also provides users an avenue in which to voice their view directly to the product development teams.

Barkelew: Ross Perot said, “Nobody makes a dime, until someone makes something”. It is vital that the manufacturing interests are heard in the PLM arena where design interests are always in the spotlight. Our job is to make sure that the software always has manufacturing interests, Numerical Control (NC) in particular, as part of the solution. There are significant challenges remaining with the current technology.

Do you Attend Conferences, What are the key benefits to You and Your Company?

Chitjian: There are many benefits for attending the conference: opportunity to get a look at future DS development and strategic plans, ability to share and exchanging manufacturing experiences with other attendees. In addition, attending the COE breakout sessions and training sessions provides an unparalleled educational experience.

Barkelew: Mark I agree. Working in a production NC organization, we have no staff or R&D department to assist us with our process. Attendance at COE has directly resulted in numerous process improvements, software developments, and purchases to help our business. Without COE it would be almost impossible for our group to get any exposure to the available products that can help our process. We would have no way to see what’s coming and plan for the future. Working with the DPC we are able to help shape the products we use and depend on. The contacts made with other users at COE member companies are vital. COE is the definition of Networking!

How do you engage the COE Manufacturing Community Year-Round?

Barkelew: One of the main ways is email using the COE community of practice based on event attendance. We are in the process of working with several users in developing key enhancement requests in more detail. NC programming can be a hectic profession with not a lot of time to look up from your day job. Three or four emails between conferences helps users think about enhancements. The COE Manufacturing Forum is also an excellent tool we use to monitor the manufacturing climate and to exchange ideas, share techniques, and discuss common problems within our user community. This allows an exchange of ideas/problems/help between a worldwide community of users. Numerous enhancements have come from the forum and it provides a valuable insight into the thoughts of the users outside the conference, this complements the conference experience.

Chitjian: Jim, you are absolutely correct … COE Manufacturing has a distribution list that we update after every conference, based on our attendance. This source defines our active community of practice. We use this information to communicate our Agenda and list of Top Ten enhancements before the conferences. We also use this community of practice upon receiving enhancement requests and our NC Surveys. These are some of our examples of making COE Year-round manufacturing a reality.

How do you handshake between the DPC and PIC ?

Barkelew: For the manufacturing attendees at COE, those attending the DPC and PIC sessions are virtually the same people. The DPC and PIC Volunteers have been co-workers and friends for years. This makes the handshaking very easy because one is an extension of the other. We have different missions - PIC (implementation and experience) and DPC (product functionality) with common goals. We have a saying here that “Parts is parts” and once the part is on the NC machine it doesn’t matter if it goes on an F-35 fighter or a lawnmower, it’s all the same.

Chitjian: Right Jim, we've never considered ourselves as separate and distinct groups. Everyone in the PIC and DPC leadership team works together to provide one coordinated COE program. We support each others efforts year-round and consider ourselves one community. This can be attributable to the fact that regardless of what industry we are in, our ultimate goals are the same. Despite how different our products may be, we are all in the material "removal" business. That is our common bond.

How do you interlock with the Dassault Systèmes Development organization?

Chitjian: I'd like to mention that our approach is not dependent on any individual development manager. In conjunction with the DS database, we've developed an Excel spreadsheet. This information contains each enhancement request, its abstract, status, and comments that we exchange with DS throughout the year. Because of its portability we are using the spreadsheet as our template and the database is used only to get the SER number. We also have a PowerPoint with all the enhancement descriptions which we present to DS before the conference to respond to. We then present each enhancement at the conference and then DS explains their responses to the attendees. We also use the telephone to have conference calls throughout the year. Again we initiate the calls and the topics. By following these approaches we've found DS to be more responsive and involved.

Barkelew: Absolutely Mark, our effort is continuous with clear objectives and we get results. We are in contact with DS development managers several times during the year. By showing an interest in our enhancement efforts I think DS is more interested in helping. Our next planned contact is in June.

Is there something unique that you do to make it work? What is the secret formula?

Chitjian: If there is any "secret" formula, our attitude is that we do what we have to, to get the job done. A constant state of urgency would characterize most manufacturing environments. "Get it right, get it done and get it out the door" is the usual theme. Since that is our usual modus operandi, we instinctively approach COE the same way. We consider it our responsibility to make the DPC go, we are the drivers. We present DS our Agenda and work out the best approach to benefit all parties. Before every conference we send out the NC Survey to the users, gathering information about what's on the minds of the manufacturing community and detecting any trends. This information is invaluable to DS development, providing the manufacturing pulse in the user community.

Barkelew: I have worked in manufacturing my entire career and we must be proactive or the job doesn’t get done. I think this general culture of get it done-now carries over to COE volunteer work and product enhancements. We are used to “grabbing the bull by the tail and facing the situation” (W.C.Fields.) We set the agenda, set what’s important to the users from member companies, and make it happen. Just like we must work with our designers in our real job, we must work with DS to move forward with the DPC goals.

From your Perspective … What are the benefits of COE Membership?

Barkelew: COE is a classic case of, “you get out what you put in”. If you attend the sessions as an observer, or don’t attend a full day’s sessions, you will get only a minimum of benefit that will likely not cover the cost of attending. If you actively participate in all COE has to offer (DPC, PIC sessions, Technifair, COE forum, General sessions, etc…..) you will easily get far more from the conference in benefits to your process than the cost of attending. I think bringing back one nugget of information from COE easily pays for the trip. Bring back more than that and you are making money for your company. There are several key processes we use daily that are a direct result of information gathered at COE. At COE you can compare the web site/marketing information with real users of the products that helps you make the right decisions at your company.

Chitjian: Jim, you hit the nail right on the head! Like anything else, it depends on how much you put into it. There is something to be had for all, even if you are a casual observer and just go to the general sessions, you'll usually come out with something you didn't have on Monday morning sessions but will be missing a lot. By going to the PIC and DPC sessions you will get knowledge and information that cannot be obtained anyplace else in the course of three short days. COE provides the users the unique opportunity to meet and speak with DS development. Networking with other users enables one to get different perspectives and viewpoints on common problems and situations. The TechniFair is an excellent place to see the latest technologies and offerings from many different vendors all under one roof. The COE Forum is a year round tool accessible to all members to share their issues and insights. Probably most importantly, COE is a volunteer organization run by the users!