CATIA V5 Software from IBM and Dassault Systemes Used in Metal Working Operations for Lockheed Martin's F/A-22

Fort Worth, Texas, Dec. 09, 2002 Manufacturing Engineering personnel at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company successfully implemented advanced three-dimensional model based numerical control automation using the latest CATIA engineering software from IBM and Dassault Systemes of Paris. The solution provides greater cost efficiency and accuracy for the U.S. Air Force's F/A-22 fighter jet contract.

The numerically controlled (NC) programming team at Lockheed Martin is making innovative use of the latest CATIA Version 5 Computer Aided Manufacturing tools and processes. A team of NC programmers has implemented the latest version of the software and began to explore its new functionality last January through a pilot project to determine if it supported sufficient multi-axis capabilities to address Lockheed Martin's critical-tolerance F/A-22 composite panel trim and light milling applications.

The company has also deployed a new Henri Line High Speed router to work off of the software's product models. Parts programs that had been run on large gantry machines were converted to run on the new Henri Line machine, freeing gantry machines to focus other metallic part orders on the rise from Lockheed Martin's continued new F-16 business.

With the support of the Lockheed Martin manufacturing department, the CAD Development Advanced NC Methods team, and IBM/Dassault Systemes, the team began to develop new CATIA Version 5 based machine control programs utilizing the existing Version 4 models. After adjusting to the new interface and learning how to utilize the knowledge capture and reuse capabilities, some jobs were programmed in a tenth of the estimated hours scheduled for conversion to the Henri Line machine.

"A better handle on their product data leads to a better handle on costs and quality," said Ed Petrozelli, general manager, IBM Product Lifecycle Management.

CATIA Version 5 allows true integration of people, tools, methodologies and resources within the enterprise. Its unique underlying Product/Process/Resource hub enables a truly collaborative environment allowing creation, sharing and communication of 3D product and process definitions. The new Advanced Machine function allows programmers to easily define NC programs dedicated to machining complex 3D aerospace parts within a single workbench including virtually all 2.5-axis to 5-axis machining technologies.

In addition, the new CATIA products offer a high level of automation and standardization for the capture and reuse of proven manufacturing know-how. New features include: on demand tool path verification via material removal simulation and analysis of the in-process part, and Associativity with CATIA design parts, established through the use of a single set of data, for efficient change management.

Plans are in work to include metallic structural aerospace parts within the automated manufacturing team later this year and to use the latest version of CATIA NC products available in upcoming Release 10 to expand the features set available to Lockheed Martin manufacturing engineers.

The F/A-22 Raptor is built by Lockheed Martin in partnership with Boeing, powered by Pratt & Whitney engines, and made from parts and subsystems provided by approximately 1,200 subcontractors and suppliers in 46 states. The Raptor will replace the aging F-15 Eagle as America's premier front-line fighter jet starting in 2005. The Raptor has unprecedented fighter and attack capabilities with its balanced design of stealth, super cruise speed and extreme agility, along with advanced integrated avionics and the pilot-friendly cockpit. These attributes make the Raptor truly transformational and will support the goal of quick, decisive victory in future conflicts, saving American and allied lives.

COE's Process Interest (PIC) Reorganization Adds Value for You!

By B.J. Fries

COE's Process Interest organization has nearly completed the second year of operation under the five tiered management structure of divisions. The divisions are Product Definition, Manufacturing, Information Management, and Infrastructure. With one additional year of maturity, and some hard work from those managers, has come new innovation for the COE conference product. Not the least of which is a new implementation of process-related tracks.

The quality and quantity of technological change has and continues to profoundly affect the engineering and manufacturing industry. Dassault products have generally stayed current with these changes and as well as helping to define them. As a result, the size, number and complexity of the Dassault Systemes product offerings continue to grow. The Process Interest Committee structure has also grown to maintain pace. The resultant of that PIC growth was an ever-increasing number of breakout sessions. At one time there could be as many as twelve or more sessions running in parallel at a given COE conference. Surely there was no such thing as too much information, so that was a good thing, right? Conversely, scheduling so many breakout sessions in parallel with such a varied subject matter can present a difficult problem to a COE conference attendee. Which sessions would most fit my interests, that of my company, and provides the most value? Without a vigorously enforced structure to the conference breakout session schedule, that question might be a difficult one to answer.

So the PIC division managers set out to try and improve the way in which the COE breakout session product was delivered. The scheduling committee was already employing a track concept. The managers built on that notion and came up with a plan that was implemented for the first time in Tampa at the fall 2002 conference. The plan included six process-oriented tracks, which covered the engineering and manufacturing industry. In addition, each track would stay in the same room throughout the duration. The theory was that, fewer choices in any one time slot, and stable locations, made choosing a session to attend easier.

The feedback from the fall conference has been very positive. Success is an elusive quality, which must be constantly worked towards. The COE organization is constantly looking for feedback and we want to here from you. Please let us know how we are doing. Continue the discussion, as it makes us better.

Many thanks to all the very professional volunteers that make COE what it is. Special thanks go to all the PIC managers, and chairpersons. See you in New Orleans.

Product Lifecycle Management Solutions from IBM and Dassault Systemes Power EDAG Digital Factory / Digital Product Initiative

FULDA, Germany & PARIS Dec. 19, 2002--Dassault Systemes Automotive supplier grows its use of 3D product development technology to develop innovative prototypes for world's major automotive manufacturers.

EDAG Engineering + Design AG, IBM, and Dassault Systemes today announced the signature of a multi-million euro software contract covering company-wide design software migration at EDAG.

More than 500 seats of CATIA V5, the world's best selling product development application, will be deployed at EDAG, further advancing the company's corporate strategy to develop all of its products digitally before manufacture, in order to give its customers innovative, high quality merchandise quickly and at a competitive price.

CATIA V5, developed by Dassault Systemes, is a core solution in IBM's Product Lifecycle Management portfolio. EDAG cited CATIA V5's ease of use, powerful digital mock-up of product models, and excellent results during the evaluation program as the critical factors in its choice. In addition, CATIA software is the worldwide standard in the automotive industry, making it a natural choice for EDAG, a major engineering partner for automotive manufacturers worldwide.

"After extensive evaluation and comparison to other leading CAD applications, we concluded that CATIA V5 is a powerful application with respect to quality, design conception time and cost, said Roland Gunther, IT-Manager, EDAG AG."Another important factor is the organization that supplies the software. We need world-class expertise and support that the IBM team and their partners offer."

EDAG has been an IBM PLM customer for over ten years. EDAG's most successful vehicle design concept, the SMART car, was designed using CATIA V4. With the signature of today's contract, the company is opting for the newer, more powerful version of the software.

"We are moving to CATIA V5 as a means to improve productivity, design more innovative products and enhance design capability," continued Mr. Gunther. "Implementing CATIA V5 carries additional benefits because it is currently used in the automotive industry. More and more of our customers use CATIA V5 or are currently in the decision and migration process. Being able to share product design models with our customers before actually building a physical product gives them more decision-making ability, increasing their satisfaction and allowing us to get a product right the first time around."

"Momentum is growing, said Klaus Schaefer, vice president, IBM PLM Europe Middle East Africa."Customers around the world, large, medium and small, are adopting best-of-breed solutions from IBM and Dassault Systemes. The fact that customers are turning to IBM PLM as their resource to best help them implement their PLM strategy underscores the relevance and the benefits that our solutions offer: increased productivity, innovation, and efficiency to stay on top of the competition."

"In today's highly competitive automotive industry, efficient product development, fast development cycles, and innovative design are critical to a company's success," said Etienne Droit, executive vice president of sales and marketing, Dassault Systemes. "EDAG's move to CATIA V5, the world's leading 3D product development solution and global standard in automotive manufacturing, will generate tremendous collaborative synergies between EDAG, its suppliers and customers, and give its designers the tools and extra time required for true cutting-edge innovation."

EDAG, with more than 3,600 employees worldwide, offers vehicle development expertise, such as prototypes, turnkey production systems and vehicle development systems. These systems rely on a powerful product development system that facilitate the definition of a digital product and integrate design and simulation applications.

PLM solutions from IBM and Dassault Systemes address the needs of manufacturing companies by allowing product-centric e-collaboration across geographic boundaries, both internally by all product-related functions and with suppliers and customers. They foster innovation, lead to improved product quality and reduced costs and product development times.

EDAG develops vehicles and production systems, prototypes and turnkey production systems for the world's major automotive manufacturers and suppliers. Comprehensive capacity and state-of-the-art technical equipment are available for all process steps. We use the integration of modern simulation technology (digital factory and digital product) to ensure optimum solutions with respect to quality, time, and cost and to develop for the future. For more information, visit http://www.edag.com

NSC Schlumberger Develops Better Textile Machines with Product Lifecycle Management Solutions from IBM and Dassault Systemes

PLM Solutions CATIA V5 and SMARTEAM improve development time after only 18 months - PLM strategy to be extended throughout entire enterprise

PARIS and GUEBWILLER, France-Nov. 21, 2002-- NSC Schlumberger, IBM, and Dassault Systemes (NASDAQ: DASTY; Euronext Paris: no.13065, DSY.PA) today announced the successful implementation of an IBM Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution based on Dassault Systemes' products, CATIA V5 and SMARTEAM.

The PLM solution was deployed across NSC Schlumberger's fiber-to-yarn division 18 months ago in order to develop new textile machines. The project, executed in three factories in France, involved the design, marketing and maintenance divisions. Schlumberger expects product development time to improve by 25%. As a result of this successful implementation, the company has decided to extend the IBM PLM solution to the other four subsidiaries of NSC Group.

The implementation of CATIA V5 and SMARTEAM at NSC Schlumberger has created concrete business value and rapid return on the PLM platform investment. This is exemplified by the elimination of the production of three costly prototypes for each new project. With the PLM platform in place, NSC now only produces one final prototype. The PLM platform has also allowed NSC to rapidly test various models in 3D, including new components and new mechanisms. In addition, maintenance is greatly improved, making NSC far more competitive by avoiding costly errors frequently involved in the maintenance phase. Overall, the implementation of the IBM PLM platform coupled with the support of IBM Business Consulting Services (BCS) will result in a 25% improvement in development time at NSC.

NSC has relied upon the support and implementation services from IBM BCS to determine the criteria for the new design platform and an appropriate product development strategy. IBM started by evaluating NSC's production environment and working processes and adapting CATIA V5 to NSC's business requirements. NSC Schlumberger and IBM, working with Dassault Systemes, developed new methodologies to create a true PLM strategy tailored to NSC's specific industry needs by sharing common experiences. After creating new design scenarios and new collaborative working methods, IBM BCS deployed the solutions, integrated the tools, and provided training and educational support for the product-related functions.

NSC fiber-to-yarn designs and manufactures a wide range of industrial machinery that produces yarn from natural or synthetic fibers. The division boasts a market share of over 50%. Although many of its competitors are moving operations to the Asia-Pacific region to decrease costs, NSC chose to become more competitive by creating more efficient textile machines and improving the product life cycle, especially concerning maintenance.

NSC evaluated several solutions and partners, and chose CATIA V5 for its ease of use and ability to foster creativity and innovation in the design process. They chose to complement the virtual design application with the product data management application SMARTEAM, also part of the IBM PLM product line, for its exceptional flexibility and ease of use in their environment. The two solutions met the many prerequisites established during the evaluation phase by NSC.

"The results were beyond what we had hoped for," said Gerard Gaire, director of Research and Development, NSC Schlumberger. "Our goal is to achieve similar results across our other four subsidiaries, using collaborative work processes and managing the product lifecycle from the budding idea through to maintenance. With the help of IBM, we are exploiting powerful PLM solutions and methodologies, essential to growing our market share."

"By implementing IBM PLM solutions for product development and product data management, and complementing this PLM platform with collaborative methodologies, NSC Schlumberger is setting an example of how e-business should be done. And after only 18 months, the investment is paying off. We salute NSC Schlumberger for their winning vision and will continue to help them reap the many business benefits IBM PLM solutions offers." said Klaus Schaeffer, vice president EMEA, IBM Product Lifecycle Management.

"NSC Schlumberger's decision to use CATIA V5 after performing extensive comparative testing illustrates CATIA's superior performance as the world's leading 3D Product Lifecycle Management solution for fabrication and assembly industries," said Philippe Forestier, executive vice president of Sales and Marketing at Dassault Systemes. "NSC's choice of SMARTEAM to complement CATIA V5 underscores the seamless integration between the two 3D PLM solutions, giving NSC the capability to manage highly complex processes and data with ease, efficiency and speed."

The NSC Group designs and manufactures machinery and equipment for the textile and packaging industries. The NSC Group is a world-class player in the processing of natural or synthetic long staple fibers, the production of nonwovens, and the manufacture of packaging products. They contribute to the manufacture of a remarkably wide range of products - from wool suits to carpeting and wall coverings, to diapers, automobile interiors, food cans and pharmaceutical packaging.

Their 1,400 employees are constantly developing new solutions to enhance creativity, competitiveness and performance. The NSC Group is present throughout the world. Their 9 production facilities are based in France, the United States and China. Subsidiaries and sales offices are located in the United States, Italy, Germany, China, the United Kingdom, central Europe and South America. In addition, they have an agency network in more than 60 countries. Structured as 5 business units (NSC fiber to yarn NSC nonwoven, NSC packaging, NSC system solutions and NSC services), the NSC Group offers the same combination of expertise, experience and know-how throughout the world.