Meeting the challenges

Today’s automotive industry is fiercely competitive, forcing manufacturers to evolve designs at the quickest possible rate and offer the highest technical functionality and quality at the lowest possible cost. All without forgetting the right styling and model options required to satisfy the most discerning customer.

In the past, the manufacturers have sought to implement new tools and techniques that have bought time through the engineering process – enabling these challenges to be more effectively addressed. Now, CAD, CAM, analysis, PDM and the whole range of computer-based engineering systems are proving themselves to be so effective that they have progressed from automating traditional tasks to tools of strategic importance in their own right.

While the adoption of this new technology has radically altered the way that companies work internally, it has also forced a shift within the industry to engage with external suppliers and third-party contractors. This increased engagement outside the principle enterprise has in turn driven the requirement to extend the enterprise and allow the secure sharing of engineering data between their systems to provide:

• Increased communication speed
• Design for manufacture
• Maximised engineering efficiency

Understanding the Technology

Total Product Modelling
The integrated PLM enable the whole engineering team to concurrently create, analyse and optimise virtual models. This drastically improves the time in which it takes to create a high quality design, saving cost throughout the whole process.

Manufacturing
Computer Aided Manufacture software (CAM) carries the design information into the manufacturing process. As soon as the design data is available, it can be translated into tooling, production machinery and operation instructions, as well as allowing for immediate analysis and optimisation of the manufacturing process – further compressing the cycle and saving costs.

Product Data Management
The complexity and diversity of today’s vehicles means that enormous amounts of data is produced, requiring effective handling throughout the vehicle’s lifetime. Product Data Management (PDM) systems enable this information to be stored, retrieved, communicated, and disseminated both securely and efficiently. PDM systems have proven themselves as beneficial as CAD, Analysis and Manufacturing systems, saving up to 40% of an engineer’s available time.

How Desktop Engineering Helps You

As one of the largest UK VARs of engineering systems and software, Desktop Engineering have helped a considerable number of OEMs and suppliers implement engineering computer system technology, both on a standalone basis and as part of extended enterprise programmes, including connecting suppliers/contractors systems to their customers.

Our highly experienced professional engineering staff offer unparalleled expertise and assistance in ensuring the correct technology is properly applied. Our expertise has been gained through first hand engineering experience in the Automotive OEM and supplier industries.