EPM Technology wins strategic contract with US Navy program

EPM's Vice President Sales and Marketing, Kjell A. Bengtsson, says: "EPM Technology (EPM) won the contract after four months of intensive testing of available STEP development tools." The software evaluation was carried out by the MariSTEP partners led by Intergraph Federal Systems.

Continues Bengtsson: "This particular contract is for the delivery of a large number of client/server installations which include all applications. We expect this to create new marketing opportunities for EPM as it surely will be followed by repercussions to industry in the rest of the world. We're proud to be the preferred vendor to this giant hightech collaboration."

Technical partners who use the ISO 10303 STEP standard (Express and SDAI) are at the forefront of the new data exchange evolution, and the MariSTEP program which represents the large US shipbuilding industry is certainly focused in this respect.

In order to standardise methods and technologies, the MariSTEP partners will implement application protocols (APs) which provide standard descriptions of product model data by using the STEP standard. The tool which makes this possible is EPM's EXPRESS Data Manager. Consequently, the EXPRESS Data Manager will be the catalyst for data exchange of pertinent information both within and across the relevant organisations. MariSTEP supports activities involved in the life cycle of a ship such as conceptualisation, design, construction, testing and evaluation, training, repair, maintenance, operation, and disposal.

Cost reductions and life cycle support

MariSTEP, which is sponsored by the US Department of Defence and DARPA (Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency), is one of the world's largest STEP projects. The purpose is to speed up the technical data interchange between US shipyards, the US Navy and other related industries. Cost reductions and improved management of the total product life cycle of a ship or a class are major MariSTEP objectives.

The MariSTEP project is backed by a consortium of qualified parties. Led by Intergraph Federal Systems, the consortium has prominent members such as US Navy, Computervision Corporation, Electric Boat Corporation, Ingalls Shipbuilding, Inc., Kockums Computer Systems, Inc., Avondale Industry, Newport News Shipbuilding, and the University of Michigan Division of Research Development and Administration.

EXPRESS Data Manager brings it all together

Kjell A. Bengtsson concludes: - The implementation of basic product model technology requires a standard description of the product model data, modification to technical information systems and the development of translation mechanisms. This is the actual area in which EPM's EXPRESS Data Manager will be used.

Over the last couple of years EPM's technology has become widely accepted, and the EXPRESS Data Manager is now installed in various industries, authorities and research institutes in Europe, the US and the Far East.

MariSTEP three-year program

The project will encompass a three-year effort at the shipyards, along with the support from their respective CAD vendors. The following activities and software products will be completed:

• Prototype a neutral Product Model Database (PMDB), conforming to the consensus processes adapted by the shipyards.
• Populate the PMDB with a typical ship data set as defined by the consensus processes.
• Enhance the shipyards' internal data sets to support the consensus processes.
• Develop translators to permit data exchange of these STEP Product Models in a format consistent with the NIDDESC/STEP APs.