PDM Interoperability

In performing the demon-stration, the team proved the value of competitors coming together to address the common problems of incom-patibility among dissimilar PDM systems and delays in exchanging information. Prob-lems are particularly trouble-some in the automotive industry, where considerable data must be shared between OEMs and companies through-out their worldwide supply chains, distributed facilities, and extended enterprises.

"PDM interoperability is the most complicated issue facing today's global automotive industry," said Akram Yunas, program manager of AIAG's Collaborative Engineering and Product Development initia-tives. "In today's competitive global marketplace, quality of product data generated, sent, or received is crucial to corporate survival. The consensus at a recent PDM work group meeting was that losses resulting from lack of PDM systems interoperability within the supply chain are of staggering proportions, easily reaching billions of dollars wasted as a result."

Bringing Value to the Supply Chain

The demonstration showed the feasibility of different companies utilizing standard PDM formats for inter-operability to create the information exchange needed in outsourcing a design. In this environment, two suppliers - one with and one without a PDM system - can be effective in exchanging the information with an OEM to design tooling for a selected component.

"Lack of product data interoperability is the Goliath facing today's global auto-motive industry supply chain. We are the Davids, and with efforts like the success of this interoperability demonstration, one day in the very near future, we will succeed," said Emery Szmrecsanyi, Manager of Data Exchange/-STEP at Daimler-Chrysler Corp. and Chair of AIAG's Collaborative Engineer-ing and Product Development Project Team.

The new StreetKa from Ford

 "By creating a true partnership between OEMs, suppliers and technology consultants, we were able to prove that solutions to existing problems are attainable and within reach but collaboration at all levels is a must within the supply chain to achieve our mutual goals," said Raj Birla, Computer Applications Engineers at Ford Motor Co. and Chair of the PDM Demonstration Project Team.

For more information: http://www.cimdata.com/PR031301.pdf