ID-Consult at Hannover Messe trade fair 2010 - VDMA stand in hall 17, stand D50

with the new METUS version 5.0 we put you on track for even more efficiency increase in product development:

•      Full integration of METUS in Siemens PLM Teamcenter
•             Optimization of products and modular platforms based on KPIs (key  performance indicators)
•      Documentation of configuration knowledge already during the conception phase helps to save time and money when defining configuration rules for product configurators.

ID-Consult at Hannover Messe trade fair 2010

Impressions from our event "Efficiency in the Early Stage of Product Development", that was held in the Allianz-Arena on 11.3.2010

The subject “Efficiency in the Early Stage of Product Development” is of high relevance for many companies. This was shown by the great interest of companies in the event at the Allianz-Arena. Around 70 visitors from different areas and branches of the industry, out of both medium and large companies, took part in the event. The organizers of the event, ID-Consult, Siemens PLM Software, and the ikt at the RWTH Aachen were pleased with the positive feedback of the participants. We have summed up the major points in the different lectures of the day for the readers of ID-News.

The Early Stage of Product Development— Design to Customer, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Feldhusen, Director of the Institute for General Construction Technique in Engineering, RWTH Aachen

In his opening speech, Prof. Dr. Feldhusen mentioned that already in the early stage of development, a corner stone for competitive advantage is placed by fixing low unit costs from the beginning. This means already managing complexity in an early phase, so that later in the detailed construction phase, the work will turn into a routine task.

This was one of the major points in the lecture. Using the vision of a product-DNA as a supporter for an integrative knowledge-management, Prof. Feldhusen emphasized the interaction of the static and dynamic methods in the early stage of product development.

Developing an Innovative Large-format Letter Sorting Device, Frank Ehnert, Manager Construction, Industry Sector Mobility Division Infrastructure Logistics, Siemens AG

Mr. Ehnert introduced a project for developing an innovative large-format letter sorting device. The example was impressive due to the complexity of the product. The usage of the variant driver concept was very important for the project´s success. By using it, it was possible to reduce variance and define standard modules. These could be developed early and ordered from the suppliers. Mr. Ehnert also introduced the concept of functional building blocks. These act as a connector between the requirements and product structure, and offer a big help in structuring. He then emphasized the advantages in using METUS as a development tool. The main contributions are transparency, the options for product optimization, the usage of the modularization concept and a base for product optimization.

Product Architecture Design as a Lever for Raise in Efficiency, Dr. Gerhard Tretow and Dr. Jan Göpfert, ID-Consult GmbH

In the early stage of product development, 80% of the future product costs are defined. As a solution, the METUS method and software have shown major savings in many customer projects. Dr. Göpfert explained the seven steps for the conception and optimization of highly variant products and modular product platforms. He was followed by Dr. Tretow who introduced a further usage of the method, which allows to show the effects of optimization e.g. function optimization, modularization, standardization, variance optimization and target costing directly within METUS using Key performance indicators.

PLM is key: From idea to product, Jürgen Schnorr, Director Business Development, Siemens PLM Software GmbH

Siemens PLM Software supports companies to achieve product success in an increasingly complex environment. Jürgen Schnorr introduced Product lifecycle management as an integrated, information-driven approach to all aspects of a product’s life -- from its design inception through its manufacture, deployment and maintenance, culminating in its removal from service and final disposal. Siemens PLM provides with NX for Digital Product Development, Tecnomatix for Digital Manufacturing, Teamcenter for Digital Lifecycle Management the leading PLM Platform. During his presentation Jürgen Schnorr demonstrated some impressing examples how the power of visualization, process integration across departments or digital mock ups are enabling technologies to help companies achieve product success in today’s business environment.

Success Factor Product Concept! Experience from the development of a New Drying Platform, Uwe-Jens Krausch, Project Manager Clothes Care, Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH

Mr. Krausch, project manager in Clothes Care, Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH, introduced a project for developing a new drier platform. The targets of the project were developing a future platform with innovative features, reaching a high degree of stakeholder acceptance, lowering the production costs compared to past models, and realizing a short development time. In order to meet these high aspirations, the methodological building blocks of the METUS method and software were of great help: The clear modularization approach, the consistent differentiation between standard and variant parts, target-costing, the clear and visualized functional implementation, the mapping of functions to components, and last but not least the usage of a function-oriented team structure. The clear and transparent visualization of the product concept was a good basis for discussion with development, product management, sourcing, logistics, fabrication and suppliers. The inter-disciplinary communication could also be greatly intenisified. Mr. Krausch especially emphasized the possibility of comparing alternative concepts. It was herewith possible for the project team to reach systematic and clear solutions.