Digitisation In Manufacturing
Dassault Systemes has launched DELMIAWorks in India. Sumesh Soman looks at the potential of the ERP and MES solutions suite to digitise automotive manufacturing.
Dassault Systemes has launched DELMIAWorks in India.
Dassault Systemes (Dassault) has introduced DELMIAWorks (DW suite) in India. Joining a host of 3D modelling and simulation applications from Dassault, the DW suite extends to automotive manufacturing operations with a pan India potential for growth. Dassault aims to deploy the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Manufacturing Execution System (MES) solutions as part of the DW suite. The initiative is said to be in line with the larger vision of digitising every aspect of manufacturing at automotive plants. Speaking at the launch conference, averred PM Ravikumar, India Management Director, Dassault Systèmes, “DW suite exemplifies our commitment for our manufacturing customers in India. Alongside SolidWorks, the suite provides a connection between engineering and manufacturing for small to large enterprises.” “It complements our strategy in India to be a trusted solution partner for the discrete manufacturers in the entire value chain, from engineering design to manufacturing, production and shipment of the customers’ product,” he expressed.
The DW suite brings with it an array of applications claimed to make use of real-time data for the ERP and MES solutions. The end objective is to multiply the operational efficiency at manufacturing plants manifold. It is achieved by capabilities that include monitoring the end-to-end operational cycles of different business verticals. It is also tangible to functions like finance, design, planning, scheduling, production, quality or warehousing operations. Through the DW Suite, Dassault aims to empower manufacturers to gain a better hold of business with control over functionality and transparency in the value chain. Tailor-made for industries like transportation and mobility, constituting 52 per cent of its customer base, the suite also extends functions to realms like life sciences, industrial equipment, home and lifestyle, aerospace, defence and marine among others.
DELMIAWorks Automotive and transportation customers
account for up to USD 20 million in revenue. The company caters to customers with single sites to global companies with multiple sites, claimed Ramakrishnan Venkatraman, Director, SolidWorks and DELMIAWorks India, Dassault Systemes. Aimed at tackling manufacturing end-to-end and at scale, from order processing to shipping, the DW suite broadly covers ERP, MES, QMS and SCM. Within ERP, it eliminates the data silos to streamline the front office and factory operations to drive efficient utilisation of resources and attain customer satisfaction levels. In MES, detailed production data is captured to deliver big data. The big data spans actionable insights used to control costs, help improve quality and aid in proactive decision making. QMS facilitates compliance with ISO standards, for instance. Through SCM communication of business activities is made seamless in the entire supply chain, he exclaimed.
To elaborate further, the DW suite brings to the table, a means to digitise customer relationship management, estimating and quoting sales order management, and capacity planning. It also facilitates advanced supply chain management, finance and accounting, accounts receivable and payable, planning and scheduling. Manufacturers can also hope to digitise job and process costing, inventory control, labelling, shipping and distribution, quality management and production control. Other offerings include MS interfaces, automated workflow, IQAlert activity monitoring and business intelligence among the core activities.
The DW suite is notably claimed to tackle accessibility issues associated with the overlapping data being amassed by individual stakeholders in the business. Ravikumar drew attention to the suite connecting businesses to the existing 3DExperience marketplace, in turn, offering access to a pool of companies equipped with engineering capabilities and capable of discharging services like contract manufacturing and on-demand part supplies, known to be crucial for manufacture.
THE AFTERMATH OF THE PANDEMIC
In the aftermath of the pandemic, the DW suite is being positioned as a useful tool to address an array of issues. Be it enabling front office manufacturing workers to work from home or ensuring covid protocol compliance on the shop floor. It can be a critical aid to help the automotive industry restart operations and ensure business continuity. The suite facilitates precision planning, for instance, when there is a need to manage sudden shifts with volatility in product demand. It extends to the alignment of materials, forecast, and build strategy across Just in Time (JIT) and Make To Stock (MTS) strategies. It can also prove to be useful in revamping and reprovisioning the supply chains.
With the suite, shop floor operations and quality checks can be managed and monitored remotely. It can also effectively minimise personal requirements. Besides enabling track and trace operations it is also claimed to help overcome most manufacturing constraints. Given that times are unprecedented, the acceleration of business is challenging, the DW suite is claimed to be a strong building block to build upon for the future of manufacturing. With intricate care and planning, such suites could help in a fruitful transition. Rossell Techsys of Bengaluru, known to supply to Boeing and Lockheed Martin and Amber Enterprises Ltd. a solution provider to aircondition OEM and ODM in Haryana are among the clientele of the company.