Product category:
PLM and collaboration software
News Release from: Dassault Systemes | Subject: Enovia MatrixOne
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 25 June 2007
TV company adopts PLM system
Pace Micro Technology has implemented a product lifecycle management (PLM) system from Dassault Systemes: Enovia MatrixOne.
Pace Micro Technology is a high-technology company that develops digital technologies for the pay TV industry The company developed Europe's first pay TV PVR and was the first to launch an H.264 DVB-S2 high-definition set top box
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 21 Jun 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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From its home in a Victorian Mill in Saltaire UK, Pace is developing products such as the Pace MultiDweller, which allows pay TV companies to access difficult to reach customers in places such as apartment blocks and offer them high-revenue services such as PVR and high definition (HD) reception.
The company has also developed multiroom and mobile technologies as well as home gateway solutions that provide TV and telephony over wireless broadband.
Pace has a customer list that includes the world's major broadcast providers.
To help maintain its technological lead position and manage its design to manufacture processes the company has implemented a product lifecycle management (PLM) system from Dassault Systemes: Enovia MatrixOne.
Pace's Head of IT, David Cawthray, describes its use: "Pace Micro employs 400 software and design engineers in the UK and we have production facilities in Mexico, China and Romania".
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"It is crucial that our processes are well defined, common to all those involved, synchronised and flexible; Enovia Matrix One provides that functionality".
David continued, "Enovia Matrix One is integrated with our CAD and manufacturing systems as well as with our ERP software".
"This allows us to operate common processes for all of our projects and to achieve a view of the important factors that define the business case for each of them".
In this way, all the deliverables such as development of a business case, the base line project and design plans, test schedules and results are all run within Enovia Matrix One.
There can be no deviation from the deliverables and it is that fact which delivers the first great advantage of this system.
David Cawthray explains, "Because we operate in this way, our staff all work to the same system but because of the flexibility they can reach the deliverables in their own way".
"New team members are able to work efficiently from day one because the software keeps them on track and within set company procedures".
"Equally, our experienced staff can work very productively and with great efficiency because they operate within a highly defined regime".
"The software is updated with changes to designs or process with bills of material (BOM) being automatically generated by the system".
"This way of working increases our ability to innovate quickly because iterations are automatically recognised and indicated to users".
"The result of this feature is that repetition of design or other work is avoided and this increases productivity greatly".
Intelligence is incorporated into the PLM system by notes being added to parts and other lists.
The effect being that component specifiers can indicate preferred suppliers or components using their experience to list more stable, lower cost or otherwise better options.
The advantage of this technique is that company knowledge has become a company asset that is used to build better products more efficiently.
David Cawthray explained: "The data that we generate within the system includes human input about product or manufacturing advantages or problems that have been encountered in the past".
"We look at future as well as current technologies and all the information that we gather is noted and stored within the Enovia Matrix One system, sometimes years ahead of actual production".
"By making all this information available from a single unified source, all to the same criteria, we can be prepared to manufacture ahead of our competitors since a lot of the preparation work has already been completed".
In an industry where being ahead of the field produces significant sales advantage this aspect of the software is very valuable.
Another business benefit that David Cawthray appreciates is the way that change orders are dealt with.
"Enovia Matrix One automatically generates and issues change orders to appropriate departments or individuals".
"This means that people are informed about changes in real time".
"Therefore their response and actions can be immediate which saves even more time".
Traceability is important to Pace with Enovia Matrix One providing it through an ability to record every action in the design to production process.
Cawthray explained, "To remove bottlenecks in the system we need to be able to see where they are in the first place".
"These may be hold-ups in the design or procurement process or anywhere else".
"Wherever they are, the software provides complete visibility and we can take appropriate action to remove them".
Pace has conducted its own in-house development of Enovia Matrix One PLM software to meet some of its own specific needs in the areas of costing and business process deliverables.
In conclusion David Cawthray says: "The PLM system has allowed us to become very efficient with stable but flexible processes in a fast moving industry where quality, time to market and cost are the most important governors of success".
"The software provides us with a strong set of tools to maintain and improve our position in these areas and to continue to meet the business challenges that the pay TV industry sets".
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