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Product category: PLM and collaboration software
News Release from: Siemens PLM Software | Subject: Teamcenter
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial Team on 01 May 2006

Car maker turns to software to track
ECUs

In-vehicle data management software on 57 worldwide vehicle programmes helps leading car manufacturer track embedded software content associated with electronic control units.

Ford Motor has deployed UGS' in-vehicle data management software on 57 worldwide vehicle programmes, including the Ford Explorer, Mustang and Escape Hybrid UGS, working closely with Ford, developed the software to help Ford track embedded software content associated with an electronic control unit (ECU)

Based on Teamcenter software, UGS' digital lifecycle management PLM software allows content to be tracked throughout the lifecycle of a vehicle and co-ordinates its use and function as part of the overall system.

In-vehicle software management lets Ford use its global innovation network, enhance enterprise-wide collaboration and standardise product data management associated with the growing volume of embedded software it is building into its fleet of increasingly intelligent vehicles.

As vehicle designs continue growing in complexity and sophistication, this provides a critical process improvement.

"Ford, a leader in the automotive industry, is committed to using innovation to improve the driving experience of its customers and this innovative PLM technology will help Ford realise significant cost savings and enable the company to continue to produce more efficiently the types of intelligent vehicles that consumers are increasingly looking for", said Chuck Grindstaff, Executive VP of Products, UGS.

"With its initial success at Ford, this software has the potential to address a much broader and rapidly growing market, as the use of embedded software becomes more commonplace in products from washing machines and cell phones to automobiles and aircraft".

"The embedded software management capability is an example of how Teamcenter maintains its leadership position in value creation for world class manufacturing companies".

As Ford continues to increase the amount of intelligence in its vehicles - from anti-lock braking systems to on-board global positioning systems and more - it also increases the number of tiny computers, ECUs, on board each vehicle.

A typical ECU includes the appropriate electronic circuitry for its designed function along with the embedded software necessary to provide controls and added features.

Today, there can be as many as ten times the four or five ECUs that used to control a single vehicle and each one must be tracked as a single component or part in the vehicle's bill-of-materials.

Over the past several years, however, the software controlling a particular ECU has become increasingly sophisticated.

It is often outsourced to suppliers, subject to frequent updates and can be the source of a competitive advantage for a particular vehicle.

As a result, it has become increasingly important to identify and manage the embedded software as a separate component and co-ordinate its use and application within the context of a much larger system.

The need to track and manage separately embedded software associated with electromechanical systems is not unique to Ford or even the automotive industry.

Many other industries, including aerospace, electronics, medical instruments, communications, office equipment and consumer products, also use electromechanical systems to control the various functions of their products and enable high value capabilities.

The common technology shared by all these industries is known as mechatronics.

A mechatronics system involves the synergistic integration of mechanical, electronics and embedded software technologies into an electromechanical product.

Mechatronics systems can be found in products ranging from sophisticated communications satellites to automatic coffee makers, and the manufacturers of many of these products could benefit from a better way to manage the digital form of these systems.

"UGS has worked closely with Ford and several other customers around the world providing us with a comprehensive understanding of the unique characteristics and requirements of developing and managing integrated electronics, software and mechanical systems", said Grindstaff.

"Our vision is to integrate software for every phase of a product's lifecycle into an overall mechatronics product and process model".

"The Teamcenter implementation at Ford is a good example of progress towards that vision".

"We foresee huge potential customer benefits such as high-fidelity, product-level simulation, better, more productive tools to drive innovation, and improved efficiency for a wide variety of industries enabled by these products".

UGS Teamcenter powers innovation and productivity by connecting people and processes with knowledge.

Teamcenter's portfolio of digital lifecycle management software is built on an open PLM foundation.

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