Case Study
Completely digital product lifecycle management
Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A
Italian motorcycle manufacturer experiences a dramatic reduction in physical prototypes thanks to the use of virtual models
An elite market
Established in 1926 as a manufacturer of components for the new radio transmissions industry and then converted to the automotive industry during the Second World War, Ducati is a prestigious brand in the world of road and race motorcycling. During 2005, the company manufactured and sold slightly more than 34,000 motorcycles. Of its more than 1,000 employees, almost 180 people are dedicated to research and development activities, where Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. invests nearly 12 million Euros each year. The company’s design staff numbers approximately 90 employees, of whom sixty are actual designers.
Ducati operates in an elite market, where products combine high technological content with high performance. The company’s design activities are closely linked to other departments and processes downstream. In the last three years, Ducati has actively pursued the goal of integrating the design process with production. This is important because with 95 percent of production taking place externally, delays in the transfer of information to suppliers adds to overall cycle time.
Digital design that evolves
Since its original purchase of Unigraphics CAD software, Ducati has upgraded to NX® product development software. The upgrade went smoothly and was implemented by the company itself using NX installation functionality. Support from Siemens PLM Software has been helpful to Ducati as its projects are increasingly complex. The first project that was developed entirely in NX was the three-valve motor. Today, Ducati uses an NX configuration that has progressively evolved to meet its needs. The design department takes full advantage of the comprehensive functionality the software has to offer.
Complete digitalization of the product lifecycle allows Ducati to do more of the design process in software, even tasks that in the past required manual prototypes. Today much of that work is done on virtual models with only a single final prototype being required. This has dramatically reduced prototyping times and overall has resulted in more optimal cycle times and higher quality in the project itself.
Extending the solution
Ducati has now begun to implement Teamcenter® digital lifecycle management software. Teamcenter is currently being used to manage the needs of the design and purchasing areas.
Piero Giusti, Ducati’s CAD manager, explains, “Teamcenter is contributing to the progressive elimination of paper documents in the company.” Every operation related to new product lifecycle management (PLM) takes place through Teamcenter. One advantage of this is that the time needed to transmit certified information to suppliers has been reduced by two-thirds. Today a design document reaches the recipient in three to five days instead of the 12 to 15 days needed in the past. Within the company, information is distributed in real time and the sharing of virtual technical documents has been realized.
Ducati has also experienced a considerable benefit from using Teamcenter’s collaboration functionality. In interactions with suppliers, there has been a measurable reduction in decision-making times. The collaboration functionality, in conjunction with Teamcenter’s data management environment, permits truly virtual meetings, with sharing of documents and proposals without leaving the office.
With such a successful roll-out and results, Piero Giusti notes, “In the near future we count on extending the implementation to other company areas and functions.”
Download the PDF:
Challenges:
- Create products that combine high technological content with high performance
Keys To Success:
- Computer models instead of physical prototypes
- Integrated design and production processes
Results:
- Significant reduction in physical prototypes; fewer paper documents
- Two-thirds reduction in time to get information to suppliers
- Faster decision making shortens the design cycle
Industry:
- Automotive & Transportation
Client's Primary Business:
Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A specializes in motor vehicle design and production.
Business Initiatives:
- New Product Development
- Value Chain Synchronization
Solutions/Services:
- NX
- NX Design (CAD)
- Teamcenter
- Teamcenter Manufacturing Process Management
Client Location:
Bologna Borgo Panigale
Italy
"After the implementation of the Siemens PLM Software solution, we noticed its ease of use and high productivity."
Piero Giusti
CAD Manager
Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A