Case Study
Becoming a preferred supplier of engineering services
EASi
EASi meets automakers’ need for speed
Integrated solutions – the company’s vision
To enable its design team to create, simulate, optimize and document its designs, EASi needed an integrated suite of mechanical design automation (MDA) tools that support a single data format for all applications.
EASi, with a professional staff of more than 400 engineers and IT professionals, serves the automotive industry worldwide. Customers include GM, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Rolls Royce and Daewoo, as well as a number of first and second tier suppliers. EASi’s vision is to be a world-class provider of integrated solutions for “Fast-to-Market” product development. By integrated solutions, EASi meant more than the CAE services that it had traditionally provided. It wanted to extend into the realm of design.
The right suite of tools
EASi looked for an integrated CAD and CAE system in which a single data format would be used by all applications. This would eliminate any data translation issues and make associativity between disciplines possible, ultimately allowing the firm to complete projects faster. The only vendor that provided an integrated suite of tools for all areas was Siemens PLM Software. EASi purchased NX™ I-deas™ software from the NX product suite and Teamcenter® software.
Redefining fast turnaround; collaborating to exceed expectations
Recently, a U.S. automaker was in a bind. A prototype transmission casing for a vehicle that was going into production in six months was not passing performance tests. Engineers needed to redesign this highly complex part. Because time was so tight, they wanted to perform a series of finite element analyses on the original design to pinpoint the cause of the problem before attempting a fix.
The automaker asked EASi to get involved in the project. Since the automaker’s solid model was still not finished at that time, EASi offered to complete it as the first step in the project. EASi assigned two engineers to the job. Seven days later, they delivered – both the detailed solid model and the validated analysis mesh.
By working in a collaborative, integrated design and analysis environment – using the NX/Teamcenter combination, EASi met and exceeded the customer’s quality and turnaround requirements on this project. In fact, EASi has quantified a number of similar successes and expects many more.
EASi is now planning how it can best integrate the usage of Teamcenter to vault and archive product and process data to improve its service turnaround time even more.
Savings through native format
A redesign of a prototype transmission casing – completed in native format using I-deas – was used to create the analysis mesh. By utilizing the native format for design and analysis, significant time was saved. Specifically, no data translation was required, so no manual cleanup was needed. Easi found the model itself was well suited to meshing. According to Maxim Castelino, vice president of Engineering Services, EASi,“The fact that it was a native model was very beneficial and the integrity of the model was extremely good. It was a nice closed volume that lent itself well to meshing.”
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Challenges:
- Become a preferred supplier of both design and analysis services
- Provide high-quality services to clients
- Improve turnaround time
Keys To Success:
- Establish a seamless connection between design and analysis
- Support a single data format for all applications
- Implement an integrated, collaborative environment
Results:
- Data sharing and collaborating was accomplished on an enterprise level
- Time-consuming remeshing has been eliminated
- Jobs that now are accomplished in days would previously have taken months
Industry:
- Automotive & Transportation
Client's Primary Business:
EASi provides integrated engineering and design solutions for “Fast-to-Market” product development to the automotive industry worldwide.
Business Initiatives:
- Production Efficiency
Solutions/Services:
- NX
- Teamcenter
Client Location:
Madison Heights, Michigan
United States
"We went looking for software that would cover the gamut of what we do, which included not only CAD and CAE, but also product data management.The only vendor that provided an integrated suite of tools for all of these areas was Siemens PLM Software."
Maxim Castelino
Vice President of Engineering Services
EASi