CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
September 2005
Company News
PROSTEP IMP Supports Mechatronic Integration
Problems with software and electronics in the automotive industry are generating an increasing number of headlines. Recalls and delayed deliveries due to defective or incompatible electrical/electronic (E/E) components are the order of the day for almost all automotive OEMs. One of the main reasons for these problems is a lack of integration between electronic design, software programming and overall vehicle development. To help automotive OEMs and their suppliers address these problems, PROSTEP AG has set up a new subsidiary, PROSTEP IMP, which was launched on 1 September. The founding of this new company also involved taking over the technology of the company CAPEWARE Technologies GmbH and several of their projects.
"The mechanics, electronics and software in a vehicle must be in perfect harmony with one another. This holds true as early as in the development phase. Founding PROSTEP IMP allows us to make a contribution toward helping automotive OEMs and their suppliers master this challenge better in the future", says Dr. Bernd Pätzold, Chairman of the Board of PROSTEP AG and one of the managing directors of the new subsidiary.
The integration of mechanical, electronics and software development is one of the great challenges facing the automotive industry since electronics are gradually emerging as the key competitive differentiator. The number of E/E components and systems in vehicles is increasing as rapidly as their share of the added value. 90 percent of all innovations in product development are electronics or software related, and up to 40 percent of the manufacturing costs of a vehicle are determined by the software and electronics.
A large number of high-end vehicles incorporate up to 70 different electronic control units (ECUs), which communicate via a variety of bus systems. Mastering this system complexity makes extremely high demands with regard to managing product data and processes, which usually span a number of different system suppliers. And it requires electronics and software-related know-how that many OEMs no longer have within their own company.
As an external service partner, PROSTEP IMP provides companies in the automotive industry with the requisite know-how. Core competences of the new PROSTEP subsidiary include the integration of the growing proportion of E/E development into existing mechanical product development, the management of E/E product data, and the optimization of communication between OEMs and their suppliers in E/E development. The company also provides its customers with support when establishing integrated function and architecture development processes.
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