Koito Manufacturing Cuts Product Development Time with Product Lifecycle Management Solutions from IBM and Dassault Systemes
TOKYO & PARIS--July 17, 2003--Automotive lighting equipment leader uses solutions to create
revolutionary product development methodology
- reduces development cycles substantially
IBM and Dassault Systemes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) today announced that Koito Manufacturing has deployed a ground-breaking product development methodology for automotive lighting equipment development using IBM PLM Solutions with software from Dassault Systemes.
Koito's powerful PLM platform is made up of IBM and Dassault Systemes' CATIA(R) V5 for collaborative virtual product development and SMARTEAM(R) for product data management, along with Dassault Systemes' DELMIA(TM) for digital manufacturing and processes simulation. These fully integrated applications are the foundation of Koito's innovative methodology, enabling the company to shorten its development cycle times and improve quality through automated shape design change updates, design error reduction, and assembly simulation and validation.
Koito has been a pioneer in the development of automotive lighting equipment using PLM technology from IBM and Dassault Systemes since 1985. Koito has oriented its competitive business strategy toward collaborative product development with the goal of increasing process efficiency and product quality for complex projects. The PLM platform provides a collaborative work environment for development teams and partners that increases development efficiency and product quality, spanning the entire development lifecycle from concept and design to manufacturing.
"The business environment for automotive suppliers such as Koito is becoming more challenging due to global competition, shorter time-to-market for vehicle manufacturers, and continued calls for cost reduction," said Shuichi Goto, executive senior managing director of Koito Manufacturing. "In order to maintain and enhance our positioning as a global leader, we needed to transform our business processes. We had to become more agile and flexible to meet and exceed our customers' demands. PLM technology from IBM and Dassault Systemes is helping us achieve our goal of becoming the innovative technology pioneer in the automotive lighting industry."
"Koito's successful implementation of our Solutions is an ideal showcase of the benefits of Dassault Systemes' integrated PLM offer," said Etienne Droit, executive vice president of Sales and Marketing, Dassault Systemes. "Koito uses CATIA V5 and its Knowledge technology to reuse valuable corporate data, SMARTEAM to manage and share engineering data, and DELMIA to define, simulate and validate how the products are built - incorporating manufacturing processes and resources. Since all three solutions are linked through a central Product, Process, Resource (PPR) hub, development teams and partners can collaborate in real time, which is key to maintaining a competitive advantage as the globalization trend continues."
Koito Manufacturing Co Ltd.
Koito Manufacturing Co Ltd., established in 1936, is a manufacturer of lighting equipment and electrical goods. Operations are carried out through the following divisions: automobile lighting equipment (headlamps, car lamps, all-glass sealed beam lamp units, rear lamps, indicators, high mount stop lamps and halogen bulbs); other lighting equipment and electrical equipment (road traffic signals, traffic control systems, sanitary equipment and control systems for rail transport); other (aircraft lights, hydrodynamic machinery, environmental control systems, air conditioning equipment, various electric applications equipment, various special equipment, transportation, finance & insurance). Information about Koito Manufacturing Co Ltd. is available at http://www.koito.co.jp
About IBM
IBM is the world's largest technological company, providing leadership and innovation throughout the world for more than 80 years. IBM is the largest supplier of "hardware", "software" and Information Technology services, and pioneered the development and implementation of "e-business" solutions. IBM Sales & Distribution, which supports more than a dozen key industries worldwide, works with companies of all sizes around the world to deploy the full range of IBM technologies. The fastest way to get more information about IBM is through the IBM home page at http://www.ibm.com
About Dassault Systemes
As world leader in PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) solutions, the Dassault Systemes group brings value to more than 65,000 customers in 80 countries. A pioneer in the 3D software market since 1981, Dassault Systemes develops and markets PLM application software and services that support industrial processes and provide a 3D vision of the entire life cycle of products from conception to retirement. Its offering includes PLM integrated solutions for product development (CATIA, ENOVIA, DELMIA, SMARTEAM), general-use 3D solutions (SolidWorks), and 3D components (SPATIAL). Dassault Systemes is listed on the Nasdaq (DASTY) and Euronext Paris (#13065, DSY.PA) stock exchanges.
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