Ford Expands Adoption of EAI's Digital Prototyping and Human Simulation Solutions
5 January 1999
Ford Expands Adoption of EAI's Digital Prototyping and Human Simulation Solutions
Ford's Expanded Use of EAI's Solutions Will Play a Significant Role in Ford's
C3P Initiative to Streamline Ford's Processes and Drive Down its Vehicle
Development Time and Costs
AMES, Iowa, Jan. 5 -- Engineering Animation, Inc.
, today announced that Ford Motor Company has expanded
its adoption of EAI's solutions to enable unlimited enterprise-wide use of
EAI's VisMockUp(R) digital prototyping and Jack(R) human simulation solutions.
Ford, which has already standardized on EAI's VisView(TM) product
visualization solutions, has expanded its adoption of EAI's VisMockUp and Jack
human simulation solutions to enable departments throughout Ford, including
engineering, manufacturing, product support and marketing to easily access,
view, mark up, analyze and perform human simulation studies on digital models.
The deployment of EAI's VisMockUp and Jack human simulation solutions
throughout Ford will play a significant role in Ford's C3P initiative, a
project that integrates the company's computer-aided design, engineering and
manufacturing into a global, seamless, unified system that encompasses all
stages of vehicle and component development. The system will lead to
significant improvements in quality and time-to-market while drastically
reducing costly late development changes.
"EAI is dedicated to Ford's mission of streamlining its processes to
reduce its product development time and costs," said EAI President and CEO
Matthew Rizai. "The use of EAI's digital prototyping and human simulation
solutions throughout Ford will allow Ford to expand its expertise in digital
prototyping and to evaluate human performance in a digital environment."
EAI's VisProducts are tightly integrated with Structural Dynamics Research
Corporation's I-DEAS (R), Ford's computer-aided design (CAD)
system; SDRC's Metaphase Enterprise(R), the company's product data management
(PDM) system, and Tecnomatix's RobCad(R) for manufacturing simulation.
EAI's VisMockUp provides Ford with digital prototyping and product
visualization capabilities as well as assembly analysis and collaborative
tools to discover design flaws early in the development process throughout
Ford's product development, manufacturing and service organizations. This
agreement provides Ford the opportunity to package and distribute VisMockUp to
meet its business requirements and the needs of specific applications.
EAI's Jack human simulation solutions, which became part of the EAI family
of solutions through the recent acquisition of Transom Technologies, Inc.,
will be used to evaluate the human factors throughout many aspects of the
design process. This human simulation environment will enable quick and easy
analysis of common human tasks without having to build physical prototypes.
About EAI
EAI is the leading producer of enterprise-wide visual process management,
collaboration and communication solutions. EAI' family of enterprise
visualization solutions, which includes the VisProducts suite and
VisFactory(TM) suite, provide major manufacturers with the ability to analyze,
simulate and communicate product and process knowledge throughout the
enterprise. The VisProducts suite of product visualization and digital
prototyping solutions enable early discovery and communication of design and
assembly issues with all team members. The VisFactory suite of factory layout
and design solutions allows quick design and analysis of an entire factory to
maximize its efficiency.
EAI's solutions improve business practices and communication, resulting in
improved efficiency, quality and time to market. By leveraging digital assets
early in the process, companies are more closely linked across organizational
boundaries and with their suppliers and partners. EAI maintains its corporate
headquarters and technology center in Ames, Iowa, and has offices worldwide.