Discovering Cost Savings in the DoD by Automating the 3D Digital Design Data Delivery Process

ITI, the Product Data Interoperability business within International TechneGroup Incorporated (ITI), announced today that they are leading The Customer/Supplier Interoperability (CSI) during Collaborative Design project for the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Defense Manufacturing Science & Technology Program.

The CSI project will demonstrate automated processes to provide 3D digital data to customers, suppliers, and partners and validate the anticipated cost savings. Along with ITI, the CSI team is comprised of Lockheed Martin, Honeywell Aerospace and Rockwell Collins, end user companies who have real world examples and experience in sharing information during the collaborative design phase. ATI will facilitate CSI as the Prime Contractor for PDES, Inc., the consortium of government, industry and university organizations serving as a Technical Advisory Committee for the project.

The CSI project will attack the problem of sharing product information during the collaborative phase of design. Some of the challenges include: differing data requirements across contracts, including standards-based and native-based submittals; supporting native-based submittals for specific CAD systems, versions and model manipulation rules; enabling companies to support very complex requirements based on the depth and complexity of the supply chain and the product; minimizing the investment that companies make to manually convert the data or to install, maintain and train engineers on the systems and rules specified in each of the contracts.

The CSI solution will provide automation that eliminates the manual effort required to support variations in data submittal requirements. The automation will be built as a module of ITI’s DEXcenter solution line. The environment will provide software (utilities, applications, scripts, etc.) elements that automate each specific item in the contract as well as contract language mapping that provides the ability to map internal model characteristics to the contract specified characteristics without programming. Workflows will be included that execute the software in a specified sequence based on each contract and dynamically change to improve the conversion results. Database capabilities to store and use information about contracts, programs, customers, partners, suppliers, translators, ITAR, PIA’s, etc. that can be reused across a program for consistent data sharing and regulatory compliance are also part of ITI’s DEXcenter solution.

The benefits of the CSI project include cost reduction in the upfront design phases when collaboration requirements drive data sharing on a day-to-day basis and reduced time to market by eliminating delays in manual preparation of product data for sharing and delivery. The CSI project will tackle the highest cost elements of interoperability in the context of collaborative design, technical data packages, design-to-packages and build-to-packages.

February 7, 2011 - ITI announced today the release of Proficiency Collaboration Gateway 9.0, the latest edition of its leading Feature Based CAD Interoperability solution for manufacturers and their suppliers. Collaboration Gateway enables the transfer of complete design intelligence between major CAD systems which includes geometry, features, sketches, manufacturing info, metadata, assembly information and drawings in the conversion process.

Major enhancements in version 9.0 which significantly improve data exchange performance and overall quality include:

ITI TranscenData, the product data interoperability business of International TechneGroup Incorporated (ITI), announces a new 30-minute webinar, titled, “Achieving Lean Goals through Automated Remastering.”  The webinar is derived from a presentation accepted by conference officials for the 2010 Boeing-Northrop Grumman Global Product Data Interoperability Summit.

DEXcenter protects intellectual property and armed forces by providing robust, secure and accountable data exchange at leading military vehicle manufacturer

International TechneGroup Incorporated (ITI) announced today that its DEXcenter solution is playing a fundamental role at Force Protection, Inc. (FPI). FPI manufactures defense products and vehicles for use in the military and has made a major contribution to the safety of armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan through technology specifically designed to withstand mine explosions. FPI’s MRAP (mine-resistant ambush-protected) armored vehicles feature a unique V-shaped hull designed to deflect blasts from improvised explosive devices (IEDs), minimizing danger for the occupants and maximizing the chances of repairing the vehicle itself after an explosion.

ITI has released a new case study detailing how FPI is using DEXcenter to establish and maintain global standards for security and accountability in their engineering process. Two-and-a-half years ago FPI set out to put in place a process and framework to meet their needs for security and accountability. The company was growing very fast and could no longer rely on the FTP-based system that was being used up to that point. In its search for a robust solution that would automate encryption and tracking but would not be a burden to users, FPI found DEXcenter.

DEXcenter is designed to offer OEMs like FPI a platform for technical data packaging (TDP) and validation. Not only does it provide users with a straightforward interface for arranging the transfer of the large files typically associated with complex design and engineering data, it can also be configured to automate TDP process and validate the package prior to delivery. DEXcenter provides all the tools needed not just for transferring design data from one point in the engineering supply chain to another, but also for ensuring that the data is ready-to-use when it gets there. The fact that it does so via a user interface no more complicated than an email system and is backed up with a suite of process management tools was very attractive to FPI.

DEXcenter has been deployed throughout FPI’s engineering teams, and is now used for all design and engineering data transfer. FPI has identified DEXcenter’s main plus points as control, flexibility, security and ease of use. A specific benefit for FPI is the ability to have monthly logs of all data transfer activities, a key requirement for the US government. FPI began with a DEXcenter implementation in the US and now plans to expand use to its European team.  As an FPI Senior Data Transfer Administrator concludes, “DEXcenter is making it possible for us to establish and maintain global standards for security and accountability.”

International TechneGroup Incorporated (ITI) announced today that their President, Don Hemmelgarn, has joined the Association for Enterprise Information (AFEI) Board of Directors.

JULY 26, 2010 - International TechneGroup Incorporated (ITI) announced today that it will be using its presence at two industry events later this year to showcase the key role CADfix, its flagship CAD translation and repair software, has played in an exciting new engineering project. CADfix has played a fundamental part in the development of the BLOODHOUND Supersonic Car (SSC), a car that has been designed to smash the land-speed record by clocking more than 1,000 miles per hour. ITI will be explaining the role of CADfix in the design and analysis phase of the project on its stand at the Siemens PLM Europe conference in Linz, Austria from October 18 - 20, where the BLOODHOUND team will also be giving a keynote presentation, and at Aero Engineering 2010 in Birmingham, UK from September 29 - 30.

ITI TranscenData Moves from Gold Partner to Platinum Partner

ITI TranscenData, the developer of CADIQ, CADfix, DEXcenter and Proficiency, announced today that it has moved from Gold Partner to PlatinumPartner within PTC’s PartnerAdvantage™ Program.  The upgrade to the Platinum Partnership, which provides enhanced access to a comprehensive suite of capabilities, allows for notable enhancements within ITI TranscenData’sCADIQ solution. CADIQ is the leading CAD model validation application that identifies model-based design issues that adversely impact downstream processes, such as tooling, simulation and manufacturing.

ITI TranscenData announced today the release of Proficiency Collaboration Gateway 8.2, the latest edition of its leading Feature Based CAD Interoperability solution for manufacturers and their suppliers. Collaboration Gateway enables the transfer of complete design intelligence between major CAD systems which includes geometry, features, sketches, manufacturing info, metadata, assembly information and drawings in the conversion process.

ITI TranscenData announced today the release of CADIQ 6.1, the latest edition of its leading CAD model validation application that identifies model-based design issues that adversely impact downstream processes, such as tooling, simulation and manufacturing.