September 2011

In this issue:

The Journey to Data Integration

Siemens Analyst Conference 2011

Information – the most important business asset!

Daista approach to Data Integration

Links:

Download "The Daista uIP a platform for data integration and interoperability solutions" White Paper

Download Datamation PLM Model 2010 report

Contact Datamation

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Datamation Limited, 95, High Street, Girton, Cambridge, CB3 0QQ, UK
Tel: +44 1223 572 579, www.datamation.co.uk

Today companies buy information systems to support their business processes, e.g. supporting the design process with a CAD system, ERP for planning and controlling materiel, etc. These are large and complex systems with their own built in data models. In addition, business users in their quest for information to support the decisions they have to make typically create their own reports using readily available applications such as Excel or Access; this is often true even when sophisticated business intelligence systems are overlaid on top of the monolithic information systems. The result is that corporate information is dispersed in multitudes of loosely coupled or unconnected databases; some of which are proprietary.

Constructing information from data in different databases through the use various intermediary applications does not create an integrated coherent whole. Efforts to extract, transform and load data into neutral databases are expensive to implement and require ongoing investment to maintain corporate data as applications change. Maintenance of data quality and integrity is therefore a constant battle. Add to this the need for data longevity where data is needed to support products and services for many years; often for longer than the currency of the information system that created it and it is clear that data management is a major challenge imposing a significant ongoing financial burden.

Data and the information that is derived from it is of course a key corporate asset the loss of control over corporate data inhibits companies from realising their investment in information assets with a resultant loss of competitiveness, inefficient business processes and a lost opportunity for innovation.

Changing the focus from the integration of systems to integration of information assets offers a different approach. This requires companies to take a more coherent and holistic view of how their information assets can deliver value to their business. It requires businesses to consider their information requirements without the external constraints that come with use of proprietary data models.

Standards have a big role to play in this approach. But the role they play has to change from an enabler for data exchange processes to supporting controlled Shared Data Environments. While this cannot happen overnight, there is a lot that can be done today to move in this direction.

At this event we will hear about the data integration challenges faced by the Defence Industry in managing data across a range of contracting models that increasingly see Industry taking on significant risk in managing data when supporting capabilities through life. A speaker from BAE Systems will describe how that company approaches the challenges it faces in particular the problem of data longevity. Nigel Newling, LSC will then explore a real case in some detail by describing how the Aircraft Carrier Alliance is addressing data integration.

Kais Al-Timimi from Datamation will introduce his concept of true data integration and how it is different from current approaches. He will take us through the various stages organisations go through as their data integration capability matures. This will be followed by Professor Michael Henshaw from the Loughborough University Systems Engineering Innovation Centre will give us an overview of good practice in data integration in the context of a systems engineering approach.

After lunch we will pick up on this theme with David Camm from the MOD Systems Engineering Integration Group who will explore data integration in relation to the MOD System of Systems Approach, (SOSA). Phil Rutland from the MOD logistics Network Enabled Capability, (LogNEC) team will then describe how the MOD is using standards as part of its approach to data integration.

Having heard from the speakers, there will then be an opportunity to ask questions of them as they join in a facilitated discussion.

Click here for full seminar information, programme and registration

Siemens PLM Software 2011 Analyst Conference

 ‘Smarter decisions, better products’ was the theme for the 2011 Siemens PLM Software (SPLMS) Analyst Conference held this year on in a wet and windy Boston MA (Hurricane Katia?!) Notwithstanding the irony, and having added 3,000 new customers in the last the 12 months to the existing family of 67,000 customers worldwide, it was no wonder that Tony Affuso, SPLMS Chairman and CEO, was naturally ebullient about the Company performance on the back of six quarters of steady growth, strong double-digit license revenue growth and the anticipation to exceed profitability and cash flow targets as fiscal 2011 draws to a close.

 With 7.2m seats now deployed, the Company is going into fiscal 2012 on the back of the strongest new business pipeline in its history based on its policy of continuous innovation across its entire product range: NX and Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology and HD3D; Tecnomatix with Dimensional Quality and Virtual Commissioning; Simulation with Multi-discipline Simulation together with Design/Simulation Integration, and Teamcenter, with HD Validation, Visual Reporting and ‘Teamcenter Mobility’ that enables business interaction ‘on the move’  - giving the user the ability to capture and contribute knowledge, browse product structures and initiate workflow processes.

 The NX presentation provided comfort for those involved in those Industry sectors typified by having global reach and global supply chains, and brought to mind comments made earlier this year in respect to the changing face of the Defence market. Consider the following: Zachs Investment Research produced an analysis on the US Defence market, the findings of which could be equally ascribed to this side of the Atlantic. One conclusion drawn by Zachs was that major Defence contractors have, in response to Defence budget cuts are ‘resorting to bolt-on acquisitions to plug holes in their product offerings’ and are also ‘entering into strategic alliances and partnerships with competitors to improve their prospects to close major contracts. 

My view is that the lifecycle of PLM software systems is very complicated - as complicated as the Defence capability product lifecycle they are managing, and to change existing systems, or merge differing systems, can be a minefield. Re-use of existing systems is technically challenging, and common toolsets will enhance interoperability and reduce training and through life support costs. The SPLMS NX strategy to provide this comfort factor is three pronged: intelligently integrated Information which provides for integrated solutions for complete product engineering; a future-proofed Architecture that is open, scalable and provides for a standards-based environment, and finally, an ‘HD user experience’ that provides an environment whereby Engineers can access PLM information quickly to support their decision making.  

A notable point also made during this presentation was that ISO acceptance of JT as a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) should be realized by year end, and is the culmination of a multi-year effort initiated by the JT Open Program Technical Review Board and corporate members to obtain ISO recognition for JT as a standard for data retention and assimilation.  

As Angelia Herrin Editor, Special Products and Research for the Harvard Business Review noted in her presentation: Closing The Gap: Smarter New Product Development and Better Decisions, we now are operating in a new industrial landscape and the challenge is to Improve the practice of Management and its impact in a changing world: SPLMS would seem to be ideally positioned to deliver to this landscape.

 Amongst a flurry of product updates and enhancements was the news that BAE Systems Submarine Solutions had signed a multi-million pound contract in March 2011 to standardize on Teamcenter for the development of its next generation submarine. This, according to the Press Release on Sept 7th announcing the deal, will enable BAE Systems Submarine Solutions to drive productivity improvements, establish common processes and enhance global collaboration across the lifecycle of this important new submarine programme. The Teamcenter deployment supports a business strategy vision which seeks to ensure that BAE Systems Submarine Solutions can reliably, predictably and affordably deliver submarines to the Royal Navy, and will serve as the information backbone of the product development process, managing all of the information generated needed to design, build, commission and support a nuclear submarine.  

Always important at events like these are customer exemplars, and this year was no exception. Rolls-Royce, Applied Materials, Lexmark, Automotive Fuel Cell Corporation, Edison2, Aerojet and CCMM all contributed valuable insight into aspects of their business where successful implementation of PLM solutions was vital in achieving their respective business goals. The companies presenting at the Conference were from a wide range of Industry sectors:  Aerospace& Defence (18% of Revenue mix based on FY12 ytd); Automotive & Transportation (30%); Machinery & Industrial Equipment (16%); High Tech& Electronics (13%) and Shipbuilding, Energy CPG & Life Sciences (23%).  

PLM is all about managing complexity, and as part the Siemens Industry Automation Division and of the $103bn (fiscal 2010) Siemens AG, SPLMS seems well positioned in helping to achieve the aspirations of manufacturing enterprise around the world that characterise their business by the watchwords of complexity, globalisation, productivity and innovation. 

The final words come not from this Conference, but from a Siemens PLM Connection UK 2011 event held recently. In summing up, a Manager from Perkins Engines made the comment ‘ I can now ask any question’ in relation to his business. Such is the power of PLM.

 For more details, go to Siemens PLM Software, www.siemens.com/PLM. For other information on this report or PLM issues in general email: dminfo@datamation.co.uk

David Pearce, David Pearce & Associates.

In today’s global market no business can survive without an effective information infrastructure. Every aspect of a major programme such as building a ship, aircraft, or process plant relies, in one way or another, on every stakeholder having access to the right information where, when, and in the format they want it. Yet, this is far from reality in most organisations, as information assets are scattered over a variety of disjointed systems and legacy storage media.

Making the information readily usable, is very challenging as the data has to be reformatted and checked for consistency and integrity every time it is used. Each such action adds unnecessary cost and degrades data quality. Indeed, the cost of implementation related services typically account for over 50% of total capital cost of a data management system. In normal operations, these activities become an overhead without adding value to the business. In collaborative environments involving multiple external stakeholders the complexity and the related cost is even higher.

Furthermore, the risks associates with using poor quality data should not be under estimated. Though these are difficult to quantify, it is easy to appreciate the potential downside, when errors can result in expensive rework or even scraping as well as leading to projects to run over time and asset down times are lengthened.

Therefore, over the lifecycle of a programme, see figure below for process plant, these costs add to a significant percentage of the capital and operating costs. Where margins are already low, these costs make the difference between running a profitable or loss making operation.

In short, removing, or at least reducing, disjointedness between business systems can make a direct and significant impact on the bottom line. So how can it be achieved, given that this problem has been getting bigger, not smaller over time. The answer lies in directing the management focus on building and maintaining an information infrastructure that supports the whole business, from the current focus of buying point solutions to support specific business processes.

This change of focus is particularly important in long lifecycle products or programmes where asset information needs to be available throughout the lifecycle. That is, it must extend beyond the lifespan of any business application. This can only be achieved by decoupling the information assets from the applications. Daista Software, a Datamation sister company, has developed a data integration platform that helps companies achieve this through building an integrated information infrastructure that is usable concurrently by multiple applications within a controlled shared environment. See next item below.

For further information, contact Dr Kais Al-Timimi, +44 7780 605 969.

Daista approach to Data Integration

Daista will demonstrate its Data Integration approach at the forthcoming UKCeB seminar entitled: The Journey to Data Integration on 28th September 2011, see seminar announcement above. The demonstration will in four parts:

Part 1 : Demonstrate the key capabilities of the Daista universal Integration Platform (uIP)

Part 2: Show that it is possible to use user defined neutral / standards as native data models for applications

Part 3: Show how to configure the Daista database to support different business environments, e.g. corporate and collaborative environments

Part 4: Show how multiple applications (used by different stakeholders) can seamlessly share a common database without the need for data exchange processes.

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