Cooperation without Borders
Bosch produces and develops automotive components in several European countries. Development and production engineers in geographically dispersed teams use 3D models to collaborate.
The fuel pump in the gas tank's in-tank assembly looks inconspicuous. But it's a good example of how Bosch, an international company, develops and manufactures products in distributed teams. The network has two principal nodes: All initiatives originate at the Schwieberdingen development location (1), which is home to the higher-level project coordination. The development flows eventually converge at the Budweis location (3), where the individual components are assembled into the complete in-tank unit.
Development teams at the components factories in Alcala (2a) and Bühl (2b) optimize specific components and coordinate production. They can use data lines to access design information and process data from a cooperation platform, and share their results.
If immediate personal contact is needed, R&D and production employees can communicate by phone or videoconference. They can view a 3D model of the current design on a display screen. And if they wish, they can rotate this 3D image, make measurements, discuss possible changes and document them.
The 3D model is a highly simplified version of a CAD design. It's intended for people who are not skilled in CAD applications. A sales engineer, for instance, can display the image on a 3D viewer to easily discuss design details with a customer. The simplified 3D model has given development, manufacturing, sales and service engineers a common language.
On their cooperation platform, development coordinators can select exactly what data will be made accessible to which team, supplier (S) or customer. Compared to conventional approaches, development teams like these have succeeded in reducing the time required for coordination and changes by one third on average.
Other advances have been made in the research project that supports such virtual teams. While Bosch product development and manufacturing teams have successfully been using the cooperation platform, external partners are now being integrated into pilot projects. The long-term goal is consistent utilization of 3D models throughout the entire value chain, including Service. That's why Bosch researchers are leading a joint working group of the VDA (German Automotive Industry Association) and the ProSTEP Society to establish a standard for industry-wide use of 3D models in the automobile industry.
Development teams at the components factories in Alcala (2a) and Bühl (2b) optimize specific components and coordinate production. They can use data lines to access design information and process data from a cooperation platform, and share their results.
If immediate personal contact is needed, R&D and production employees can communicate by phone or videoconference. They can view a 3D model of the current design on a display screen. And if they wish, they can rotate this 3D image, make measurements, discuss possible changes and document them.
The 3D model is a highly simplified version of a CAD design. It's intended for people who are not skilled in CAD applications. A sales engineer, for instance, can display the image on a 3D viewer to easily discuss design details with a customer. The simplified 3D model has given development, manufacturing, sales and service engineers a common language.
On their cooperation platform, development coordinators can select exactly what data will be made accessible to which team, supplier (S) or customer. Compared to conventional approaches, development teams like these have succeeded in reducing the time required for coordination and changes by one third on average.
Other advances have been made in the research project that supports such virtual teams. While Bosch product development and manufacturing teams have successfully been using the cooperation platform, external partners are now being integrated into pilot projects. The long-term goal is consistent utilization of 3D models throughout the entire value chain, including Service. That's why Bosch researchers are leading a joint working group of the VDA (German Automotive Industry Association) and the ProSTEP Society to establish a standard for industry-wide use of 3D models in the automobile industry.
