TraceParts (www.traceparts.com), compañía especializada en digital content management 3D, ha anunciado el despliegue de su solución en la empresa de ingeniería mecánica, Michelin, quien vende alrededor de 200 millones de llantas por año y que emplea a 2 mil personas a nivel mundial para gestionar el diseño, mantenimiento y operaciones de miles de máquinas en Michelin y sus sitios de subcontractor en cada continente. Más abajo el fragmento del comunicado de prensa en inglés.
Michelin has been using TraceParts 2D and 3D component content since 1995. To prevent designers from getting mired in electronic and printed catalogues offered by manufacturers, the Michelin Parts Library (MPL) was already limited to components that had been approved and codified by the Michelin methods department. The approved components were associated with a classification, a bilingual “group” description, and simplified 2D and 3D representations.
MPL Michelin Parts Library: “Methods” driving standardization Manuel Calamote, mechanical methods manager at Michelin, explains why standardization matters: “It naturally limits the diversity of parts used on our machines around the world, and the potential benefits in terms of costs and productivity are enormous: a purchasing policy centered on suppliers recognized for the quality, reliability and price of their articles, the rationalization of supplies, the optimization of stocks for machine operation and maintenance, etc. Not forgetting, of course, faster and more efficient design processes thanks to a large database of standardized components.”
In 2010 Michelin invited TraceParts to submit a RFQ for a new MPL project that specified a number of objectives that reflect its continuous improvement initiative:
•To provide in-house and at subcontractor machine designers with a comprehensive online component library of 2D and 3D CAD models that integrates seamlessly with their existing PDM solution;
•To update the online component library in real time as required by the methods department;
•To provide the global mechanical design offices with an open selection process, during the CAD phase of a project, that conforms to the component prioritizing system specified by the methods department: standardized, restricted use, prohibited or obsolete;
•To automate engineering requests to the methods team when the use of a non-standard component is needed;
•To deliver an interactive workflow, between designers and methods experts, for tracking, justifying, monitoring the processing of requests, and reporting component non-conformity;
•To be able to combine components from different suppliers, in the same Michelin item code, to facilitate interchangeability or integrate regional constraints within a tolerance defined by the methods team.
Judith Noyelle, IT support manager for the design office teams, headed the project, which is now being rolled out: “We want to provide our hundreds of designers, in-house and at our subcontractors, with a modern tool that reminds them of the importance of standardization for the Group while helping them design new machines more quickly and more efficiently. Specific requests from the Design Office for market components should be processed by the Methods department within 7 days. That doesn’t mean that the part will be standardized in that time. Methods may propose an alternative from among the listed components or suppliers, or they may decide to incorporate the component into the MPL database. In any case, a process will be initiated to find the best solution, and the request will be followed up.»