Boulder, CO January 24, 2002 Software company PlanetCAD this week rolled out its new solution for managing an enterprise's manufacturing data throughout the supply chain.
PlanetCAD says it developed SCS|Envoy specifically to automate the dissemination of all enterprise data distribution processes including engineering and product data, database information, financial and procurement information to multiple authorized recipients, thereby reducing the "down time" of lengthy manual processes.
"More and more manufacturers are sending more and more work outside the four walls of their companies," said Bill Bates, vice president for business development and channel solutions at PlanetCAD. "And while that affords companies economies in terms of driving down costs, it hasn't done anything necessarily to address the efficiency of engineering data."
Bates cited analyses showing that engineering data efficiency, in such industries as automotive manufacturing, can be as low as 20 to 30 percent.
SCS|Envoy incorporate corporate best practices for translating, handling and transmitting data securely, adding context to the data for each recipient, the solution provider said.
The software allows a company to set up "profiles" for potential data recipients, specifying the types of information that they should receive and in what formats, allowing, for example, senders to disseminate 3-D design files internally or to suppliers without having to worry about the format appropriate for each recipient.
The solution also automates the addition of information, such as confidentiality agreements and statements; project timelines; and the automated completion of manual tasks, such as engineering checklists.
"We believe that SCS|Envoy is unique in that it handles and processes 3-D engineering data in addition to other critical data used in the enterprise," said Bates.
Bates said the solution's ability to facilitate information exchange could help reduce manufacturers' time-to-market by getting "the right data out to the right people in a format that can be used immediately." Other potential benefits, according to PlanetCAD, include reduced employee/workstation down time, faster request for information (RFI)/request for quote (RFQ) response times from suppliers, along with more accurate RFQ cost estimates and faster manufacture from suppliers.
SCS|Envoy can integrate with existing business systems, data formats and processes, including enterprise resource planning, product data management and product lifecycle management systems, as well as computer-aided design, manufacturing and engineering solutions.
PlanetCAD has test-deployed SCS|Envoy at two manufacturers to date. Implementation times have been as short as three days but can range up to two weeks. The cost of the solution, which is priced on a per-server basis, would be about $90,000 to $100,000 for a large manufacturer, according to Bates.
The solution provider is currently targeting the solution at automotive and aerospace manufacturers, as well as other discrete manufacturers, such as electronics manufacturers.
