Andover, MA August 22, 2001 Engineers in General Motors' electrical organization are using a system engineering environment from I-Logix to bring new features to market faster and at lower costs through increased collaboration with the company's external suppliers, according to an announcement today from the solution provider.
GM's North American Product Engineering department is using I-Logix's Statemate MAGNUM to develop specifications for software in core vehicle functions, which include all the body electrical functions.
GM engineers use the software to capture requirements, develop system models and produce executable specifications of system and software functionality, thereby enabling improved communication with the company's external suppliers, according to I-Logix. This allows the suppliers to "test drive" specifications before writing any software, which the solution provider says can eliminate ambiguity common with textural specifications and improving communications, resulting in reduced time to market.
"Since GM began using I-Logix' Statemate MAGNUM, our suppliers have been delivering higher-quality code from the specifications, that are often accurate on the first try," said Carol Johnson, engineering group manager, General Motors. "Using this tool, systems design teams are able to discuss actual models at a greater depth with our suppliers, which reduces the number of software iterations and eliminates any hardware iterations. Most importantly, we're now able to efficiently specify distributed body control systems - across multiple electronic control units from numerous suppliers - within a single car."
In addition, I-Logix reported that GM's engineers are working to share designs between development teams, fostering standardization and increased collaboration among GM's internal departments.
