A New Way to Develop Connected Products with an Integration Platform

Integrating authoring tools with the SAP Product Lifecycle Management is a cornerstone of strategy for connected products

Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, GermanyNov. 21, 2014SAP SE announced the availability of the new offering for authoring tool integration, the SAP Engineering Control Center integration tool for computer-aided design (CAD) systems. This announcement marks the next phase to simplify the integration of authoring tools along the value chain for SAP customers, enabling the comprehensive digital description of products.

Increasing customer demand for individualized products together with the trend of designing products for the Internet of Things is creating increased product complexity. It is a challenge for engineers who develop products that are a combination of mechanics, electronics and software to manage product data efficiently and to streamline development processes across disciplines.

SAP Engineering Control Center enables companies to deliver innovative products and services with shorter time to market, and will support a new, pioneering way of developing products. Authoring tools such as CAD software are the birthplace of product design. Integrating these tools with the SAP Product Lifecycle Management (SAP PLM) application is a cornerstone of SAP’s strategy for connected products and this integration enables companies across manufacturing to make the right decisions with the right stakeholders to scale innovations promptly.

SAP Engineering Control Center is part of SAP’s broader effort to strengthen relationships with the partner ecosystem, enabling partners to address even the most complex customer challenges. The integration tool leverages the experience of DSC Software AG, a development partner of SAP, while other CAD integration partners, including CENIT, CIDEON and .riess engineering, provide the new interfaces to leading authoring tools.

“The launch of this new platform is part of SAP´s strategic vision to simplify and expand its offering for research and development, and engineering,” said Hans Thalbauer, senior vice president, Extended Supply Chain, SAP. “With this new integration platform for authoring tools into SAP PLM, we are laying the foundation for systems engineering, and delivering intuitive user experiences that are both engineering friendly and flexible for future growth.”

Interfaces for the following authoring tools are available: AutoCAD, PTC Creo, CATIA V5, NX, SolidWorks, Solid Edge and Inventor.

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