The automotive market has experienced some bumps in the road over the past decade including a recession, increasingly tightened fuel-economy and pollution standards, strict government regulations and rapid market growth in developing countries. There are a few companies who planned for these challenges by investing in technology and resources to not only remain solvent, but increase their competitive advantage.

Leading automotive companies have invested in realistic simulation technology to increase their capacity to innovate. By integrating Simulation with their 3D design software and product data management solutions, these organizations are not only improving their product development efficiency, they are also achieving better performance; speeding up product development time; meeting industry standards and regulations; and addressing environmental factors like fuel emissions.

As featured in Driving Innovation with Realistic Simulation*, Dana Holding Corporation decided to change their mindset from a cost/manufacturing driven company to an engineering-driven one. Simulation technology helped them speed up the product development process, capture data to optimize the product and provide their engineers more freedom to innovate. With this new approach, they now look at improving a product from a quality and function perspective. Innovation that was supported by the right engineering tools made Dana a much more competitive company.

Environmental conservation and rapid market growth in developing countries can slow down even the most cutting edge automotive innovators. Model-based development (MBD) is a process used by automobile manufacturers to support these changes by expanding and optimizing the use of CAE. Simulation provides the capacity to handle changes at any point in the development process, reduce the need for physical prototypes, and evaluate product quality and specification with virtual analysis, testing and validation. The increased speed of product development fueled by simulation allows automobile manufactures to handle changes at a faster pace and with increased accuracy. Labor intensive workflows and conflicting requirements – such as designing a quiet engine without too much vibration – are streamlined through the use of simulation and repeatable processes.

Consumer and regulatory challenges are almost the ‘yin and yang’ of the automotive market – from design and aesthetic choices to demands for improved performance and efficiency. Automotive leaders now have the room to innovate while addressing industry demands through the use of simulation. Noise and vibration reduction, decreased fuel consumption and increased engine acceleration are just a few of the areas where leaders are making great strides.

The Driving Innovation with Realistic Simulation* eBook series shares how six automotive OEMs and suppliers adopted Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE® platform and its Global Validation, Proven Performance industry solution experience to increase their designers innovative capacity. By integrating realistic simulation into their processes, these leaders have enhanced product quality, saved cycle time and reduced development costs.

Download Driving Innovation with Realistic Simulation – Volume 2

Part 2 of this eBook series shares more in-depth information on how 3 automotive companies are using Dassault Systèmes’ simulation technology to speed up the product development process while ensuring accuracy, meeting consumer demands and addressing industry standards and regulations.

Simulation technology helped these leaders streamline the design process, expand innovative capacity, speed up product development and gain huge competitive advantages

Click here if you missed Volume 1 which shares the stories of 3 automotive companies who are designing lightweight vehicles and components with Dassault Systèmes’ simulation solutions to improve performance, increase fuel efficiency and infuse innovation into their product development process.