Improper product design data exchange can cause catastrophic errors and waste. Automation is the answer to reduce human errors.
Rocket Software has sponsored this post.
Over the course of 2020, the shift to virtual communication has shown that miscommunication, by something as simple as misreading someone’s tone, can be devastating to our wellbeing—both physically, mentally and financially. However, the risks associated with human error and miscommunication are already well established in the engineering world.
A simple Google search brings a litany of examples of miscommunication due to human error, many of which resulted in failure. For instance, the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse of 1981 could be traced back to a series of miscommunications between engineers, designers, technicians and fabricators. After a late-stage design change, various people working on the project lost track of what calculations were performed, while others assumed the work was already done. These mistakes and assumptions resulted in the loss of 114 people.
NASA has a more modern example. The Columbia Shuttle disaster was caused by a piece of foam that damaged the craft’s thermal protection system. However, since the disaster, NASA has noted that a breakdown of communication was a contributing factor to errors in the flight safety assessment. These communication breakdowns occurred in pre-flight and after the damage from the foam was known.
This only goes to show that human error and miscommunication are not a thing of the past. And they are not limited to government agencies like NASA. However, the secrecy that surrounds the private sector means that you don’t always hear about these errors—unless there is a recall, injury or legal blowback.
Nonetheless, errors and miscommunication do occur. For instance, according to the Vanson Bourne 2017 report “After the Fall: Cost, Causes and Consequences of Unplanned Downtime,” 19 percent of all unplanned downtime is triggered by human error. In the manufacturing sector, that number jumps to 23 percent. Clearly, designers, engineers, external partners and other product design stakeholders need ways to share information that eliminates the potential of these errors.
Many product design errors can be solved internally by implementing product lifecycle management (PLM) and integrated computer-aided design (CAD) tools. One of the many functions of PLM is to offer companies a single source of truth for their products and workflows.
However, when you share information, especially CAD data, between disparate PLM systems and/or from one organization to another, the product design data exchange (PDX) can still be a source of error. To learn more about this phenomena, and how to address it, continue reading and watch the webinar “The High Cost of Mismanaged Product Design Data Exchange and How to Avoid It.”
Product Design Data Exchange: A Common Source of Communication Errors in Engineering
The challenges of PDX tend to show up when engineers share complex data, such as CAD models, from one organization to another. Since companies will have different design processes and CAD/PLM systems, traditionally there are various manual processes needed to transfer the data correctly.
In a recent eBook, Rocket Software explains that “if you’re a Tier 1 or OEM in a large manufacturing industry (such as automotive, aerospace or transportation), efficiently sharing your high-value product IP across the supply chain can be a competitive differentiator. Yet, in far too many companies, exchanging CAD assemblies is still a tedious, manual process for engineers.”
Something as simple as file name conventions can create hours of PDX work. For example, say your company uses “Product_Assembly_Version_Date” as a CAD naming convention, but an OEM customer you deal with uses “Date_Version_Product_Assembly.”
An assembly could have hundreds, even thousands, of parts and each part will need its own CAD file. Therefore, every time there is a design change, it could take hours to rename, convert and organize all the files for a successful PDX. Keep in mind, if this manual process has a single error, it could cost hours of rework. If the error is undetected, it could cost a lot more through time-consuming rework, incorrect tooling and manufacturing issues.
“Product design data exchange is a complex series of steps that must work together perfectly across the supply chain. Errors or delays in data exchange preparation can have a domino effect,” Rocket Software wrote. “An international supplier of automotive parts found this out the hard way when a tooling partner received the wrong (out-of-date) CAD file and started machining. The cost? $3 million,” and obvious reputational damage.
The more OEM customers, partners and suppliers you work with, the bigger this file naming problem gets. And remember, file names aren’t the only PDX challenge to overcome between organizations. PDX is further complicated if:
- CAD files need to be converted so they can be read and managed by different systems.
- Design standards and processes differ between collaborating organizations.
- Design changes happen often to ensure products are brought to market on time.
How Automation Eliminates Data Exchange Mistakes and Simplifies Workflows
The best way to deal with the human errors associated with PDX is to automate the communication process. This will reduce errors, free your employees to work on other tasks and improve data integrity.
“Small product design data exchange missteps can result in downstream delays and problems,” Rocket Software wrote. “It can really add up in lost time and money. Automated PDX will slip right into your design and PLM processes.”
To automate the PDX process, engineers will need to:
- Map PLM data models.
- Create quality assurance processes.
- Utilize automated data transfer technologies.
To map a data model, you need to coordinate with the partners, customers and OEMs you transfer data to, then configure your PLM solutions in a way that meets your internal needs and the needs of these organizations. This will streamline the data transfer process and document the changes that need to be done to ensure accurate PDX.
Once all the changes are documented in the mapping step, the next step is to produce a quality assurance process to check files for any errors. There are various third-party solutions that could plug into a PLM and/or PDX system—to learn more, check out the eBook. Once the transaction is proven to be error free, it can be processed.
To perform the actual data transfer process, you can turn to automation tools such as Rocket TRUfusion Enterprise. The PDX tool enforces security, protects IP and audits/streamlines the data transfer process. Some of the software’s features include the ability to:
- Import/export between various PLM systems.
- Map attributes and names between CAD and PLM systems.
- Check CAD quality.
- Convert between CAD file formats.
- Package files together and send them within minutes.
- Ensure the correct recipients.
“Rocket TRUfusion Enterprise helps its users automate all the key steps when both sending and receiving product design data, integrated with their CAD and PLM systems, to facilitate round-trip design collaboration with key supply chain partners,” said P. Gary Gregory, President, Database and Connectivity Business Unit at Rocket Software.
By utilizing Rocket TRUfusion Enterprise, a $20B+ Tier 1 automotive supplier reported that the tool reduced its total PDX workhours by 95 percent. To learn more about the tool, and how to further limit the errors associated with PDX, watch the webinar “The High Cost of Mismanaged Product Design Data Exchange and How to Avoid It.”