« 3D technology improves our client’s value chain », says Bruno Delahaye of Dassault Systèmes – 2/2

In what ways can 3D imaging technology maximize a firm’s competitive advantage ? This is a question that Bruno Delahaye, Julie Roger-Carel and myself discussed in a recent conversation. During our first discussion we talked about how 3D technology can improve sourcing of input materials and product design. In a follow-up discussion, we talked about how 3D technology improves manufacturing, marketing and sales.

I/ DS software improves manufacturing

Dassault Systèmes has digitized the manufacturing process itself, in order to optimize the manufacturing process. Based on consumer-created prototype, it addresses questions such as :

• How to make the prototype ? What are the prototype’s key components ? What component should be created first in order to maximize overall production efficiency?
• What component should be created second ?
• How should the manufacturing process be designed ?
• Which robot should be put at what place in order to improve the entire process?

Based on the product assembly order, manufacturing robots are positionned the manufacturing chain, in order to maximize efficiencies.

In other words, the program provides a sequence of fabrication that eliminates waste in the manufacturing process. But, the software doesn’t stop there ; it goes further and provides marketing material to facilitate distribution

II/ DS software improves marketing

3-D imaging renders the final images of what the product looks like and how it will be used in a given environment. For example, a newly designed car is rendered in 3D images. The client can see the car he’s created driving through city streets, as if it were real.

What’s important to understand is that the 3D imaging is rendered so absolutely realistically that the human eye cannot differentiate a real car that would have been filmed in a real city and the 3D rendering of a car that was created by the client. In other words, the consumer-created car looks just as real as any other car. This marketing material is used in stores to present the product to clients.

III/ DS software improves sales

Many innovators have a tendency to focus on the product and not on the experience. Dassault Systèmes has addressed that problem by showing films of how the product may be used in everyday life.

The software provides scenarios of how a new product may work in a real-world environment. This provides tangible, if albeit virtual, evidence of how the innovative product may improve the consumer experience. For example, one could imagine that a levitating car would be great in the case of traffic jams. Instead of being constrained by traffic jams, a levitating car would get its driver much faster to destination.

IV/ DS offers a customised service

Bruno indicated that 3D technology is a very vast and complex set of technologies. There’s unique recipe that can apply to every single company. So Dassault Systèmes is customizing its services to meet multiple needs.

• Dassault Systèmes works hand-in-hand with a number of large Fortune 500 companies in order to create tailor-made 3D solutions that can optimize their value chain.
• DS is organizing an ecosystem of partners to address companies that have not the complexity of Fortune 500 companies.
• Finally, DS is selling a standardized software, Solid Works, based on a acquisition of a Boston-based 3D software company, in order to meet the needs of smaller companies

To sum up : Dassault Systèmes 3D technology improves its clients value chain by :

• Improving design and getting the consumer to co-create a product
• Eliminating was in the manufacturing process
• Cherry-picking the most cost-effective suppliers
• Producing tangible marketing material that look just as real as any advertisement
• Providing scenario-based uses cases

Further readings

• For a read on Design Thinking with Justin Ferrel of the Design School of Stanford, read this.
• For a different stance on the car of the future, see this page.
• For an example of what the software SolidWorks can do and how it can help explain certain phenomena, refer to this article.
• For an example of how 3D prototyping and printing can help build a car from scratch, read this.