COE 2001 Spring Conference and TechniFair a HUGE Success! Record Attendance, Oversold TechniFair, a "Personal Best" Program, and More!

More than 1,500 attendees at the annual COE Spring conference recently reviewed the latest CATIA, ENOVIA and DELMIA innovations. Design engineers and managers from 50 states gathered at the COE 2001 Spring Conference and TechniFair, held from April 1-4 at the Anaheim Hilton in Anaheim, California, to hear top Dassault Systemes and IBM executives outline their vision for true product lifecycle management.

Attendees at the user-driven event had the opportunity to gain insight into the strategic direction of Dassault Systemes and IBM's Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) products. Representatives from each of the Dassault Systemes software subsidiaries, as well as IBM, and a diverse range of customers with fascinating success stories, presented keynote addresses and held educational sessions. At COE Spring 2001 much attention was paid to "Making the Leap" working through the coexistence of CATIA V4 and V5 and effectively migrating to V5. In a tailored mix of seminars, workshops, and breakout sessions optimizing CATIA's use in both small, medium and large enterprises, DELMIA solutions and the manufacturing industry and using ENOVIA and SMARTEAM to manage information was covered.

Dassault Systemes' President Bernard Charles kicked off the event to a standing-room-only crowd with his keynote address discussing how his company's technology is enabling organizations to optimize their development and production costs, while continuing to boost innovation. Charles detailed how the capture, sharing and reuse of corporate knowledge will keep users of Dassault Systemes' products at the forefront of their fields.

"Innovation, not optimization, is the true value of product lifecycle management," Charles said. "Using the knowledgeware capabilities of Dassault Systemes' products, businesses will no longer design new products from scratch, but will 'morph' existing products to change customer needs."

Among the general session presenters from IBM was Edward Petrozelli, the recently named general manager, product lifecycle management solutions and Steve Ward, general manager, industrial sector. Petrozelli spoke about how PLM solutions can benefit companies striving to innovate and gain a competitive advantage using practical explanations and real-world demonstrations. Ward gave a forward-looking presentation and discussed PLM software and its role in IBM's vision of Next Generation e-business for manufacturers.

During his session Ward mentioned, "The two cardinal rules manufacturers must follow to thrive in this century are integrating core processes by adopting e-business practices; and creating a flexible, intelligent infrastructure to handle the accelerating advances in Internet-based technologies."

In addition to hearing long-term development plans and visiting informative demonstrations from experienced Dassault Systemes and IBM executives around the world, attendees participated in more than 200 user-focused sessions including Process Interest Committee (PIC) forums. PICs include process-related presentations, demonstrations and discussions. Their topics are focused on furthering the knowledge and implementation of CATIA, ENOVIA and DELMIA. Each PIC was managed by a chairperson who is an industry expert in that discipline.

IBM/Dassault customers who presented included BFGoodrich, CARDIANOVE, DaimlerChrysler, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. Chris English of BFGoodrich discussed how their Aerospace Aerostructures Division implemented CATIA V5 and how it is affecting their Knowledge Based Engineering efforts. DaimlerChrysler's presenter, Jeurgen Scharpf, provided an overview of the end-to-end product development process in the Mercedes-Benz passenger car Powertrain division.

A unique and exciting customer presentation came from Andre Garon of CARDIANOVE Inc. The project is a result of research at Ecole de la Polytechnique de Montreal to create an auxiliary heart pump. Garon described how his team of a dozen engineers and graduate students discovered they could use CATIA to design the world's smallest heart pump with a diameter of only 22 millimeters. He also explained how CATIA enabled them to virtually explore of 100 prototypes and machine the top three candidates, cutting two years off the development plan.

New to this conference was the COE Executive Forum, the merging of the IBM Engineering Leadership Executive Forum and the COE Management Track, two previous programs offered at COE. The Forum, aimed at executives who are responsible for the strategy and efficiency of the company's product development process, took place a day and a half prior to the official start of COE Spring 2001.

The briefing forum addressed how to enhance the competitiveness of your engineering processes. Industry experts, IBM and Dassault executives and other members of the community shared the similar challenges they face and the lessons they have learned, and are continuously learning. IBM presenters at the Executive Forum included Scott Hopkins, vice president, PLM, Edward Petrozelli, general manager, PLM and Steve Ward, general manager, industrial sector. Bernard Charles, president, Dassault Systemes as well as representatives from Bombardier Aerospace, DaimlerChrysler and Frank O. Gehry and Associates, Inc., also presented.

More highlights from the conference. Full Conference attendees will receive the proceedings CD at the end of May or members may review them in full on the Web site.

Make plans to attend COE 2001 Fall Conference & TechniFair this September in Orlando!

Return to the top of the page

Top Gun XI Results

Congratulations to the winners and participants of Top Gun XI held recently at COE 2001 Spring! This competition was the first to feature both CATIA V4 and V5 in the contest. The contest was sponsored by COE, HP, Planet CAD, AES. Microsoft also provided prizes. See the Top Gun XI presentation for detailed comparisons between V4 and V5 as well as the list of contest winners!

Return to the top of the page

COE Membership Works for You!
Not a member? Check this out!

For more than 17 years, COE has been the only international, professional organization uniting and supporting the users of Dassault Systemes software solutions, including CATIA, ENOVIA, and DELMIA. With more than 50,000 users in 400 member companies representing the aerospace, automotive, consumer goods, shipbuilding, industrial machinery, electronic, and plant design industries, there is no better support community available.

COE helps users leverage their Dassault Systemes solutions to stay ahead of the competition in this dynamic space through information exchange, Web products, bi-annual user conferences, product enhancement committees, professional networking opportunities, and much more. By becoming a member of COE, you and your organization will receive an impressive array of valuable benefits available exclusively to COE members, including: discounted registrations to both the Spring and Fall COE Conference & TechniFair, free Web tools, free subscription to CATIA Solutions magazine, a copy of COE's Installation Data Guide, a united voice to the Dassault Systemes and IBM executives and developers.

This year, COE introduced new membership categories, including individual, corporate, and vendor. Learn more about these, benefits and membership categories and to apply to become a member today.

Current members! There's still a (small) window of opportunity to renew your annual membership before your benefits expire. More information

Return to the top of the page

Fall Conference Call for Presentations

As the 2001 Spring conference has come to a close, COE is now in the process of gathering presentations for consideration for the 2001 Fall conference, September 30 - October 4, 2001 in Orlando. The deadline for submission is May 21, 2001. If you would like to submit an abstract please do so through the COE Call for Presentations page. All presenters placed on the schedule will be notified their session schedule via e-mail by the end of June.

Return to the top of the page

COE 2000 Fall "Best of COE" Presenters Acknowledged

Congratulations to the best presenters of COE 2000 Fall that were recognized recently. The "Best of COE" award recipients are chosen by the attendees. Members can view these presentations on the Proceedings page. Congratulations!

• Tom Cisler, Matra Datavision: "Surface Design Fundamentals"
• Lee Encapera, IBM: "CATIA Manufacturing's Tips and Techniques"
• Rama Mohan Munipalle, IBM: "Methodology for a Successful Datat Transfer Process in a Supply Chain"
• Jim Steffens, Matra Datavision: "CATIA V5 Sketch (Parts 1 and 2)
• Joel Rosenbaum, BEI & Associates: "Plant Design and Beyond"