Intel: The Convergence of Computing and Communications

Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Tom Gibbs, Director of WW Strategy and Planning in Intel's Solutions Market Development Group, will be a general session speaker at the upcoming COE Your Way: 2005 Annual Conference in Phoenix. There will also be two break-out sessions hosted by Intel covering various technology topics important to the industry. In advance of these presentations, Intel is providing some background on the topics.

As the world’s largest producer of microprocessors, Intel has a long history in manufacturing, processes, and design. Intel has been an active member of COE and Dassault Systemes user community worldwide for many years, bringing knowledge from our own business to others, technology guidance, and our view for how it is changing the manufacturing landscape. Not to mention, the benefits for those who embrace it.

Manufacturers around the world, from automotive, aerospace, electronics, to heavy equipment - are expanding beyond traditional boundaries to deliver better service and value to customers. They are speeding time-to-market by developing products collaboratively and securely with supplier networks, while lowering operating costs and improving productivity. Transformation in product design and development is made possible by innovative uses of IT - whether it's using mobile engineering workstations to build and share rich 3D data, or equipping engineers with mobilized solutions so they can make real-time design changes anytime, anywhere.

In today’s economy, globalization is causing manufacturers around the world to transform key business processes from design engineering to the factory floor in order to maintain a competitive advantage. The impact is threefold.

First, space between workers is expanding. Key functions in each stage of the manufacturing enterprise from concept through sales to maintenance are moving to wherever the best pool of labor is in a given product cycle. Historically key functions – especially design – were co-located and, as the functions are moved, it requires a number of changes in the process and the tools used to continuously improve productivity.

The second issue is time. Design times are decreasing by double digit percentages as competition increases for customer mindshare and wallet share. This puts additional stress on productivity as the bar is constantly rising.

Thirdly, is the never ceasing requirement for continuous improvement in quality. The ability to transform product design and development to address the expansion and diversification of the workforce and improve productivity in terms of cost, speed and quality while reducing operating cost and improving customer satisfaction is made possible by innovative uses of IT. We are seeing the introduction of collaboration tools to improve the effectiveness of a globally diverse workforce.

By taking advantage of the overall technology trend of the convergence of computing and communication that allows innovative usage of powerful 64-bit workstations and servers to conceive and simulate new products with rich 3D data and equipping engineers with mobilized solutions allowing them to take critical design information with them and make real-time design changes anywhere. We are also seeing handheld and mobile devices emerge in wireless factories to maintain a digital information chain and enable faster more accurate information flows within a factory and between factories dispersed around the world.

On Tuesday, Mar 22 of the COE Conference in Phoenix, Tom Gibbs session will focus on ways that companies can take advantage of technologies that are emerging from the convergence of computing and communications to introduce innovation into the product design and manufacturing process. He will specifically highlight mobility and collaboration as it applies to driving 6-sigma.

On the afternoon of Tuesday, March 22, join others from Intel in break-out sessions SI-3 and SYS-11 to hear discussions at strategic and tactical levels respectively on topics such as 64-bit computing and mobile engineering workstations. We look forward to seeing you in Phoenix!

About Intel
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.

About Tom Gibbs
Tom Gibbs is currently the director of WW Strategy and Planning in Intel's Solutions Market Development Group. He has been with Intel since 1991 in sales and marketing management. Prior to Intel, Gibbs held technical marketing management and industry sales management positions with FPS Computing, and Engineering Design and Development for airborne radar systems at Hughes Aircraft Company. Tom has a diverse set of industry and technical experience that includes managing the group responsible for developing the multiple target tracking mode for the F-14 advanced weapons group, sales and marketing of massively parallel computer systems, developing and executing cooperative research and development agreements with the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency and Department of Energy, long-range strategic product planning and industry market development. Tom has also served on the President's Information Technology Advisory Council for open source computing.