DELMIA Solutions Selected as 3D PLM Digital Manufacturing Solutions for the Airbus A380

DELMIA to be utilized to provide virtual factory models for Airbus plant in Hamburg, Germany

DELMIA Corporation and the Digital Manufacturing component of Dassault Systemes 3D PLM solutions, announced today that it has been selected to join the team developing the new A380, Airbus' 21st century super jumbo aircraft, for the final assembly processes in Airbus' new manufacturing facility in Hamburg, Germany. DELMIA solutions will be used to manage such tasks as material flow, ergonomics simulation and assembly studies.

"DELMIA tools will be used to simulate and visualize critical manufacturing processes, unifying and integrating components from four different European sites be assembled at Hamburg", said Peter Schmitt, Vice President, worldwide Marketing for DELMIA.

The virtual factory models of the gigantic lifting platforms must take account of the extraordinary demands placed on the ergonomics of each workstation, as well as the kinematics of the aircraft. Every plane requires an assembly area of at least 80 meters by 80 meters and a height of at least 25 meters.

As part of the selection, a DELMIA project office has been established at the Airbus site in Hamburg, where DELMIA aerospace specialists are working jointly with the Airbus teams. In addition to the use of DELMIA solutions, Airbus is also using Dassault Systemes' CATIA, for the design and development of their next generation aircraft.

"With DELMIA, we have selected a system that mirrors the strategic aims of Airbus superbly", said Carsten Rasch, who is responsible for digital manufacturing at Airbus Deutschland. "We have already seen the benefits from our projects. Our next step will be to integrate the individual applications into a digital factory platform."

Airbus is a global aerospace player with a workforce of approximately 45,000, mainly at sites in France, Germany, Great Britain and Spain. This geographical separation naturally increases the significance of integrating different IT structures into a common database. The first A380 is due to be delivered at the beginning of 2006 and the first flight is to be staged at the end of 2004.