Ducati Reduces Time with UGS Software
Italian motorcycle manufacturer experiences a dramatic reduction in physical prototypes thanks to the use of virtual models
Italian motorcycle manufacturer experiences a dramatic reduction in physical prototypes thanks to the use of virtual models
Established
in 1926 as a manufacturer of components for the new radio transmissions
industry and then converted to the automotive industry during the
Second World War, Ducati is a prestigious brand in the world of road
and race motorcycling. During 2005, the company manufactured and sold
slightly more than 34,000 motorcycles.
Ducati operates in an elite market, where products combine high technological content with high performance. The company's design activities are closely linked to other departments and processes downstream. In the last three years, Ducati has actively pursued the goal of integrating the design process with production. This is important because with 95 percent of production taking place externally, delays in the transfer of information to suppliers adds to overall cycle time.
Digital Design That Evolves
Since its original purchase of Unigraphics CAD software, Ducati has
upgraded to the NX" software design automation system from product
lifecycle management (PLM) software supplier, UGS Corp. of Plano,
Texas. The upgrade went smoothly and was implemented by the company
itself using NX installation functionality. Support from UGS has been
helpful to Ducati as its projects are increasingly complex. The first
project that was developed entirely in NX was the three-valve motor.
Today, Ducati uses an NX configuration that has progressively evolved
to meet its needs. The design department takes full advantage of the
comprehensive functionality the software has to offer.
Complete digitalization of the product lifecycle allows Ducati to do more of the design process in software, even tasks that in the past required manual prototypes. Today much of that work is done on virtual models with only a single final prototype being required. This has dramatically reduced prototyping times and overall, has resulted in more optimal cycle times and higher quality in the project itself.
Extending the Solution
Ducati has now begun to implement UGS Teamcenter® PLM software solution in order to manage the needs of the design and purchasing areas.Piero Giusti, Ducati's CAD manager, explains, "Teamcenter is contributing to the progressive elimination of paper documents in the company." Every operation related to new product lifecycle management takes place through Teamcenter. One advantage of this is that the time needed to transmit certified information to suppliers has been reduced by two-thirds. Today a design document reaches the recipient in three to five days instead of the 12 to 15 days needed in the past. Within the company, information is distributed in real time and the sharing of virtual technical documents has been realized.
Ducati has also experienced a considerable benefit from using Teamcenter's collaboration functionality. When interacting with suppliers, there has been a measurable reduction in decision making times. The collaboration functionality, in conjunction with Teamcenter's data management environment, permits truly virtual meetings, with sharing of documents and proposals without leaving the office.
With such a successful roll-out and results, Piero Giusti notes, "In the near future we count on extending the implementation to other company areas and functions."
To learn more about UGS visit www.ugs.com. To learn more about Ducati go to >www.ducati.com
