CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
18 February 2009
Implementation Investments
Olympus Medical Systems Starts Roll-Out of CIM DATABASE
The Japanese Olympus Corporation is not only globally successful with camera and audio equipment, but also a leader in medical systems technology. This especially applies to the surgical field, providing system solutions for the surgery ward. These are serviced across Europe by the European Competence Center for System Integration (ECCSI), located in Hamburg with Olympus Winter & Ibe GmbH (OWI). Here, CONTACT Software won a tender to implement a product lifecycle management strategy, initiated by the OWI management. The first applications went online end of last year with the installation of a centralized database for the sales and configuration of surgery wards based on CIM DATABASE. October 2008 also saw the commission of the next PLM module for the segments development and production. With its overall completion, the PLM platform will support the complete chain of processes from the virtual product to after-sales services, utilized as a global information hub for the surgical division.
Olympus counts as a leading international manufacturer of endoscopes and other imaging technique solutions for internal medicine and surgery departments and as such is specialized in equipping complete operating theatres. Such projects are complex and are, for obvious reasons, subject to strict quality specifications – not only in development and production, but also and especially in sales and after-sales services. To fulfil the demanding challenge of selecting a customized client solution from a wide range of system components, such a project implies the involvement of many - often internationally dispersed- specialists. Necessary data on configuration, installation and service are not only required by the different manufacturing units within the Olympus group, but also by external sub-contractors, which in the past meant time-consuming administration of data and documents. CIM DATABASE now provides all project-related, valid documents from within a logically centralized repository. This repository also manages other functions such as rights management, workflow and revisioning, warranting data validity and process compliance and reliability. „Our new project database makes the work of our international sales teams in collaboration with the project engineers considerably easier by providing a high degree of transparency, efficiency and security for all involved“, says Ingo Josten, head of the ECCSI PDM project with OWI.
Within the next few months, the CIM DATABASE application will be extended to the endoscopy research department, replacing the current PDM system. Forthcoming topics are the CAD/CAE data management for Unigraphics NX 4 and SolidEdge, the electronic-design-automation solution Pulsonix and EPLAN Electric P8 as well as the administration of Office documents. It is also planned to synchronize business objects with the ERP system BaaN via Web-Services. The integration of an external development site in the Czech Republic is planned for spring 2009.
The Olympus Group is headquartered in Tokyo, with its European HQ based in Hamburg. Medical technology is a key revenue asset within the group; its product range encompasses professional system solutions for medicine, science, research and industry and covers the domains endoscopy, microscopy, bioanalytics and diagnostics. The PLM project with ECCSI has received international attention within Olympus and has since initiated presentations in Japan and the US.
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