Simside View is a blog feature by CIMdata's Sandeepak Natu about his experiences and observations in the “Simulation and Analysis” industry.
As many of you probably know, I joined CIMdata Inc. as an Executive Consultant in the Simulation-Driven Systems Development Practice in January 2023. After working in the simulation software and services industry for more than 25 years, this is my first time not buying /or selling simulation software and services—a unique perspective for me. This blog posting offers my unique perspective on the simulation software industry, industrial usage, and the role of simulation and analysis in the overall “Digital Transformation” initiative.
- People transformation: Being in the simulation industry for such a long time means that you will probably run into someone you have already worked with or interacted with in the past. Despite the overall engineering software industry’s growth, the simulation and analysis solutions industry is still a close-knit community. The thing that is striking to me, as I meet many of my old collaborators as well as new folks, is how people have transformed over time! Simulation is a hard discipline to pursue, given that it typically takes years of education, training, and industrial experience to become a good performance modeling and simulation engineer. Top it with the challenges of climbing the corporate ladder; it’s a challenging career option. Seeing the achievements and progress made by many across the board is amazing. The Simulation & Analysis industry has witnessed the most amazing people transformation over this length of time.
- INCOSE IW, MBSE, and digital transformation: Systems engineering is a relatively new domain for me. Attending the INCOSE IW 23 was like a “drinking from the fire hose” experience. Prof. Olivier L. de Weck’s methodology of representing complexity as a conservation law was quite intriguing, along with Prof. Leveson’s hard-hitting talk about system safety analysis and the STAMP framework. As a 3D simulation person, I was particularly impressed by the talks about the relatively new AP243 MoSSEC standard and a very impressive demonstration arranged by the development team. This is definitely something that all 3D simulation people must be aware of and seek to leverage as part of their simulation data management initiatives. As simulation becomes part of the larger digital transformation context, systems simulation, systems thinking, and developing a model-based worldview are probably the most important messages.
- S&A Market Analysis: CIMdata publishes a series of very interesting Market Analysis Reports covering most segments of the PLM economy. Simulation and Analysis is a significant part of the PLM economy and has consistently experienced high growth since the early 2000s. We have started compiling the survey feedback and studying various messages and press releases across the industry to understand how 2022 panned out for software providers and users. If you would like to contribute to this survey or just want to share an interesting trend or an observation, please contact me at Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein! . A free abridged version of the report will be shared with you as a token reward for your contribution. Do stay tuned for updates on this.
- Healthcare matters: The application of simulation to healthcare has always excited me, probably because of the social benefit it can lead to. I have been devoting some time to it over the last month. A couple of interesting publications have come out in this space (in-silico world, as they call it). One is from the FDA, and the other is from an industry organization called the Medical Device Innovation Consortium (MDIC). A visit to the Avicenna alliance website is also worth it if you are interested in this domain. If you are a healthcare industry simulation person (physiological modelling, medical devices, or pharmaceutical manufacturing), please do get in touch with me. We are building up our practice in this space, and there are several interesting collaboration opportunities with CIMdata.
- Sustainability: Sustainability is a significant initiative being taken up by the industry at large and is also a new focus area for CIMdata. Modelling and Simulation can play a huge role in developing sustainable technologies in materials, devices, and packaging as well the renewable energy space, including recycling. But simulation’s biggest impact is in the techno-economic feasibility assessment when planning a project. While replacing traditional high-carbon technologies with newer technologies makes sense, any changes cost money. Funding agency needs to weigh the payback and impact over a longer term. Also, what seemed beneficial initially may not be so under varying operating conditions. Simulation can be a saviour in this respect.
- Sales kick-off season: The end of January and February represent the sales kick-off season for most software solution providers. While I did not attend any of these events this year, social media and personal messages tell me they were well attended and celebrated across the board. With the Simulation & Analysis industry performing very well; the targets for 2023 were aggressive and companies definitely returned to the pre-COVID level of celebrations. Here is wishing all the sales folks in the simulation industry a successful 2023!
- Travel and leisure: While February, traditionally, is not a vacation month for me, I was able to steal a weekend in Budapest owing to meticulous planning by one of my friends. Visiting the castles and parliament buildings which are more than 1000 years old, and taking a ride on the Danube at night was definitely a highlight of February 2023. I leave you with a beautiful picture from the trip.
Talk with you again soon!
Sandeepak
