Industry is struggeling to match its material needs. Stricter environmental regulations and supply bottlenecks are limiting choices. Efforts and risks increase. In this new market dynamic, companies can now counteract with a PLM solution from CONTACT Software and fulfill their traceability duties more easily.
High raw material prices, a lack of semi-finshed products, rising sustainability and compliance requirements are impacting production planning. The industry must make its supply chains more resilient to keep assembly lines running. At the same time, customers and legislators pay increasing attention to the life cycle assessment of products. CONTACT Software’s Elements platform now offers a new PLM app that enables companies to manage materials in a more sustainable, agile, and efficient way.
CONTACT Materials makes detailed information on material properties, uses, substances, the material composition of products, as well as analyses and test reports available across the enterprise. Through its integration into Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), the central materials catalog ensures cross-departmental information flows, consistent materials data, and compliant material declarations.
With CONTACT's new solution, development, purchasing, and quality assurance have direct access to qualified and approved materials from the lab. Design engineers can weigh up different physical properties when selecting materials for a component, taking availability, price, and sustainability aspects into account.
CONTACT Materials makes it easier to find alternative materials throughout the product development. Users can filter materials by attributes such as manufacturer, supplier, substances, etc., or by classes such as steel or plastics. Simulation experts can test whether combinations of part geometry and material meet product requirements. Calculation results are displayed as interactive diagrams and form the basis for design decisions.
Finally, quality assurance benefits from this solution as it can easier check the end product for material conformity and design for environment (DfE) and prove compliance with regulations at any time without much effort.
"Each product lifecycle phase is a relevant starting point for improving the product environmental performance," says Dr. Jérémy Bonvoisin, Product Manager PLM at CONTACT Software. "With our integrated solution, we provide the right tool to manage materials data and their use in product structures and simulations." The new PLM app was developed in close cooperation with automotive supplier Kiekert, which will present it in more detail at CONTACT Open World on September 14, 2022.
