Detroit, MI, September 20, 2007

Materials strategy hits 'Motor City'

The Materials Strategy Forum came to Detroit, alongside the MS&T conference, to discuss progress in developing and applying software to support critical materials decisions in engineering enterprises. The members' workshop was followed by an open seminar attended by twenty two leading manufacturers - not just the automotive companies and suppliers that you might expect in 'motor city', but organizations from sectors including aerospace, defense, medical devices, and materials production. These companies discussed how managing materials information effectively could help them to increase quality, save resources, and reduce risk, and how applying that information could drive innovation, cut costs, and help to meet environmental regulations.

(More information on materials strategy software and the Forum...)

Materials Strategy Forum meeting

This was the third meeting of the Forum, which was launched a year ago (read reports from: Inaugural Forum meeting | Second meeting). Members' investment in the project provides them with: early use of the software in developing and implementing their materials strategies; formal input to software development priorities via a unique scheme in which Granta matches Members' investment contributions; and networking opportunities - such as this meeting - at which they share and learn from non-proprietary best practice.

The Detroit meeting reviewed progress in software development, including enhancements to the Enterprise Materials Optimizer software and materials reference data in the recent GRANTA MI 1.3 software release. Members also discussed their use of the software, including how it has been rolled out to support the decision-making of hundreds of engineers across an enterprise. Finally, the Forum reviewed plans for upcoming product enhancements and new features and provided guidance to help prioritize Granta's development work.

The meeting was followed by an open seminar.

Seminar report

Presentations and documents from the meeting (attendees only: password protected)...

With thirty attendees, many of them senior managers, this third seminar in the materials strategy series was the best attended yet.  In what has become a popular feature of these meetings, each participant provided a brief overview of their organization's materials information challenges.  With representation from functions including Materials Research, Design, Reliability, CAE, Risk Management and Collaborative Programs, this was a rich and diverse discussion.

Granta’s Dr Will Marsden opened the formal presentations with an overview of materials information management, the core of any materials information implementation.  Dr Marsden demonstrated the latest Granta software, showing how test data could be captured and analyzed at one end of an organisation’s data flow – and fully traceable materials models provided directly to finite element CAE software at the other.  Details on the latest "off-the-shelf" data modules available from Granta were also provided.

Attention then turned to the main theme of the meeting, materials strategy.  Granta illustrated how combining an enterprise data management foundation with the pioneering "cost per unit of function" approach of Granta chairman Professor Mike Ashby enabled companies to make better materials business decisions.

The highlight of the meeting was the practical experience of putting such technology into practice, as described by Dr Bob Rivett, Vice President of Technology at Emerson's Advanced Design Center.  Dr Rivett had spoken at the first materials strategy seminar in October 2006. Attendees in Detroit were most interested in Emerson’s experience now that the solution has been deployed across the whole corporation.

In the wrap-up discussion session, attendees were asked to summarize their priorities for materials information solutions in general, and materials strategy in particular.  The Detroit meeting reinforced the broad consensus from previous meetings on overall priorities:

• Materials data management: Make approved corporate materials data available to engineers across the company
  
  
• Materials support for ‘PLM’ enterprise tools: Integrate materials database with CAD/ CAE/PDM/procurement/parts/etc
  
  
• Materials strategy: Solutions to implement/enhance/enforce a corporate preferred materials strategy

Input from these seminars are fed into Granta’s product development process, where they augment the results of the formal prioritization process undertaken with members of the Materials Strategy Forum, and the related Materials Data Management Consortium.

Seminar agenda

The meeting agenda was:

1pm	Welcome, and introduction of participants	Richard Painter, Vice President, Granta
1.30	The foundations Materials reference information Materials data management Materials data support for PLM	Dr Will Marsden, Product Manager, Aerospace, Defense & Energy, Granta
2.05	Software solutions for materials strategy	Dr Arthur Fairfull, Product Manager, Materials Strategy, Granta
	Demonsration of CES Selector and GRANTA MI:EMO	Dr Patrick Coulter, Chief Operating Officer, Granta
2.45	Coffee
3.00	Review of materials strategy implementations: goals, status, and experience	Dr Bob Rivett, Vice President, Technology - Advanced Technology Center, Emerson Electric
3.20	Materials Strategy Forum review: objectives, benefits of participation, priorities for next developments	Dr Arthur Fairfull
3.25	Closing review, feedback	Round table

Next meeting

The next meeting will be in Spring 2008. Details will be published here...

Detroit attendees

The seminar was attended by representatives of:

American Foundry Society Autoliv Benteler Stahl/Rohr Boeing Brush Wellman Caterpillar Chrysler LLC DePuy International Emerson Electric Ford Motor Company GM

Goodrich Los Alamos National Labs Medtronic NASA National Center for Mfg. Sciences Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Sandia National Labs Southern Research Institute The Timken Company US Army Visteon Corporation