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The Materials Strategy Forum

The Forum is a collaborative project that guides the development of software to help engineering, manufacturing, and materials-producing enterprises in optimizing their specification and use of materials.

Meetings

The Materials Strategy Forum holds regular Members' Meetings, usually associated with an Open Seminar enabling non-Members to find out more about the project and software and to contribute their views.

Next meeting: Milwaukee, May 7, 2008 (includes a seminar open to all)

Information on past and future meetings

Members

Current members of the Forum are:

Emerson Electric
Moen
DePuy
Ethicon
Benteler Stahl/Rohr GmbH
Granta Design

Objectives of the Forum

Granta has already delivered the ideal core software platform on which to build materials
strategy software solutions - GRANTA MI. The objective now is to develop a systematic software-based approach to aid the practical implementation of materials strategies. This will:

Combine considerations of cost and function to analyze and inform critical materials
decisions (‘cost’, while typically assumed to be $ cost, can equally mean an environmental cost, or a packaging cost such as weight or volume)
Make the resulting technical and business strategy available throughout the enterprise,
enabling every engineer to apply it directly from their desktop

Experience has shown that satisfaction and value from technology solutions are greatly enhanced if these solutions are not developed ‘in an ivory tower’, but, rather, are developed in close collaboration with stakeholder organizations that have a keen interest in benefiting from the outcome. This, certainly, has been the strong feedback from the analogous Material Data Management Consortium (MDMC) – to the extent that the MDMC is now in its second three-year phase, with an increased membership.

While the objectives of the MDMC are concerned primarily with the management, processing
and reduction of materials test data into design data for broad deployment, the Materials
Strategy Forum is focusing on solutions to techno-economic challenges – the aspects of
materials specification and use that affect companies’ profitability.

Membership benefits

Early use and development of innovative software

As a Forum member, you will have early access to the latest versions of GRANTA MI, Enterprise Materials Optimizer, and associated new tools. Forum members also benefit from special commercial terms for the software, with enhanced R&D commitment from Granta
You will have a formal role in determining the the development priorities for GRANTA MI materials strategy solutions, helping to ensure from the outset that the resulting tools meet your company’s needs

Networking and support to ensure success

Face-to-face meetings, conference calls, and web events will allow you to network with peers in other commercial organizations and to learn about non-proprietary best practice
Granta will provide support and consultancy to help you to implement and apply the technology successfully

A competitive advantage

Early adoption of this important emerging technology will provide a head-start over competitors
Use of the software will deliver greater efficiency in your management and use of key information, resulting in reduced materials costs and improved product quality