Development Method Three Innovations in Systems Engineering

Related Vendors

BCT Technology AG

Siemens Digital Industries Software GmbH

Continental Automotive Technologies GmbH

FAULHABER Drive Systems

Wuxi InfiMotion Technology Co., Ltd.

This article presents three solutions around the topic of systems engineering. It’s about MBSE, AI-supported requirements management, and a new solution for integrating product architecture and engineering.

MBSE: Standard Software Brings SysML v2 to Xcelerator

With the standard software Systems Modeler for SysML v2, Siemens Digital Industries Software aims to support users in managing the complexity of products with mechanical, electrical, electronic, and software components. Additionally, the software is described as the next milestone in Siemens' collaboration with IBM and is supported by IBM Rhapsody Systems Engineering. Systems Modeler for SysML v2 was developed to enhance collaboration among development teams involved in complex product development. It uses SysML v2 models to exchange data between various applications and domains, such as electrical engineering and mechanical engineering.

The solution offers integration with Teamcenter and connects the systems-oriented digital thread based on open standards. It integrates data and processes from the areas of mechanics, electronics, electrical engineering, and software. This is intended to facilitate the transfer of system designs to downstream teams for domain-specific development while maintaining full traceability. Additionally, it supports comprehensive change management throughout the entire project to ensure that all changes are tracked.

Requirements Management: AI Tool Reduces Effort in Analyzing Specifications

Until now, specifications—often extensive requirement catalogs from clients for the development of components, software, or automotive systems—were processed manually. Conti experts previously invested up to 37,500 work hours in requirements management over the course of a development project in what is known as Requirements Engineering. As the complexity and scope of specifications continue to increase, it becomes all the more critical to structure requirements management more efficiently.

With the new digital analysis tool "AI-based Requirements Engineering Tool," developed by Continental in close collaboration with Microsoft and the global IT consultancy NTT Data, the company aims to revolutionize its requirements management in product development. The digital tool was implemented using "Microsoft Azure AI Services." With the support of artificial intelligence, even the most extensive specifications can be read and analyzed easily and almost error-free. Individual requirements and project tasks can be automatically assigned to the respective Continental development centers. This can reduce the effort for a traditionally time-consuming task by up to 80 percent.

ALM

Why ALM Systems Are Indispensable in Hardware Development

Integration: Seamless Integration of Product Architecture And Engineering

The success of a product is known to be determined during the phase of defining the product architecture. Key parameters such as functionality, variants, modules, cost structures, and supply chains are defined here. With Metus, the proven modeling tool from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), these early product concepts can be represented in an interdisciplinary manner. PwC and BCT Technology AG have now jointly developed the interface starter package TC2METUS based on Siemens’ standard solution Active Integration Gateway (AIG). This enables a seamless data chain based on standard software, from the initial architecture through PLM processes (Requirements Management, System Design, Configuration, etc.) in Teamcenter. With the subsequent operational implementation in ERP systems, the "end-to-end" process is completed.

The starter package TC4METUS includes

• preconfigured use cases,
• prefabricated T4EA pipelines, as well as
• a Teamcenter workflow template.

The integration is reportedly based on scalable, future-proof interface technology and can be easily customized and extended through low-code applications like the Pipeline Designer and TC-Preferences. Typical use cases for the solution include the structured transfer of product data, such as the creation and updating of product structures, as well as the integration of variant information (variant groups, families, features, rules, and criteria). The era of isolated systems and resulting inefficiencies is now a thing of the past, the companies state. Thanks to the new interface, all participating teams work along the entire value chain with a consistent data basis. This is intended to create ideal conditions for fast change cycles, shortened development times, and early cost optimization.