IEN: What are the best-of-breed design tools used in developing today''s new materials? What advances do you see in collaborative design?
Rimoldi: ImpactXoft''s Simultaneous Product Development (SPD) software is a best-of-breed tool because it allows teams to collaborate on design projects even if they are globally distributed. What is a big differentiator for ImpactXoft is that they are not history-dependent like the traditional design solutions. Rather, ImpactXoft software is order-independent -- so a user can create parts without worrying about the order in which they are built. This means that making changes is a whole lot easier and faster as a result. It''s design engineering for the new millennium!
What''s also unique -- and very new -- from ImpactXoft is that it has just announced a partnership with Intel and HP on a mobile collaborative effort that now allows design engineers to make changes from laptop computers/notepads from the shop floor (for more, click here).
Announced just a few months ago, this capability is an absolute first for the design industry. This is a huge advance because before this ability, designers usually had to run back and forth from their computer at their desk to the shop floor to make product design changes -- obviously very time consuming. But this new solution is a big step for them because they now have mobile capability to collaborate with team members, and the computing power they need to handle large files. As analyst Ken Vesprille put it, "The ability for a global network of product developers to work in parallel -- once thought of as a vision for the future -- is now possible today."
IEN: Will Product Lifecycle Management play an increased role in design?
Rimoldi: Yes, because PLM tools and design tools can now be interoperable.