Purdue News
Purdue News
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July 24, 2000 Digital enterprise center created at PurdueWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University, IBM and Dassault Systemes announced they have created a digital enterprise applied-research center in the School of Technology on the university's West Lafayette campus.
The research center, a $6 million project, will be part of a working model of the digital enterprise, the framework that enables manufacturers to manage their extended enterprise through a complete e-business environment, from product concept and production to customer delivery and support. The digital enterprise makes it possible for companies to create, manage, simulate and communicate digitally all of the information related to products, processes and resources. Through the use of applied research, this innovative laboratory, located in the Knoy Hall of Technology, will educate both academia and industry in the study and development of the digital enterprise. As students learn practical problem-solving techniques, they will simultaneously help improve industry's ability to develop new methodologies and software tools for the future, said Gary Bertoline, a Purdue professor and head of the Department of Computer Graphics. "The research center will give Purdue students a competitive advantage in the job market by preparing them to be the leaders in the implementation of the digital enterprise," Bertoline said. "We are happy to be working with IBM and Dassault Systemes, two companies at the forefront of manufacturing technology." The center will also provide an environment for demonstrations, instruction and training for IBM's and Dassault Systemes' customers, business partners and employees. Corporations will benefit by participating in collaborative projects specific to their needs, which in turn will provide them with graduates, co-ops and interns capable of contributing to the implementation of their digital enterprise and e-business initiatives. "Dassault Systemes is pleased to participate in the development of the Purdue University digital enterprise center. We look forward to providing students with the technology and tools to help them contribute to the advancement of the digital enterprise and e-business," said Joel Lemke, a Purdue graduate and chief executive officer of ENOVIA Corp., a subsidiary of Dassault Systemes. The digital enterprise center will act as an interdisciplinary headquarters for applied research projects. It will network with other Purdue labs as well as high-tech start-up companies in the Purdue Research Park to represent the different stages in the life cycle of a product. This collaborative environment will bring together a team of digital enterprise experts in industry and leading faculty members from the university's Schools of Technology, Engineering, Science and Management. "This is the kind of teaming that will provide the talent to enable innovative product development and manufacturing," said Bruce Harreld, senior vice president of strategy at IBM. Don Gentry, dean of the School of Technology, said the center will reflect his school's mission to provide real-world experience for its students and support for industry. "This technology is so new that it is what major industry is just now implementing," Gentry said. "This will place Purdue and its partners on the leading edge." Purdue's School of Technology, which is a recognized leader in technology education and produces more bachelor of science graduates than any other technology school in the nation, has provided a dedicated lab with 18 IBM IntelliStation workstations. IBM and Dassault Systemes have provided direct donations and grants for purchasing licenses of the Windows NT platform of CATIA Version 5 design and manufacturing solutions software, ENOVIA enterprise data management and e-business solutions software, and DELMIA integrated eManufacturing solutions software, as well as installation and support services. CATIA Solutions, developed by Dassault Systemes, is marketed, sold and supported by IBM Engineering Solutions. It is an advanced CAD/CAM/CAE solution that enables engineers to generate and manipulate designs quickly and efficiently, speeding time to market while improving product quality. The ENOVIA Software Portfolio is a set of solutions that helps manufacturers gain competitive leadership by allowing them to manage electronically all aspects of the product life cycle. DELMIA's portfolio of digital manufacturing solutions offers manufacturers an integrated suite of tools that begin at the conceptual phase of product and process design, enabling design for assembly, design for manufacturability and design for maintainability. With CATIA, DELMIA and ENOVIA, customers and their suppliers concurrently invent, define, simulate, manage and optimize product, process and resources all along the product life cycle. Sources: Gary Bertoline, (765) 494-4585; grbertol@tech.purdue.edu Don Gentry, (765) 494-2552; dkgentry@tech.purdue.edu Writer: Jeanine Smith, (765) 496-3113; jsmith@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu Other sources: PHOTO CAPTION: Michelle Lane, a junior majoring in computer graphics from Indianapolis, Ind., learns how to electronically manage an entire manufacturing operation using Purdue University's new digital enterprise center, a lab made possible by gifts from IBM Corp. and Dassault Systemes. (Purdue News Service Photo by David Umberger)A publication-quality photograph is available at the News Service Web site and at the ftp site. Photo ID: Gentry.lab
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