A transformation journey:
embracing Model-Based innovation in cutting-edge control systems

Digital engineering methods have a great potential for high-tech companies to reduce time to market, to enhance flexibility and to accelerate co-operation across the value chain. However, introducing such methods when the shop floor remains open can become a daunting challenge.

This presentation will give an impression Vanderlande’s journey to apply model-based methods to design advanced control system applications. A journey that has faced many ups and downs. Like in any change program, top-down sponsorship and persistence have been keys to success. Next, we learned that - for engineering methods in particular - grass-root enthusiasm from engineering experts is equally important.

Nevertheless, in the end, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Only after engaging the whole value chain to bring a model-based application into production, we created the much-needed business pull to move forward.

Introducing digital engineering in a high-tech extended enterprise

The European space eco-system is transitioning towards digital engineering to improve our joint ability to innovate quicker and to reduce the time to launch. This requires the entire eco-system to embrace and adopt this change, spanning many organizations, both public and private, and affecting many business processes at the same time. The main challenge is to recognize the heterogeneity and diversity of this transition, occurring at multiple technical and organizational levels in parallel. This talk will reflect on the steps taken by the European Space Agency to address these issues. We believe that many of these insights are not specific to our business and are therefore also valuable to other high-tech engineering domains.

Design Digitization in a large engineering organization with a large product base and complicated existing processes

ASML recognizes that digitizing product development process can significantly reduce development time and costs. Our 7-year roadmap includes key step ups in systems engineering with integration of supply chain, factories and customer support.

From 2018, we are replacing 2D drawings with 3D Product Manufacturing Information models (now at about 70% for new parts). In this uphill battle we decided on how to deal with millions of legacy parts, suppliers’ roadblocks and “old school but very influential engineers and architects” reluctant to change their practices. Not least, management does not always recognize “why change if we have come this far without”, making obtaining needed resources and funding a challenge.

This presentation will show the need for a solid roadmap, money to make it happen and the tricks in the art of change management. It focuses on digitization in a large well-established organization with examples and issues we encounter(ed).