MBSE in the high-tech equipment industry

The complexity of high-tech equipment is growing quickly due to the demand for systems that perform better, that are more reliable and that integrate optimally in customer-specific processes. On top of that, the introduction of artificial intelligence, adaptivity and autonomy brings a series of new challenges. The industry needs methodologies to develop and deliver new systems, and to deliver a continuous stream of innovations to their installed base consisting of many customer-specific system variants and system versions. 

To manage this complexity, model-based methodologies are introduced in the industry. TNO-ESI develops such methodologies in close cooperation with their industry and academic partners.

In 2020 and 2021, ESI and its partners performed a study to analyze the application of Model-Based Systems Engineering in the high-tech equipment industry. In this study, we did not dive deeply into specific modelling techniques, languages and tools; we rather focused on:

• What is the business value the high tech equipment industry expects to get from the introduction of MBSE?

• What differentiates this industry from those industries in which MBSE is already an established practice?

• What is therefore needed to make MBSE-methodologies valuable for the high-tech equipment industry?

We summarized our conclusions in a report (including summaries of MBSE-pilots of our industry partners) that is now publicly available

Teun Hendriks and Joris van den Aker are now preparing the next phase of the study. In a series of 2-day workshops ESI and its industry and academic partners will perform deep dives into MBSE-topics that are hot for the industry in their MBSE-pilots and projects.