Boeing is the first company to deploy the latest updates to the V5 product lifecycle management (PLM) software suite by Dassault Systèmes, including Catia, Enovia and Delmia. The introduction included Boeing sites as well as members of the global 787 team.

The update, known as Release 15 (R15), provides the global 787 Dreamliner team with improved integration between its Enovia collaboration backbone and Delmia manufacturing definition tool. The team can better access and manipulate critical product information in realtime. The V5R15 software also better integrates updates between designs and assembly information - eliminating the need for 2D installation drawings.

"Our global team started using the software updates only two days after Dassault Systèmes made it available," says Mike Bair, vice president and general manager of the 787 programme for Boeing. "The improvements to the software are helping us reduce the time necessary to make design changes and virtually modify and test parts."

The V5 PLM application suite is part of an overall approach to managing the international collaboration, known as the Global Collaboration Environment (GCE), on the 787 programme. In this virtual environment, Boeing and its partners are using V5 PLM applications to design, build and test every aspect of the 787 aeroplane and its manufacturing processes digitally and before production begins.

"Boeing and Dassault Systèmes are partners in developing the software solutions that are enabling the global 787 team to leverage its strengths and work together even across many different time zones and geographic regions," says Dave Fennell, vice president, Boeing Information Systems and Boeing PLM.

"Boeing's continued trust in Dassault Systèmes' solutions for the remarkable 787 Dreamliner demonstrates the robustness and global capabilities of V5 with Catia, Enovia and Delmia, all together," says Bernard Charles, president and CEO, Dassault Systèmes. "This rapid rollout is the result of a close-knit partnership between Boeing and Dassault Systèmes and demonstrates the power of the GCE and the value that V5 PLM can quickly bring to any company."

The 787 is a family of three super-efficient aeroplanes that will provide passengers with a better flying experience, including an improved cabin environment with more room and more conveniences. The 787-8 will carry 223 passengers in three classes of seating with a range of up to 8500 nautical miles (15 700 km). The 787-3, a model of the 787-8 optimised for shorter flights, will carry 296 passengers in two-class seating on a range up to 3500 nautical miles (6500 km). The 787-9, a longer version of the 787-8, will carry 259 passengers in three classes with a range of 8300 nautical miles (15 400 km).

For more information contact Igal Filipovski, CDC, 011 786 3516, igal@cdcza.co.za, www.cdcza.co.za