This week was busy for events. At the beginning of the week, I attended LiveWorx. I’m sure you had a chance to check my articles from LiveWorx. Digital Transformation was one of the topic there. On Wednesday, I attended Dassault System 3DEXPERIENCE forum in Boston. The theme of the forum was Beyond Digitalization. It was an interesting switch and I wanted to reflect on both technology and marketing of this step. 3DEXPERIENCE forum agenda introduced presentations of executives including DS CEO and Vice Chairman Bernard Charles as well as industry and product tracks.
Here are some of my notes and pictures I captured. So, why Beyond Digitalization? Here is a marketing version coming from DS. Everything we made on paper before turned into a digital form – airline tickets, parking reservation, documents, etc. So, paper communication is disappearing and paperless digital form is coming. Well.. I can get it.
Now what comes beyond digitalization? Dassault Systemes explains it as an ability to connect data and transform it in a meaningful information that can drive digital processes. So far, sounds very good. 3DEXPERIENCE platform is all about connect data and make it useful by managing single source of information. While it is also sounds simple, the question of how connect information used by multiple companies in multiple databases should be clarified. I didn’t find answers on these questions at the forum.
1- Marketing Story
There are 3 main elements of 3DEXPERIENCE platform. It combined from data management for multiple departments and organizations, managing multi-sourced CAD data and social collaboration in communities.
On top of these data services, 3DEXPERIENCE provides some interesting features such as know-how generations about how to make a product and optimize it as well as newly presented Dassault System market place supposed to connect manufacturers and suppliers.
2- Customer Story
How the same version is articulated and presented by customer. Check the video I captured. The presentation is much simpler – it is database to put everything together and provide access to these information to all participants at the same time. It is much simpler and pragmatic. The video shows you that. The video helps you to understand what is going under 3DEXPERIENCE hood. Data is analyzed, collected and used to fuel decision and purchase processes.
3- Technical Story
However, my favorite part of the forum was presentation made GE speaking about 3DEXPERIENCE evolution from MatrixOne- tool DS acquired back in 2006 and then towards V6 and finally 3DEXPERIENCE. You can see the story on the slide.
MatrixOne provided scalable data management engine. V6 development embedded MatrixOne servers in DS heart and develop best practices. 3DEXPERIENCE in the chart is explained as Zero files. My hunch, this is an explanation used by DS execs to show a difference between file driven world and non-file driven one.
What is my conclusion? Dassault Systems and Beranrd Charles are good storytellers. The story provided by DS is nice and smooth. Beyond digitalization comes as story of connecting data and services. But story doesn’t say many things and as we know, devil is in the details. For example, I’m very interested to see how multiple organization connected in the same value chain can use 3DEXPERIENCE services and collaborate together. How MatrixOne database will scale in the cloud? These and many other questions related to complexity of 3DS implementation, which I addressed last year here. Just my thoughts…
Best, Oleg
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Disclaimer: I’m co-founder and CEO of OpenBOM developing cloud based bill of materials and inventory management tool for manufacturing companies, hardware startups and supply chain. My opinion can be unintentionally biased.
Disclaimer2: DS provided some meals, but didn’t influence the content of the articles.
