Supply-Chain Relationships

According to a 2006 survey of manufacturing executives conducted by IBM, CEOs believe that over 70% of new product innovation comes from customers and suppliers.  In some industries, as much as 95% of the value-added content represented by end-user products comes from from suppliers.  Shouldn’t processes and systems support these supply-chain relationships that can be so vital to success?

Some industries have moved from a traditional model of suppliers manufacturing parts and subsystems from the OEM’s design to deeply incorporating tier one suppliers in the design process. This is a step in the right direction to be sure. Unfortunately supply-chain collaboration often imposes processes, formats and applications on suppliers.   The cost and complexity driven into the supply-chain to access and use needed information can be prohibitive. 

Relational product creation seeks to address these shortcomings.  By sharing contextual information, relying upon open standards and enabling process interoperability through information interoperability, Relational Product Creation can take new product development to a much greater level of performance.  Horizontal collaboration and interoperability are the keys.  

PDF Provides the “Container” for Interoperability and Contextual Collaboration

Imagine a world in which information is shared horizontally and vertically across the entire value chain in a totally secure manner.  Imagine that all of the up-to-date information is available securely to “trusted partners” to access and use. Imagine that information format barriers no longer exist fundamentally representing an opportunity for true collaboration.

PDF is a super container for virtually any 2D or 3D information that needs to be shared between suppliers and OEMs.  Adobe and its partner companies are addressing the needs of companies that choose to more to the Relational Product Creation Model.  Here’s how:

Many people associate PDF with the static presentation of 2D information, usually at the conclusion of an authoring and approval cycle.  PDF is chosen in those instances because of its ability to “lock” the contents so they cannot be altered later.  People may know that PDF is already the ISO 32000 Open Standard for Engineering Information, but they may not fully comprehend the power of PDF.  However, the presentation layer not only supports text and graphics, but audio and video content and fully interactive 3D models.

The 3D models represent data extracted from virtually any 3D format, and can contain the product structure, precise and tessellated geometry, product manufacturing information and attribute data.  Data can also be extracted, depending upon security settings, in standard formats including Parasolid, IGES, STEP, VRML, U3D and STL. 

All of these data types can also be combined into informal and higher-end workflows for things like product creation collaboration, supplier collaboration, field service and manufacturability.  JavaScript and XML forms data can interact to support extensions of processes across the entire extended enterprise, and the ultimate user requires is the ubiquitous, free Adobe Reader to interact with data that once would have required specialized applications.

Lastly, security is fully comprehended.  Security can be enabled through password and certificate encryption, but LiveCycle Rights Management can provide dynamic access control, manage permissions, monitor activity, manage revisions and even revoke information anywhere it may be shared.  PDF fully supports digital signatures, so authenticity is never an issue.

I realize that this article is high-level.  In future articles, I will be focusing on each of these areas in more detail to explore examples and customer successes. 

• Reduced document exchange cycles from as long as 20 days to 1 day
• Improved accuracy and timeliness of input from reviewers
• Eliminated errors from manual data entry by automating data capture
• Shortened product time to market with accelerated document exchange
• Increased competitiveness of manufacturers

To learn about how JVC was able to achieve these improvements, continue reading below. 

If you are interested in understanding how this works, there is a two part tutorial on AcrobatUsers.com you'll want to watch. Here's part one and here's part two.

Here's an excerpt from a White House press release:

"The National Medal of Technology and Innovation has its roots in a 1980 statute and is administered for the White House by the U.S. Department of Commerce's U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The award recognizes individuals or companies for their outstanding contributions to the promotion of technology for the improvement of the economic, environmental, or social well-being of the United States. Nominees are selected by a distinguished independent committee representing both the private and public sectors.

From the White House press release:

"These scientists, engineers and inventors are national icons, embodying the very best of American ingenuity and inspiring a new generation of thinkers and innovators," President Obama said. "Their extraordinary achievements strengthen our nation every day--not just intellectually and technologically but also economically, by helping create new industries and opportunities that others before them could never have imagined."

The Adobe founders are being acknowledged "for their pioneering contributions that spurred the desktop publishing revolution and for changing the way people create and engage with information and entertainment across multiple mediums including print, Web and video."

The short answers are 'yes' and 'not really'. Read on to get the details...

Which brings us to, "Doesn't that mean PRC competes with STEP?". We don't see PRC replacing the need for STEP today, and if STEP continues to evolve to include other information like design construction history and parametric relationships, there will be even larger gaps between STEP and PRC in the future. As noted in the press release by AIIM, the PRC working group will be coordinating with the STEP ISO technical committee to ensure that there is conformance between the two specs where it makes sense. Given all that, we see very different use cases for PRC and STEP most notably around

• Design re-use : STEP is more appropriate for pulling data into a CAD system and making modifications, and although there are now direct B-Rep modeling systems that enable using PRC this way, use of STEP will provide much higher fidelity.
• Visualization : PRC targets this use case squarely while STEP ignores it.
• Technical Publications like process planning, work instructions, repair operations : PRC is better for this we think as it is lighter weight and includes visualization information.
• Interrogation of precise geometry for downstream processes : This is the one where there is likely be some overlap as CAM and CAE applications often only need/want the B-REP data and PMI. Today PRC meets these requirements as does STEP AP 203 E2.
• Archival and Retrieval : here the two formats are complimentary due to the non-overlapping use cases above. We are actually seeing more and more companies archiving 3D PDF along with native CAD and STEP datasets.

As you may know, PDF can extract 3D content from a wide variety of CAD and visualization formats for inclusion and interaction within a PDF container.  The formats used internally to the PDF are U3D and PRC.  Read on to learn more about PRC and how it is being embraced by the standards community.

Here are some key facts you should know :

• The PRC project will specify a file format for creating different representations of 3D models. PRC is optimized to store, load, and display various kinds of 3D data, particularly from CAM and CAE applications, and enables precise geometry with great compression. PRC is intended to support documentation requirements for design reviews, as well as distribution of detailed design documentation to supply chains. This standard will help support regulatory mandates requiring the use of open standards.
• PRC is being released to ISO by Adobe.  This release is Similar to the release of PDF to ISO; PDF is now an ISO standard (ISO 32000) which is developed and maintained by ISO.
• AIIM is forming a working group to develop and maintain PRC file format
• Working group participants include: Boeing, Adobe, Bentley Systems, General Dynamics, Mental Images, PFS Corporation, TechSoft3D, Transcendata, and others.
• A liaison has been established between TC 171 WG7 (PDF/E and PRC) and TC 184 (STEP).

At Adobe, we feel that standardization of the open PRC format will provide customers worldwide with a truly open standard for 3D content.  Here is why this is important:

• PRC provides detailed and accurate CAD visualization data and makes it easier to distribute 3D content downstream.
• This is an open 3D file format, not affiliated with a specific CAD/PLM application.

Some other things you may be interested in include:

• It is the first 3D CAD visualization format to go through ISO standardization
• This is in line with Adobe’s long history of supporting industry standards and releasing formats to ISO.  This includes ISO 32000, PDF/X (printing), PDF/E (engineering) and PDF/A (archiving).
• This will make it easier to include 3D content in documentation work flows, particularly for manufacturing.
• The PRC format complements STEP.
• The ISO working group will be responsible for all future development and maintenance of PRC, and Adobe will continue to participate as one of the organizations on the working group.
• The PRC working group is working closely with ECMA TC43 (U3D) to incorporate industry requirements.

To read the AIIM press release for more information, click here. To read frequently asked questions, click here.

Very encouraging nonetheless...

Let’s get started.  I decided to use a SolidWorks assembly for this example.  I could have chosen virtually any data format, such as MS Office and 2D or 3D CAD formats. In this case, there are several configurations within the CAD assembly.  I want to use one of those as the basis for the review.   Below is the dialog that helps me select the one I want. I’m going to select the “4-Head Motion” configuration.  If I wish, I could also import more than one of the configurations using 3D Reviewer, but in this case I only want my team to evaluate one option.

Here is what the configuration looks like when converted to PDF:

Now, let’s get to the collaborative review process.  I have several options, including Acrobat Connect Pro for synchronous web-conferencing if I choose.  Today, however I want to take the review off line and enable the entire team to see one another’s comments.  Many customers I talk to use email and native file formats for reviews.  There is so much functionality in the Adobe Reader that I can rely upon. It is much more efficient to use PDF.  Besides, I have the additional benefit of eliminating the problem of dealing with the problem of multiple formats and applications.

Notice below that I have started to add some comment to the PDF that I wish the team to address.  Of course, they will likely have some of their own comments and questions. I am going to start a shared review with the team.  I start by going to the Comment pull-down and select “Send for Shared Review”.

The Shared Review will post a copy of the PDF on a shared site, perhaps a folder in a shared directory, a SharePoint site or possibly on Acrobat.com.  Everyone in the review will have the ability to participate in the review and will be able to interact with everyone’s comments and work with the 3D content, in case they need to analyze the design. 

Next I am presented with a wizard to lead me through the process.  Notice that I have selected Acrobat.com for this example, but I have lots of options as I said.

Did you read the dialog box?  If not, go back and read it.  I can distribute, Comment and Collect using any of the approaches I outlined above. Let’s click “next”.

The wizard has linked to my email client.  I have selected the team members to be a part of this review.  Next I’ll select “Send”.

Look at what happens:

A new ribbon has appeared that allows me to check for new comments and check for new comments.  In just this way, all team members can add comments of their own, reply to mine and aggregate comments to a copy of the PDF if they choose.  Not only that, but everyone can track reviews. 

Here is what the Tracker looks like:

I know you can’t read everything, so let explain.  From here, I can see all of the reviews and forms data collection activities I am involved with.  The review I just started is highlighted in the left panel of the screen.  For this review I can see the status, access level, deadline, who has accessed and commented.  If I wish, I can add reviewers, change the deadline, end the review and start a new review with the same reviewers.  When I click “View Comments” I will be taken back to the previous view where I can add additional comments and so forth, as I explained.  I can aggregate comments if I choose so I can have a record of what everyone contributed.

There is more to cover, but I don’t want to overwhelm you.  The most important things to remember are that the PDF is a dynamic “container” for rich content like the 3D file we included, and of course the comments we have been working with.  The oter team members needed nothing more than the free Adobe Reader to participate in this powerful review.  Only Adobe Acrobat and Livecycle products can unlock the very powerful Reader features you have learned a little about.

Hopefully I have given you some ideas about how to improve collaboration, reduce expenses and improve efficiency in this brief article.

See you next time.