Campaigns

Finite Element Analysis Software
Long-term Parker Group client, ABAQUS, was acquired by Dassault Systèmes, a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), in 2005. Dassault made ABAQUS’ finite element analysis simulation software part of their SIMULIA brand portfolio. The challenge going forward was to maintain ABAQUS’ formidable position in the global market for advanced simulation technology software, while rebranding it as the “Abaqus” product under the SIMULIA name.

Design for Manufacture and Assembly Software
Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc., of Wakefield, Rhode Island, develops engineering software that allows manufacturers to simplify product design through parts reduction and ease-of-assembly strategies. The methodology, called DFMA® (design for manufacture and assembly), promised to change the face of American manufacturing productivity. In the late 1980s, the company needed to create visibility for this dynamic product.

Composite Design Software
VISTAGY, Inc., built its reputation by developing FiberSIM software, a specialized computer-aided design environment for engineers who practice the "black art" of composite part design and manufacture. Founded in 1991 as Composite Design Technologies, Inc. (CDT), and headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, this dynamic company has for years energetically pursued and educated its market. By 2000, FiberSIM software was the undisputed worldwide leader in its industry, but the company wanted to keep growing. In 2001, CDT created EnCapta software to complement popular computer-aided design tools and PDM systems, and the company changed its name to VISTAGY to reflect the broadened software lines. Change presented challenge: the company was determined to retain its pre-eminent position in the composites industry at the same time it was reaching out to new engineering markets.

CAD/CAM Software
PTC, headquartered in Needham, Mass., is among the world's most successful software companies. The developer of Pro/ENGINEER®, the highly respected CAD/CAM system for mechanical design automation, and Windchill® software for collaborative product commerce, PTC provides indispensable tools for organizations that design and manufacture products in every industry. In the early 1990s, however, the company's technology for parametric, associative, three-dimensional CAD modeling was cutting edge and difficult to understand. PTC faced a formidable challenge: explain to an entire market of engineering designers who were committed to tools for 2-D and 3-D wireframe and surface modeling how they could benefit from moving to Pro/ENGINEER feature-based CAD software.

Tolerance Optimization Software
Sigmetrix LLC, based in McKinney, Texas, develops CETOL Six Sigma software for mechanical tolerance analysis and optimization. The software had a devoted core of users around the world at the highest levels of industry, where innovative concepts of Design for Six Sigma quality and virtual prototyping were taking root in product engineering practices. The next move for Sigmetrix was to reach the section of the design market that had not yet understood the advantages of analyzing part tolerances early in order to improve product manufacturability and quality.

Management Consulting
Goldense Group, Inc., is a Needham, Mass. consulting firm that advises companies on process and technology integration for product strategy, R&D, design engineering, product development, manufacturing, and materials management. In 1998, Goldense Group surveyed 190 companies worldwide that produce medical, electronic, automotive, and industrial products. The goal of this remarkable survey was to gain insight into three areas: how companies currently measure the effectiveness of new product development, whether there are consistent standards used by all industry, and finally, how new product development efforts might be improved. Once the study was complete, the next step for company founder and head consultant Bradford Goldense was to share what he had learned in order to give managers a better understanding of profitability.

Product Development Portal
Mesa Systems International, Inc., of Warwick, R.I., designed a product development portal called MesaVista® specifically for engineering organizations in industries subject to strict regulatory compliance, such as aerospace, telecommunications, and medical instrumentation. This web portal technology offered engineers a new way to collaborate in the development of complex products and systems. MesaVista technology, together with expertise won from a decade of consulting in process management, put venture-funded Mesa ahead of the market. The company's potential customers needed to understand how they could benefit from structured collaboration and process management.

Collaborative Product Design Software
ImpactXoft, a startup in San Jose, Calif., was ready to introduce pathbreaking software to the crowded and rapidly changing market for digital product definition and collaborative product design. Players and prophets had been contributing new definitions of this market, along with matching acronyms, for over a year by the time ImpactXoft debuted the concept of Simultaneous Product Development in the spring of 2001. The company needed to define itself and its IX SPeeD technology quickly. The next step was to build on initial positive response from industry observers. Not only was ImpactXoft presenting next-generation software for digital product modeling — they were also proposing an entirely new approach to product development.

Product Design and Prototyping
Parker Group saw an opportunity to present a vivid picture of how software from two of our clients could be used effectively together. We arranged for a live demonstration of design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMA®) software from Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc., and Pro/ENGINEER® product development software from Parametric Technology Corporation. We invited the editors of Computer-Aided Engineering to witness a one-day redesign of the Musical Dream Screen™ toy.

Design Quality Software
Boston-based Prescient Technologies, Inc., develops software that automates the labor-intensive manual process of checking CAD solid models for errors. The software helps mechanical engineers identify and correct geometry errors, comply with corporate standards for solid modeling, and follow best practices in product development. In a well-documented study of design quality in companies across various industries, Prescient discovered that 90 percent of digital models examined failed to meet design standards that the companies themselves had established. Given the size of this potentially receptive market, Prescient needed to explain to engineering organizations how design quality software could save time and money.

Electronic Publishing
Enigma, Inc., of Burlington, Mass., needed to establish its presence in a fast-growing, highly competitive market before the current volume leader gained too much ground. The company also wanted to attract talented regional employees and to communicate news about its history and its innovative product to the public.

Education
Graduate student programs, particularly in the applied sciences, require support from private industry in the form of money and research information. Having established a graduate program in 1985 at the University of Rhode Island with grants from Ford Motor Company and IBM, the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME) wanted to reach out to American industry.

Materials Engineering
DeWAL Industries, Inc., of Saunderstown, R.I., is a recognized leader in the materials engineering industry. The company has supplied film, tape, and insulation materials to designers of medical, automotive, and scientific products for over 25 years. In a technology initiative, DeWAL began customizing materials used to manufacture filters of superior strength, chemical resistance, and durability. To generate sales leads and enlarge its solid base of customers, the company needed to craft a new message: product designers should be aware of the advantages of using advanced polymer materials in filtration applications.

Consumer
A leading national food supplier invested heavily in local charities such as scholarships, blood drives and summer sports camp for youth. Yet it seemed that only program recipients and their families were aware of the commitment the corporation and its franchises had made to the community.