 It takes vision knowing where the puck's going and getting there fast It takes future vision to be a winner in the arena and in the world of manufacturing Today in the blink of an eye information flies the continents Electronic commerce the information highway the global marketplace. These aren't just buzzwords, but realities changing the way we do business Manufacturing now has the chance to solve the problems of dissimilar computer systems problems that cause errors Create waste and slow product development in today's world. There will be no manufacturers left who are not agile It's changing so very fast that you don't want to lock yourself in to any particular system So therefore you need standards like step which are focused on interfacing Step it's the new international standard for the exchange of product model data, and it's no longer somebody's dream We decided to send the step file just cold no dialogue prior to that to HP folks in Germany They read it in made some revisions to it sent it back to us And we read it in and as a solid with no no fix-up needed or anything I came over he goes you gotta see this come over to Jim's queue It was actually the first day we just started communications with with HP with their solid designer system And here all there all of a sudden so quickly. We were actually exchanging solid data But could it work in the real world The first product data exchange using step was made with a connecting rod between Ford powertrain and DOE allied signal Mark toko of Ford powertrain led Ford's effort I think it eloquently proved the point that real parts can be made on the basis of step technologies and I think the key for us and was that we didn't go out and buy a million dollars worth of equipment to translate this Connecting rod we used the equipment we already had once we got that part translated into our system It was business as usual and our people said it was just it was fabulous geometry. It was it was perfect geometry The evolution of the step standard and now throughout the world CAD vendors such as Unigraphics computer vision and a soul are working together to satisfy their customers needs for step products We have tremendous pressure from our customers to accelerate our step activities our companies cannot achieve their competitive objectives Without the availability of much more effective data exchange capability Peter's ink is one consortium accelerating the implementation of step They bring together 24 of the world's leading technology Corporations and the federal government in an effort to integrate step into the way real work is done. I Think we've got to be very careful in not implying that step is a is a miracle cure all It requires work. You have to understand it. You have to format the data correctly You'll need expertise and you'll need people that understand how to use it after you make the changes there You just just a notification came to him and then he actually pulled the file from there Is that what happened? Okay, so we're really pressing technology here at least our luck anyway version was successful Without something like step This kind of integrated Computing in an organization just couldn't happen. There'd be too many interfaces to write The other thing that step will do for you is in the past what Ford and other companies had to do was buy a Katia to STL translator or Aries to STL translator a CV to STL translator Now they could all they need is a step to STL translator and the follow systems put out step data They've saved that many special processors down the line Another pilot the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences a consortium of 180 small medium and large manufacturers is spearheading the rapid response manufacturing program Using step GM Saginaw division and Ford are working to exchange Unigraphic solid models with Ford's PDGS system and MSc Aries Saginaw's choice is between proprietary translators or making step their neutral format But the direct translators are difficult to maintain the number two there Sometimes very questionable and number three as versions of software change. They have to be continually written I think step is probably the only thing on the horizon that even has the the hope of even beginning to solve this problem and Saginaw isn't alone Most major US and European auto makers have specified step as the direction for data exchange Now GM's dye management group is pushing step implementation further Employing level three integration a database shared with business as well as with design and manufacturing I don't believe before the step you could say that whether it's engineering data or financial data it can reside in Harmony with each other in the same database now we can that's where things have to move To level three because that's what truly supports concurrent engineering real-time Information access as you need it when you need what you need. It's the first standard that truly recognizes the information age And the automotive industry action group also recognizes its significance They're helping their 800 member companies make step the capstone of the new global way of partnering The first paperless airplane the Boeing triple seven it's based totally on digital models Boeing has a target to start the first large-scale Version of step mid-95 so if you're a new business with Boeing I would suggest that you start looking into and they're starting bracing step concepts Boeing has started with their three engine suppliers GE Pratt and Whitney and Rolls-Royce and their cab vendors called aero step This project requires delivery of product data in the step neutral format And they're beginning to make real breakthroughs Recently we've began to see what we hope to see actual geometry. This looks like what we know it's supposed to be So we're very excited. It's working. We are inches away from being there We feel and what do Boeing suppliers think about step? We'd like to get out of the translator business We'd love to get into the step neutral file business so that no matter what no matter who we're working with We can send them a step file and they'll be able to read it into their CAD system and use it Looking to reduce the waste of translators Pratt and Whitney adopted a single CAD system But still we have the problem where our customers do not have the same CAD-CAM systems like we do and the biggest problem is that we have these small CAD-CAM companies Coming up with point solutions and these point solutions are very good say for NC programming or five-axis milling So it becomes business sense to get these point solutions But the bigger problem that is to actually translate the geometry to go in and out of these point solutions and Step is the way to go Step is the way to go. It's a standard with dual use commercial and military Consider the lucky Boeing partnership teamed on the latest fighter jet the F 22 We can most effectively operate as a corporation if we have the flexibility to form these relationships as necessary for the different product opportunities that arise and Step permits us to do that in a very effective manner and their strong commitment in the UK British Aerospace recently stated the time has come to move forward with step and Step covers more than just mechanical systems in electronics step now supports data exchange between design and manufacturing of printed circuit assemblies Apparel construction and process industries are also making headway bringing the advantages of step to all Once before we seized an opportunity opening markets never before imagined competitors cooperate Developing common practices for the common good It took work. It took commitment and it took a future vision Step is here. It's working. It's now right on the brink of Exploding into use the door has been open And we just have to do the work now. It's catching hold and Like most things that are the right answer. It will rapidly be adopted