b'Engineer Innovation | AutomotiveSystem simulation: comprehensive insights into mechatronic product performanceWith more stringent regulations and shortened development time, OEMs and suppliers are tasked with offering more functions and options without compromising quality and performance. At the same time, products grow in complexity as electrification and software become more prevalent.Manufacturers, therefore, need to accurately make design choices for each new option, component or system while balancing conflicting performances. The drastic increase in variability due to local market requirements makes this process even longer, results in a greater number of potential errors and adds difficulty in managing data and modifications. Moreover, industrial companies are exposed to strong pressure from new market entrants, higher speed of technology evolution and the emergencewell as to reduce our risk exposureplace the right engine, the right gearbox of new business models, such asrelated to the fuel development andand the right powertrain components unmanned taxi or car as a service. integration activities that we usually faceinto place but everything working in such programs. together leads to a shaky transmission. One prime example is the helicopterSimulation of the entire system earlier in market. Competition has become soFrontloading systems integration the design process could have optimized fierce that manufacturers usually haveThe key to success is improvements inthe system. If ran at the beginning, the no more than four years to develop theirsystems integration with simulation tomanufacturer would have already found newest, most sophisticated modelsvirtually evaluate product behavior andthe problems of the low-quality whereas production times a few decadesestablishing collaboration betweenpowertrain and associated costs in ago could often take almost 15 years. design, simulation and project teams.redesign and prototyping would be less. With system simulation, engineers create(Figure. 1)To stay competitive, helicoptera virtual representation of their industrial manufacturers must validate systemsproduct by considering various physicalMost engineering teams have a good integration earlier in the design processdomains and technologies in angrasp on their designs but theyre still to reduce the development cycle time,integrated manner. Using systemnot yet fully integrating them, which costs and risk while also avoiding anysimulation, manufacturers see how theirleads to the discovery of issues later in issues that might lead to late deliveriessystem as a whole behaves in variousthe process. Without a comprehensive which are subject to penalties. scenarios and conditions to assess designsystem point of view, the result could specifications of the product in thelead to failure. It is then crucial for Being able to anticipate a problem is avirtual world. companies to shift their simulation significant source of cost and riskmethods and processes to ensure a reduction, says Nicolas Damiani, expertUnfortunately, implementing systemmodel continuity and any corresponding in simulation at Airbus Helicopterssimulation often occurs at the end of thedata management is correct.Research and Development. Thiscycle. At this point, its too late to do real approach allows us to master thetroubleshooting. For example, in theDeploying system simulationdevelopment cycle and delivery time asautomotive industry, a company couldHistorically, system simulation has been 54'