1. Manufacturers are facing the challenge of managing complex supply networks in industries like aerospace, defense, and electronics. A digital thread unifying design, manufacturing, and ERP data can help address this complexity by providing a single source of product truth. 2. Realizing a digital thread requires integrating ERP, PLM, and new product lifecycle execution (PLE) systems to close the loop between design, engineering, production, quality, and resources. iBASEt's Solumina suite connects these systems to create a seamless flow of data. 3. Solumina collects data from PLM systems and flows it into manufacturing, while changes made are fed back to engineering. It closes the loop across the

1. ENABLING THE
DIGITALTHREAD
UnifyingDesign,ManufacturingandERP
inaClosedLoopDigitalThread

2. TableofContents
Introduction
ManagingComplexitywiththe
DigitalThread
TheThreeOpportunities
RealizingtheThreadwithProduct
LifecycleExecution
ClosingtheClosingtheLoopwithSolumina
AboutiBASEt
Notes
1
2
4
6
8
10
11

3. Manufacturingisinthemidstofanotherrevolutionanditisagain
transformingtheindustryasweknowit.Todaytherevolutionisdigital,
andaswithallrevolutions,thisonedidnotoccurovernight.Fromthe
introductionofthePCtothefactoryfloorinthe1970stothe
developmentandmaturationofcomputer-aideddesign,clear
evolutionarystepsresultedinproductivityandefficiencygainsin
manufacturing.1
AcriticalandconcurrentAcriticalandconcurrentevolutionwasalsooccurringwithindesignand
engineering,wheretechnicaldocumentationevolvedfromblueprintsto
two-dimensionaldrawingstothree-dimensionalmodels.Thishad
dramaticeffectsacrossdesignengineeringfunctionsandcouldhave
evenmoreimpactonthemanufacturingenterprise.TheModel-Based
Definition(MBD)couldfacilitatedesigncommunicationacrossthe
entireproductlifecycleandacrosstheorganizationfromdesignto
productionandqualityassuproductionandqualityassurance.
ThedigitalthreadwiththeModel-BasedDefinition(MBD)caneliminate
theproblemsofcomplexityconsolidatingthe3DCADmodel,
componentlist,revisionlevels,GeometricDimensionandTolerance
(GD&T)interpretation,productdetailsandotherproductionand
inspectionrequisiteinformationintoamodelinformationpackagethat
issharedbeyondengineeringfunctions.2
Asthedevelopmentofdigitaltechnologiescontinuestoaccelerate,
manufacturersarecontinuingtorethinktheirenterprisesintermsof
howtobestleveragethoseadvancestoremaincompetitiveina
progressivelynuanced,increasinglychallengingglobalmarketplace.Itis
withinthismarketplacethatproductsandprocessesarechanging
rapidlytomeetdemand,andwhereinnovationandqualityarenolonger
themarkofanexceptionalcompetitor,butratheraprerequisiteto
compete.Bringingustowherewearetodcompete.Bringingustowherewearetoday,andrevealingtheneedto
enablethedigitalthreadofmanufacturingintoacomplete
manufacturingModel-BasedEnterprise(MBE).
1
Introduction

4. Today’smanufacturers,especiallythoseinsectorssuchasaerospace,
defense,medicaldevices,industrialequipment,andelectronics,are
facedwiththechallengeofmanagingacomplexandoftenfar-flung
supplynetwork.Anendproductmayhavehundredsofindividual
componentsorassemblies,someofwhichthemanufacturermay
produceandotherssourcedfromarangeofsuppliers(orsuppliers’
suppliers).Thisnetworkcanbecomeincrediblycomplextomanage,asa
singledesignchangecanaffectthemanufacturingofmultiplesingledesignchangecanaffectthemanufacturingofmultiple
components.
Forexample,acompanymayhavearequirementtoproduceapartwith
threemeasurementsthatareverified.Ifnothingchanges(i.e.,no
engineeringchanges),theprocessissimple.Butwhenaproducthas
multiplelayersthatarechanging(e.g.,dimensions,characteristics,
supplier),associativityneedstobemaintainedamongengineering,
manufacturing,inspectionandmaintenance—acrosstheentire
enterprise—sothattheproductisproducedandverifiedtothecorrect
engineeringlengineeringlevel.Tofacilitatethisprocessandbettermanage
complexity,anincreasingnumberofmanufacturersarelookingtothe
model-basedenterprisemodel.
2
ManagingComplexity
withtheDigitalThread

5. TheNationalInstituteforStandardsdefinesaModel-BasedEnterprise
thisway:
Model-basedenterprisesutilizemodel-baseddefinition:thepModel-basedenterprisesutilizemodel-baseddefinition:thepracticeof
using3-Dmodels(suchassolidmodels,3-DProductManufacturing
Information(PMI),andassociatedmetadata)within3-DCADsoftwareto
define(i.e.,providespecificationsfor)individualcomponentsandproduct
assemblies.ThetypesofinformationincludedareGD&T,componentlevel
materials,assemblylevelBillsofMaterials(BOM),engineering
configurations,designintent,andsoon.Bycontrast,othermethodologies
hahavehistoricallyrequiredaccompanyinguseof2-Dengineeringdrawings
toprovidesuchdetails.
Thecoretenetofamodel-basedenterpriseisthatdataiscreatedonce
anddirectlyreusedbyalldataconsumers(i.e.,allfunctionalareas)in
themanufacturingenterprise.Thisisthe“singlesourceofthetruth,”the
digitalthread.
Simplyput,thedigitalthreadrepresentsthesumofalldata(i.e.,model
data,productstructuredata,metadata,effectualdata,andprocess
definitiondataincludingsupportingequipmentandtools)digitallylinked
toformasingle,contiguousdefinitionofallvalue‐addeddecisionsmade
duringthedefinitionofaproduct,itsconfiguration,manufacturingand
repairprocesses,logistics,andoperationalsupport.Foracomplex
manufacturer,itprovidesasinglereferencepointfordesign,engineering,
andmanufacturing,ensuringthandmanufacturing,ensuringtheyactinconcert.4
3
AModel-BasedEnterprise(MBE)isanorganizationthatapplies
modelingandsimulationtechnologiestointegrateandmanageits
technicalandbusinessprocessesrelatedtoproductionandproduct
lifecyclesupport.Byusingproductandprocessmodelstodefine,
execute,control,andmanageallenterpriseprocesses,andby
applyingscience-basedsimulationandanalysistoolstooptimize
processesateverystepoftheproductlife-cycle,itwillbepossible
tosubstantiallytosubstantiallyreducethetimeandcostofproductdevelopment
anddelivery.3

6. Throughouttheproductlifecycle,keyvalue-addedelementsaredefined
andinsertedintoproductandprocessdefinitions.Anywherethisdatais
definedtoolatecreatesacost,risk,andqualityimpact.Anywherethis
dataiscopied,transcribed,orreinterpretedincreasesthepotentialrisk
andqualityimpact.Consequently,ninetypercentoftheproductand
processvalue-addeddataneedstobeaddedbeforetheendofthe
prototypestage.
RealizingadigitalthreadaffordsmanufacturerstheopportunitytoRealizingadigitalthreadaffordsmanufacturerstheopportunityto
ensurequality,controlcosts,andmitigaterisk.
Eachelementofamanufacturer’svaluestreamwheredatais
reinvented,reinterpreted,ortranscribedintroducesanopportunity
forproductorprocessdefects.Ifthedefectiscaughtinhouse,it
nonethelesscoststimeandmoneytoaddress.Ifthedefectenters
thedownstreamsupplychain,itsescapecompromisescorporate
credibilityanddiminishestheprospectsforrepeatornewsales.
Havingadigitalthreadinplacereducesthelikelihoodofsuch
evevents.
TheThreeOpportunities
4

7. TheThreeOpportunities
Evenifcostandqualitywerenotanissue,aprogramcannotafford
anyvariationthatwillaffectitsabilitytoreachandmaintaingoals.
Mostprogramsnowhavepenaltyclausesthatmaybetriggeredby
latedeliveries,escaperates,andavailabilityrates.Assuch,
programsneedstabilityandlittleornoprocessvariability.By
preservingandsustainingvalue-addedcontent,thedigitalthread
supportsthisstability.
Thedigitalthreadintroducesaframeworkwherevalue-added
actionsareefficientandsustained.Workgetsdoneonce.Quality
variancesareresolvedonce.Engineeringchangesareprocessed
once.Considertheexampleofstep-by-stepvisualsforamajor
defenseprogram:
5

8. EnterpriseResourcePlanning(ERP)andProductLifecycleManagement
(PLM)havelongbeenconsideredthefundamentalenterprisesystemsin
amodel-basedenterprise;butagenuinedigitalthreadcannotexist
withoutaProductLifecycleExecution(PLE)platform.
TTodevelop,describe,manage,andcommunicateinformationabouttheir
productsfromconceptiontoend-of-life,manufacturersusePLM.PLM
architectureisobject-orientedandstructuredaroundproducts,
productrelationships,andconfigurationmanagementfunctions.
TTomanageresourcesforproduction,manufacturersuseERP.ERP
architectureistransaction-basedandorganizedaroundproduction
resources.WhiletheERPsystemutilizesproductdataandprocess
planscontainedinthePLMsystem,thearchitecturesofERPandPLM
arefundamentallydifferent.Bothsystemsmustcontroltheirowndata
andnotduplicateorimpedethefunctionsoftheother.
PLMprPLMprovides“thewhat”:modeling,BOMmanagement,process
planning,processsimulation,andengineeringchangemanagement.ERP
provides“thewhen,where,andhowmuch”:scheduling,financials,and
inventory.Buttohaveafullydevelopedmodel-basedenterprise—anda
fullyfunctioningdigitalthread—manufacturersalsoneed“thehow.”
That’swhatPLEprovidesthroughprocessexecution,processcontrol,
qualityassurance,traceability,anddeviationhandling.
6
RealizingtheThread
withProductLifecycle
Execution(PLE)

9. Byenablingamanufacturertoexecuteonthedigitalthreadinrealtime,
PLEprovidesorfacilitatesahostofbenefits,including:
Historically,thebiggestpotentialbarriertorealizingthemodel-based
enterpriseandthefullpotentialofthedigitalthreadhasbeenintegration
oftheenterpriseapplications,5
butthisissomethingiBASEthasaddressed
withitsSoluminaG8suite.
7
RealizingtheThread
withProductLifecycle
Execution(PLE)

10. SoluminaeasilyintegrateswithallpopularCAD,PLM,andERPsystems,
inadditiontothirdpartyandlegacysystemsmanufacturersareusing
today.Everyaspectofmanufacturing—fromautomatinganddigitizing
interactiveworkinstructionsusing2-Dand3-DCADdrawingsand
visualizationstoprovidingreal-timeupdatesanddatacollection—is
synchronizedacrossmanufacturingoperationswithSolumina.
8
ENTERPRISEQUALITY
MANAGEMENT
MANUFACTURING
EXECUTION
SYSTEM
MANUFACTURING
INTELLIGENCE
SUPPLIERQUALITY
MANAGEMENT
MAINTENANCE,
REPAIR,&
OVERHAUL
MANUFACTURING
OPERATIONS
MANAGEMENT
PRODUCT
LIFECYCLE
MANAGE-
MENT
ENTERPRISE
RESOURCE
PLANNING
ClosingtheLoopwith
Solumina

11. ByconnectingwithPLMandERP,Soluminaclosestheloopamongthe
differentfunctionswithinthemanufacturingenterprise(i.e.,design,
engineering,production,qualityandresourcemanagement),creatinga
seamlessflowofdataamongsystemsheretoforeisolated,realizingthe
potentialinherentinmanufacturingfromthedigitalthread.
AsdataiscollectedinPLMAsdataiscollectedinPLM(e.g.,EBOM),itcanflowintoSoluminaasan
MBOM.PlanningcaneitherbedoneinthePLMorSolumina.Changes
madearefedbacktoengineering;or,ifresourcesaremodified,
consumed,orchanged,theycanbefedbackintotheERP.The
closed-loopenvironmentencompassestheapplicationstocompleteand
ensuretheintegrityofthedigitalthread.
SoluminaisbuiltspecificallytohandlethecomplSoluminaisbuiltspecificallytohandlethecomplexrequirementsin
criticalsectorssuchasaerospaceanddefensemanufacturing.Managing
productconfigurationsandchangemanagementacrosstheentirevalue
chainandproductlifecycleiswherethesolutiondeliversexceptional
valuetocomplexmanufacturers.Thesecapabilitiesallowcompaniesto
efficientlymeetandexceedregulatorycompliance,time-to-market,and
qualityrequirementsintoday’sdemandingglobalmarketplace.
9
ClosingtheLoopwith
Solumina

12. HeadquarteredinFoothillRanch,California,iBASEtmakesdiscrete
complexmanufacturingsimple.iBASEtsolutionsreplaceamyriadof
disparateshopfloorandsupplychainsolutions–suchasmanualpaper
andemailprocesses–withoneintegratedsuiteofsoftwaresystems
thatsynchronizedataandfostercollaborationbetweeninternaland
externalteams.
FFromprocessandinspection,planningtotheshopfloorandsupply
chainexecution,weprovideproven,out-of-the-boxsolutionsthat
deliverreal-timeinformationandprocesscontrolthatsimplifies
complexmanufacturing.
iBASEt’sManufacturingEiBASEt’sManufacturingExecutionSystems(MES),Maintenance,Repair
andOverhaul(MRO)andqualitymanagementsoftwaresystemsare
givingourcustomersthepowertomonitoreveryaspectofproduction,
qualityandcomplianceefficiency.Throughoutmanufacturing,supply
chain,andmaintenance,repairandoverhaul,theiBASEtSoluminasuite
ofapplicationsenablefullshopfloortotopfloormanufacturing
visibility,consistentpractices,continuousproductandprocess
imprimprovement,andeffectivecompliancewithprocessstandards
includingISO9001,ISO13485,AS9100,andFDA’s21CFRPart11and
Part820.
TheiBASEtSoluminasoftwaresuitealsoenablesenterprise-level
productlifecycleexecutiondeliversleanefficiency,improvedquality
managementandcomplianceprocesses.Manyaerospaceanddefense
(A&D)andmedicaldeviceindustry’slargestmanufacturersareusing
theiBASEtSoluminasoftwaresuitetoenablecollaborationandquality
assuranceacrossdiverse,globalsuppliernetworks.Streamliningand
simplifyingcomplexmanufacturingstrategiestoenablefast
time-to-martime-to-marketforneworimprovedproductwithhighlevelsofquality
andcompliancearewhereiBASEtcustomersseethegreatestresults.
Developedspecificallyforthemostchallenging,complex,discrete
manufacturingenvironments,wehaveaproventrackrecordof
deliveringglobalimplementationsacrossmultipletiersofthesupply
chain.
AboutiBASEt
10

13. 27442PortolaPkwySuite#300
FoothillRanch,CA92610
Phone:877.422.7381
Fax:949.598.2600
www.ibaset.com
11
ContactUs
1. Hartman,Brian;King,William;andNarayanan,Subu.“Digital
Manufacturing:TheRevolutionWillBeVirtualized,”McKinsey&
Company,August2015.
2. “ModelBasedDefinitionPromisesBigDividendsforQuality
Assurance,”http://www.hexagonmetrology.us/applica
tions/2011-09-16-14-41-07/310-model-based?tmpl=compo
nent&type=raw
3. Frechette,SimonP.“ModelBasedEnterpriseforManufacturing,”
ManufacturingSystemsIntegrationDivision,EngineeringLabo
ratory,NationalInstituteofStandardsandTechnology,March
2010.
4. Packer,Michael.“HowtheDigitalThreadIsTransformingManu
facturing,”http://www.aerodefevent.com/how-the-digi
tal-thread-is-transforming-manufacturing/.
5. Ibid,Frechette.
Notes