Hyundai, Kia Motors Complete First Phase Of PTC PLM System Deployment

PTC has announced it has successfully completed the first phase of deployment of its enterprise product lifecycle management (PLM) system at Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation (HMC/KMC). The combined companies represent the fourth largest, and fastest growing, automobile manufacturer in the world.

In order to support the company’s ambitious growth plans, HMC/KMC prioritised the need for a robust PLM system that both enables global concurrent product development and supports its rapidly changing vehicle requirements. Following an extensive benchmark testing and selection process, HMC/KMC selected PTC’s Windchill PLM solution as its enterprise PLM solution in early 2011. PTC’s Windchill will consolidate multiple existing systems into a single platform for managing critical product data and related processes for vehicle development.

PTC’s Windchill is being deployed within HMC/KMC’s core research and development groups to establish a system of record for the complete vehicle, which will include design data from a range of different systems including CATIA and Pro/ENGINEER (now Creo). In addition, Windchill will also help handle the complexity caused by the increasing number of vehicle change management requests and, further, will provide a comprehensive Digital Mock-Up (DMU) environment.

“Our company believes that new thinking leads to new possibilities,” said ChangKy Kang, executive vice president and head of vehicle development center 4. “This philosophy is what led us to select PTC as our strategic PLM partner. We are pleased by the collaboration between PTC and our project teams in achieving this aggressive implementation milestone on schedule,” said Kang.

In partnership with Hyundai AutoEver, PTC was able to meet an aggressive timeline set for Phase I system deployment. Late last year, the Windchill system was opened to users on key car programs within HMC/KMC. The system will be expanded and adopted for all vehicle programs.

“When it comes to product design, development and delivery, HMC/KMC represents a new generation of thinking which requires a new generation of technology,” said Jim Heppelmann, president and CEO of PTC. “There is no question that HMC/KMC is charting a new path toward growth through innovation and we are proud to be a strategic partner to this emerging industry leader. We look forward to our continued collaboration as we deploy additional enabling technologies across the company,” he said.

With the first phase complete, planning for the next phase will begin.

PTC solutions for automotive needs are designed to meet the product design and product life cycle management needs of both OEMs and suppliers in the automotive industry. PTC’s customers in the automotive industry utilising PTC’s enterprise 3D design, product data management and/or collaboration solutions include eight of the Top 10 power train suppliers and three of the Top Five automotive OEMs.