Paris, France - March 30, 2004 - IBM
and Dassault Systèmes (Nasdaq : DASTY, Euronext
Paris : #13065, DSY.PA) today announced that
Aesculap SA, the French division of B. Braun
responsible for the development of medical
implants, will expand use of their Product
Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions. Aesculap has
achieved international success using the virtual
product development platform from IBM PLM and
Dassault Systèmes to develop technologically
advanced orthopedic implants that meet the strict
health regulations of major global markets.
Aesculap cited the need to respect international
regulations, while making continuous improvements
in product quality and time to market as the main
reasons for the extension of its PLM platform. In
order to penetrate the highly competitive and
demanding US market that boasts 50% of worldwide
implant sales, Aesculap chose to increase its
investment in IBM PLM Solutions developed by
Dassault Systèmes. The new product development and
data management platform will simplify the
regulatory approval processes and streamline
Aesculap’s product development processes, helping
the company introduce innovative orthopedic
devices, such as artificial knee and hip joints,
to a wider customer base.
Since the initial trial implementation of the new
solutions, Aesculap has already been able to
reduce the product development cycle of a typical
implant by one week - a savings of 15%.
Aesculap will use CATIA V5, the world’s leading
collaborative virtual product development
solution, combined with SMARTEAM, for product data
and lifecycle management that includes regulatory
approval templates. The templates store thousands
of pages of design reviews, market data, and
engineering information in an easily searchable
and organized Internet-based platform with digital
signatures for accountability. The integrated
platform will improve collaboration between
Aesculap’s R&D and production facilities in France
and Germany, and help Aesculap comply with strict
ISO 9001 and EN 46001 standards for the medical
device industry.
"To break into global healthcare markets, we
required a complete solution for the development
and delivery of our surgical instruments and
implants. Additionally, delivering more than
10,000 implants and 150 other related devices for
patients around the world, quality and
traceability are of utmost importance,” said
Sylvie Plumet, vice-president, Aesculap Implants.
“Automated design updates and tracking functions
for strict compliance with a variety of
international medical standards allow us to reduce
the time necessary to develop and deliver high
quality orthopedic devices. More importantly for
our business, the integrated PLM platform gives us
total traceability of the entire product
development process boosting our reactivity and
allowing us to anticipate the effect of product
modification, stemming from innovation or changing
health regulations, on our business.”
“According to the recent global CEO study
conducted by IBM, nearly two-thirds of CEOs see
new and differentiated products as the key drivers
for success, with new markets and new products
presenting the greatest opportunity for revenue
growth. IBM PLM Solutions support new product
development and penetration into new markets -
Aesculap is a case in point,” said Klaus Schaefer,
vice president, IBM Product Lifecycle Management,
Europe Middle East Africa. “IBM PLM Solutions
enable manufacturing companies to concentrate on
product innovation, while concurrently optimizing
quality, development costs, and time to market to
foster growth and minimize risk.”
“Complex products, intense competition, and a
highly regulated environment - these are just a
few of the challenges faced by life science
companies such as Aesculap,” said Denis Senpéré,
vice president PLM Europe, Dassault Systèmes. “By
combining the data management strength of SMARTEAM
and its FDA Compliance modules with the
cutting-edge product development capabilities of
CATIA V5, Aesculap can leverage its corporate
intellectual property, focus on innovation, and
increase its competitiveness - all key to its
advancement in established and emerging healthcare
markets around the world.”About Dassault Systèmes
As world leader in PLM (Product Lifecycle
Management) solutions, the Dassault Systèmes group
brings value to more than 70,000 customers in 80
countries. A pioneer in the 3D software market
since 1981, Dassault Systèmes develops and markets
PLM application software and services that support
industrial processes and provide a 3D vision of
the entire life cycle of products from conception
to maintenance. Its offering includes integrated
PLM solutions for product development (CATIA®,
DELMIA™, ENOVIA®, SMARTEAM®), mainstream product
design tools (SolidWorks®), and 3D components
(ACIS®) from Spatial Corp. Dassault Systèmes is
listed on the Nasdaq (DASTY) and Euronext Paris
(#13065, DSY.PA) stock exchanges. For more
information, visit
http://www.3ds.com
About Aesculap
With its strategy "All it takes to operate" the
Aesculap Division of BBRAUN focuses on everything
required for the core processes in the operating
theatre and cath lab. This includes surgical
instruments for open and minimally invasive
access, catheter systems for interventional
therapies, motor systems, endoscopes, high
frequency equipment and navigation systems - here
Aesculap is the acknowledged world leader.
Sutures, both absorbable and non-absorbable and
various container and storage systems also form
part of the core process.
In implants, Aesculap is among the best in the
field, with emphasis on orthopaedics, neurosurgery
as well as for cardiovascular and spinal
therapies. Aesculap goes one step further, putting
new meaning into "All it takes to operate",
offering comprehensive instrument management
systems, procedure kits and trendsetting services.
Through the Aesculap Academy world class
multi-faceted training and education programs are
developed.
Come with us as we take a larger view, and
discover the rich product portfolio and Global
Service of the Aesculap Division:
http://www.bbraun.com
About IBM
IBM is the world's largest information technology
company, with 80 years of leadership in helping
businesses innovate. IBM Sales & Distribution,
which supports more than a dozen key industries
worldwide, works with companies of all sizes
around the world to deploy the full range of IBM
technologies. The fastest way to get more
information about IBM is through the IBM home page
at
http://www.ibm.com
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