"Part of our strategic plan is to design cars with world-class ergonomics complying with Society of Automotive Engineers and other applicable standards, as well as providing maintenance-friendly cars for the world market," says Kamarulzaman Darus, general manager of research and development and new platforms at Proton. The company purchased Safework-Pro, Envision/Assembly and Envision/Ergo software from Delmia Corp. (Troy, MI) to use in new car development.

Prior to selecting Delmia, the company had been using conventional physical prototypes to validate these factors. However, these were costly and time-consuming.

"We have started reaping the benefits of Delmia’s digital manufacturing solutions in our research and development efforts in ergonomics, passenger comfort, and assembly and maintenance studies early in the design stage," says Darus.

Proton has also been using CATIA software from Dassault Systemes, Delmia’s parent company. The strong collaborative environment between CATIA and Delmia users was one of the key factors behind Proton’s decision to select Delmia.

"Delmia’s tight integration with CATIA helps Proton leverage the designs made in CATIA to the best advantage and reduce our time-to-market," says Darus.

By deploying these programs, the company expects to accelerate design iterations, save development costs and reduce workplace injuries, as well as produce cars suitable for each country’s ergonomic requirements and standards.

For more information on manufacturing software, call 248-267-9696or visit www.delmia.com.