This conference paper was submitted for presentation at the NAFEMS World Congress 2025, held in Salzburg, Austria from May 19–22, 2025.

Abstract

The importance of the availability and consistency of data in the product development process has increased in recent years. Systems for the management of simulation processes and data (SPDM) are therefore widely used today. The implementation of SPDM systems continues to present companies with major challenges, as they usually have to be implemented in an existing system landscape and affect processes, organisation, systems and required interfaces. Analysing the existing environment and recording specific requirements is therefore essential. Problems that are not solved in the conceptualisation phase will arise during implementation at the latest and can delay the overall project. As part of a customer project with a leading global manufacturer of fuel cells, GNS Systems was able to support the evaluation and implementation of an SPDM system for the company-wide management of cross-disciplinary CAE data. During the conceptualisation phase, the experts recorded the requirements for an SPDM and its use in the business units in topic-specific workshops and market analysis. Functional requirements were derived from these overarching needs, forming the criteria for evaluating the SPDM system. The primary goal of the SPDM system was to reduce the engineers'™ workload enabling them to dedicate more time to research and development. Additionally, the SPDM needs to integrate seamlessly into the companies'™ IT infrastructure. To achieve this, the most critical requirement was a cloud-native solution, along with authentication implemented via AAD. Another key requirement was the implementation of CFD and system simulation workflows, including the data model and its associated CAE tools, as well as corresponding pre- and post-tools. Beyond these tools, a flexible interface to other data management systems '“ such as a requirement management system, an ERP system, and a code repository '“ was essential. Along with the system integration, traceability was identified as a vital requirement. The SPDM system needed to ensure both internal traceability and traceability across systems, while also guaranteeing reproducibility. Finally, functionalities such as data search and acquisition, enrichment of data with metadata, and comparison capabilities for inputs and results were also crucial. These requirements were prioritized and weighted in close collaboration with the engineers. The subsequent market analysis revealed seven relevant providers for effective data management for the entire CAE area. After evaluation based on the criteria from requirements management, the right SPDM solution was found here. The vendor-neutral architecture of the system offers users maximum compatibility and interoperability with other data management systems and third-party CAE tools. The other most important factors when selecting the SPDM solution are fully configurable, the possibility to be customized at any time to meet specific business requirements. A user-friendly dashboard offers engineers many functions for this purpose. The workflow and task management significantly supports the robustness, traceability and efficiency of CAE workflows. In this presentation, GNS Systems will discuss the evaluation process as well as the introduction and go-live of an SPDM system. Based on the know-how from previous customer projects in the field of data management, GNS Systems explains how an evaluation process can be set up and implemented to ensure the success of the project. An important aspect is the involvement of engineers throughout the configuration and process development phase. Close co-operation in the design and migration of CAE workflows into an SPDM promotes acceptance of the system and should therefore take place as early as possible. GNS Systems goes into detail about going live and explains which other processes are important for the development and introduction of an SPDM.