prostep ivip Association, PDES, Inc. and AFNeT Association have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for closer cooperation in the field of MBx Interoperability Forums, to accelerate MBx translator development & ensure the satisfaction of user requirements.
Germany, USA, France - 2 September 2021
The MBx Interoperability Forum establishes a joint effort between prostep ivip, PDES, Inc. and AFNeT. The signature of the MoU initiates a collaborative activity with User Groups providing use cases, requirements, and test cases, and Implementor Groups developing recommended practices and solutions.
The goals of the MBx IF are to identify and implement functionalities for today and tomorrow's needs, and at the same time, increase user confidence by providing system and information standards interoperability testing for ISO 10303 Application Protocols. The MBx IF currently encompasses the CAx IF, EWIS-IF, CAE-IF and PDM-IF, and is planned to be extended to other technical disciplines.
The existing cooperation between the three associations is now extended with the establishment of this consistent governance model forming the MBx-IF. prostep ivip, PDES, Inc., and AFNet will strive to develop common pilot projects, that will be of interest to the member companies of all three organizations. This method ensures the harmonization of standards of interest to the participating associations.
"Aligning our forces among the three key associations, we are ensuring the progress of industrial digital transformation worldwide and across industries with a uniform approach" states Dr. Henrik Weimer, chairman of the board of prostep ivip.
"The organizations have collaborated for many years in the development and extension of data interoperability standards, the MoU is a natural extension to develop uniform approaches that enable Global Corporations and Government entities digital transformation efforts" Brian Chiesi, General Manager, PDES, Inc.
"And adopting a uniform approach make this transformation straightforward, sustainable and efficient for all stakeholders. On top of this, it eases the implementation of digital solutions to face key worldwide cross industrial challenges, such as configured multi views product structure information interoperability", highlighted Pierre Faure, President of AFNeT.
About prostep ivip Association:
prostep ivip is a leading, globally active, independent network of industry, IT and research. The industry-driven non-profit association focuses on the digital transformation in product creation and production. For enabling the digital transformation in the manufacturing industry, prostep ivip defines and aggregates the requirements of manufacturers and suppliers from different branches. Goal is the digitalization of the entire product creation process - from idea to implementation. Therefore, standards are set, and related implementations are fostered. Members of prostep ivip currently include almost 200 companies and organizations from more than 20 nations. For more information see www.prostep.org
About PDES, Inc.:
PDES, Inc. leads an international industry/government/academia consortium committed to accelerating the development and implementation of standards that enable enterprise integration and Product Lifecycle Management interoperability. Its members represent leading manufacturers, U.S. governmental agencies, software vendors, universities, and research organizations. PDES, Inc. supports the Digital Enterprise through the development and implementation of information standards to support Model-based Engineering, Model-based Manufacturing, and Model-based Sustainment. Testing of implementations and data exchange using standards is an integral part of PDES, Inc.
About AFNeT:
AFNeT is a non-profit association, operating for more than 30 years as a multi-sectoral "Think Tank" articulated with a "Do Tank", with digital transformation projects and standardization projects in many industries. Its members represent leading industrial companies, SMEs, French governmental agencies, software vendors, universities, and research organizations. AFNet promotes the development, testing and usage of a set of coherent international standards for supporting most functions of the enterprise: System Engineering, Design & PLM, BIM, Smart Manufacturing, SCM, Maintenance and Repairs.
Current projects develop competitiveness and innovation in industry by setting up (ATLAS) or contributing to (Gaia-X) collaboration in the industrial sectors (Aerospace & Defence, Automotive, Rail, Shipbuilding, Nuclear, Energy, Building/AEC, Health etc.) to enable the digital thread for the Extended enterprise processes.