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240 Part Two Information Technology Infrastructure

facturing data into a single database that could be concurrently accessed by the design and
manufacturing engineers. BAE implemented Siemens’ Teamcenter product lifecycle manage-
ment software and Dassault Systemes’ CATIA CAD/CAM software. Teamcenter can also be
configured to take advantage of recent developments in cloud computing using Microsoft’s
Azure, IBM’s SmartCloud Enterprise+, and Amazon Web Services.
Bringing together Siemens’ Teamcenter and Dassault Systemes’ CATIA has given BAE
Systems powerful integrated data management tools. The Teamcenter database includes tools
for component markup and rollup capabilities allowing users to visualise the effect of compo-
nent design changes and configuration selections in real-time.
The new solution has produced significant cost savings at BAE in terms of its design and
manufacturing data management and storage, while boosting performance. With fewer legacy
systems and data files to manage, BAE has been able to meet quality, time and cost require-
ments by being able to produce complete and accurate aircraft component definitions and
configurations. BAE’s new design and manufacturing database technology has improved
speed-to-market by synchronising upstream CAD and downstream CAM component defini-
tions, thereby enabling better cross-discipline coordination. With these savings, the company
has been able to spend more resources on improving data management across the entire
enterprise.
Sources: “BAE Systems Half-Yearly Report and Presentation 2012” www.baesystems.com, accessed November
8, 2012; “Teamcenter supports aircraft through 50-year cycle: BAE Systems Military Air Solutions” www.
plm.automation.siemens.com, accessed November 8, 2012; “CATIA V5 Fact Sheet” www.3ds.com, accessed
November 8, 2012.
Case contributed by Robert Manderson, University of Roehampton

he experience of BAE Systems illustrates the importance of data management. Business
Tperformance depends on the accuracy and reliability of its data. The company has
grown its business, but, both operational CAD/CAM efficiency and production management
decision making were impeded by data stored in legacy systems that were difficult to access.
How businesses store, organise, and manage their data has a huge impact on organisational
effectiveness.
The chapter-opening diagram calls attention to important points raised by this case and this
chapter. BAE Systems management decided that the firm needed to improve the management
of its data. Pieces of data about design components, manufactured components, and their
final assembly had been stored in many large legacy systems that made it extremely difficult
for the data to be retrieved, correctly unified so that it could be used in the production line
assembly of aircraft components. The data were often redundant and inconsistent, limiting
their usefulness. Management was unable to obtain an enterprise-view of the company.
In the past, BAE Systems had used manual paper processes to reconcile its inconsistent and
redundant data and to assemble data for management reporting. This solution was extremely
time-consuming and costly and prevented the company’s information technology department
from performing higher-value work. A more appropriate solution was to install new hardware
and software to create an enterprise-wide repository for business information that would sup-
port a more streamlined set of business applications. The new software included enterprise
software that was integrated with an up-to-date database management system that could sup-
ply data for enterprise-wide reporting. The company had to reorganise its data into a standard
company-wide format, eliminate redundancies, and establish rules, responsibilities, and pro-
cedures for updating and using the data.
A state-of-the-art database management system suite of software helps BAE Systems boost
efficiency by making it easier to locate and assemble data for management reporting and for
processing day-to-day CAD/CAM transactions for final aircraft component assembly. The data
are more accurate and reliable, and costs for managing and storing the data have been consid-
erably reduced.
Here are some questions to think about: What kinds of data management problems did BAE
Systems experience in its legacy database environment? What work had to be done before the
company could effectively take advantage of the new data management technology?

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