![]() Siemens has built tight integration between the spreadsheet and PLM, including the ability to map imported Excel columns to properties in Teamcenter. “Before you know it, they have lots of big spreadsheets packed full of data and it’s not always the best way to do things,” Dewhurst says. “But using Excel as a bill of materials (BOM) or a so-called “poor’s man’s database”-that becomes far more of a challenge.”įrom there, engineering groups may begin to broaden Excel usage for database-type functions, initially dumping a bit of data from a test rig into a spreadsheet and expanding from there until they end up with more than they may have bargained for. “Excel as a tool in doing what it does best-sorting data, sharing data and doing calculations-is very important and will remain important,” notes Tom Maurer, senior director, strategy group for Siemens PLM Software, who cited specific Excel functions such as macros, pivot tables, charts and conditional formatting among the key features that keep the Microsoft productivity tool a go-to workhorse for today’s engineering workflows. ![]() Another sign of spreadsheets’ sustained longevity: The average life expectancy of the most critical engineering spreadsheets was estimated at between one and five years, while more than 35% of spreadsheets kick around and are active for more than five years. Only 11% of those surveyed said spreadsheet usage was on the decline. Thirty percent of respondents to the NAFEMS survey said their groups were being encouraged to maintain use of Excel as part of the engineering workflow and 84% of those polled expected usage of Excel to either increase or remain constant. A third of respondents estimated that spreadsheet was accessed by more than 10 people in the organization.Įven with a plethora of new technologies within reach, respondents said spreadsheet use was actively promoted by many in engineering management. ![]() What was even more surprising was the frequency of spreadsheet use: The vast majority of respondents reported getting their hands on the organization’s most critical spreadsheet daily (23%) or weekly (36%). Thirty percent remained heavily reliant on spreadsheets as a data repository. Specifically, greater than 80% of respondents to the survey reported use of “critical” spreadsheets for engineering design calculations and modeling while 30% tapped Excel for engineering-to-order/configuration-to-order/configure-price-quote workflows. Most NAFEMS and DE survey respondents who are using Excel for engineering design calculations and modeling said its use is remaining constant.Įxcel spreadsheets are extensively tapped by large and small engineering groups as an early concept tool for preliminary design work and engineering calculations, but also for later-stage activities related to engineering-to-order, configuration and pricing.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |