Far removed from the days of 2D drawings and countless physical prototypes, today’s product development environment is largely driven by intelligent 3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) models. In the 1970s the engineering community began to investigate ways to analyze product designs in order to better investigate failures in the field. By the 1980s, simulation was being used to validate designs more quickly during upstream design process. The intention was to enhance reliability while significantly reducing the number of physical prototypes that are built and tested. Moreover, validating a product early upstream in the product development process reduces or eliminates excessive warranty claims, lost contracts, and lost market share.

Sounds great in theory; and to be fair, the majority of larger organizations are achieving just this; and have been for some time. But some companies may struggle with the validation process because they may not have the experience base or formalized processes needed to reap the benefits others are achieving.

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