Ashok Leyland to merge virtual and physical testing

This week the global 3D software company Dassault Systèmes announced, at its 3DExperience forum in Bengaluru, that Ashok Leyland, India’s second largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, has expanded its use of the 3DExperience platform by adopting the Global Validation, Proven Performance (GVPP) industry solution experience. This solution, the company said, “enables businesses to meet global challenges by unifying virtual and physical testing to optimise vehicle quality and experience.”

With this deployment, Ashok Leyland has become the first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in India to adopt the GVPP industry solution experience based on the 3DExperience platform.

“As part of our strategy to reduce the overall time-to-market with zero defects, we have implemented the GVPP,” said N Saravanan, senior vice-president, Product Development, Ashok Leyland. “This not only enables us to manage the complexity involved in the definition and execution of the validation protocols, but also helps in the optimisation of the validation protocols and time.”

Evolving market and industry demands, such as safety and emission concerns, have pushed vehicle performance and quality expectations ever higher. With such requirements come the necessity to effectively manage the vast array of tests and simulations, while at the same time consider the need for optimisation of costs, reduction of cycle time, and successful management of product quality, warranty claims and recall risks.

To address these challenges, Dassault Systèmes said that the GVPP provides industry-proven capabilities to accurately define vehicle, system and subsystem performance targets with analytics and reliable traceability. “Companies can manage testing, prototyping and simulation activities including digitalisation of test data, test planning and scheduling, management of assets and resources, and knowledge capture of simulation workflows. With a data-driven approach, the GVPP ensures a digital continuity across different departments, from concept development and testing, to final validation and production,” the company said in a statement.

Samson Khaou, managing director, India, Dassault Systèmes, added, “By extending its use of the 3DExperience platform, Ashok Leyland is one of the few players in the automotive industry, and now the first in India, to integrate virtual and physical prototyping at an R&D level and develop next-generation trucks and buses for a global customer base.”