17.4.2003
GM to support University of Trollhättan with IT solutions
The University of Trollhättan/Uddevalla (HTU) is the first Swedish university to be accepted to the worldwide network of PACE (Partners for the Advancement of CAD/CAM/CAE Education).
The three core industrial partners of PACE – General Motors/Saab Automobile AB, EDS and Sun Microsystems – will support HTU with software, hardware, automotive manufacturing components as well as training and technical support. This support is a big boost for HTU in its continuous efforts to implement highly qualified computer-aided technology in the education of future engineers and scientists.
The hardware and software package supplied by the industrial PACE partners will help HTU continue its consistent modernization process in research and curricula-development. In the past years, HTU has introduced computer-based modules, new study programs such as "Industrial Design Engineering" and a broad usage of computer simulation and computer-aided design, setting high standards in education and research – a relevant selection criteria for PACE.
The PACE Partnership, developed by GM, Sun and EDS in 1999, aims at boosting collaboration between a number of strategically selected universities and industrial partners, establishing an intensive and profitable exchange of information and know-how for both industry and academia. The university's access to state-of-the-art technology for study programs and research projects will lead to innovative discoveries and proposals for further improvement of industrial systems and products.
PACE partner EDS is a leading supplier of software and services designed to optimise the product lifecycle process for manufacturing enterprises. It will supply HTU with site licensing and software for EDS PLM Solutions' Unigraphics® NX, E-factory®, Teamcenter® Engineering and complementary services. These software programs can be used in the Department of Technology as well as in other institutes and departments involved in automotive or design research at HTU. The software portfolio contains the complete and newest software used by General Motors and and its global brands, such as Saab Automobile, in the development and manufacturing of automotive components.
PACE partner Sun Microsystems is the leading provider of products, technologies and services for network computing. It constitutes the basis of many universities' technology infrastructure in and outside Sweden and the rest of Europe.
Sun Microsystems is, via Saab Automobile, providing HTU with, among other things, 48 UNIX-based workstations, including two new high-end graphics systems and grid computing software ideal for typically compute-intensive environments like the automotive industry, as well as the appropriate know-how to work with them. This technology makes it possible to view and evaluate the new vehicles in their earlier stages of development, long before elaborate and costly physical models are built.
"Without the very latest computer technology, the development and production of a modern automobile would be unthinkable. This makes it important for young engineers, during their academic training, to have the opportunity of working with the most advanced computers and software", said Peter Augustsson, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Saab Automobile AB in Trollhättan.
In addition to the educational contributions made by the three PACE partners (GM, EDS and Sun), several additional PACE contributors have embraced the PACE mission, and contribute valuable products and services to PACE institutions.
HTU becomes the 23rd institution to join the PACE program and the second European school. Since its inception in 1999, the corporate partnership has donated software, hardware, training and technical support with a value of more than $1.8 billion to schools like Purdue University, Michigan State University, Technische Universität Darmstadt and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Selected universities are invited to participate based on several criteria, including: a long-term relationship with GM, Sun and EDS as a primary educational partner and a strong recruiting relationship; strength in design, engineering and manufacturing; and the institution's current and intended interest in developing curricula using PACE products and processes.