Strategies for acquiring and building integrated CAE systems

The first realisation in planning the development of a large-scale integrated CAE system is that it must be dealt with on a corporate basis and not departmentally. The overall aim should be to lay down a corporate strategy with a time frame of at least five years, to understand the long-term benefits and most importantly to stick to it. Within this strategy it is then feasible to take on appropriate subsystems to satisfy particular objectives ¿¿ some will have immediate benefits while others have no intrinsic value but will be vital building blocks for the achievement of the integrated whole. This paper aims to provide the visionary managing director with the necessary confidence to see his vision through to completion.