3DEXPERIENCE Forum 2020 is our flagship event, bringing together industry luminaries, innovators, and disruptive startups in diverse sectors such as manufacturing, infrastructure, life sciences, and the workforce of the future. This year, mindful of social distancing requirements, 3DEXPERIENCE Forum India was a fully virtual event, centered on the theme “Experience is Human.”
Experience is Human: One Big Idea to Inspire and Guide Industry Leaders
In 2020, as India witnesses an unprecedented period of challenge and change, our ultimate purpose and primary resource in this journey are one and the same: the human being. That’s why our theme for this year was “Experience is Human.”
Our executive team inaugurated the event, with sessions on human-centric innovation and business in the age of experience. Bernard CHARLES, Vice Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Dassault Systèmes, explained what it means to put ‘Human’ at the heart of innovation and how we approach this philosophy. Deepak NG, Managing Director, India, Dassault Systèmes, speaking on business in the age of experience, said “The way we operate has changed, and the adoption of technology will play a major role in helping our customers, our employees, and our partners — the entire ecosystem — to interact in a virtual world and continue the business.”
Next, we delved into industry-specific conversations, starting with Aerospace & Defense (A&D).
How Large Organizations and Startups Are Using the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform for Improved Outcomes
Aerospace & Defense was among the top sectors that saw a major impact from the pandemic. David ZEIGLER, Vice President, Aerospace & Defense Industry, Dassault Systèmes outlined his five recommended imperatives for recovery during the rebound:
- Increasing passenger comfort and rebuilding passenger confidence
- Drive down costs to ensure survivability and versatility
- Inserting sustainable technology with safety and regulations in mind
- Flexible manufacturing for new industrial systems, new rates, and new production methods
- Transforming the supply chain to be able to tap into innovation.
To achieve these imperatives, large organizations and startups are applying advanced technology solutions like the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform.
Attendees heard from Lockheed Martin, National Aerospace Laboratories, and General Aeronautics, starting with Renee PASMAN, Director Integrated Systems, Skunk Works, Lockheed Martin. “The 3DEXPERIENCE Platform allows us to deliver on quality and schedules. It covers the entire product lifecycle from conceptual design, through modeling and simulation, to all the way sustenance at the end of life,” she said. At National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), the platform aids in smarter decision-making. Dr. Abhay PASHILKAR, Program Director, Civil Aviation Programs, NAL, said, “We are happy to note that the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform has a well-integrated suite of tools, providing us the ability to quickly search the design space and arrive at what is going to be the optimal solution.”
For drone startup, General Aeronautics, it drives agility and faster solution development. “The product lifecycle management concept is embedded in the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform. It provides different views to the different stakeholders so that once the solution has been conceived, we can integrate with our supply chain and optimize it in a virtual world,” said General Aeronautics CEO, Abhishek BURMAN.
After Aerospace & Defense, we explored another critical sector for India: Infrastructure and Agriculture.
Empowering the Workforce in Agriculture through Technology Reinforcement
Dr. R N SAHOO, Principal Scientist, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, commenced this part of the event with an overview of the state of infrastructure in agriculture. He mentioned the lack of technology, uncertainty, low income, and labor-intensiveness as key challenges.
He also shared possible answers: “One approach is to genetically improve the variety of plan types in the production system. The second is to offer financing for input efficiency with respect to available natural resources.” Adding to this, Dr. Ashok DAS, CEO, SUN Moksha, mentioned the need for empowering farmers with the infrastructure necessary to optimally use resources like water and electricity.
“Access to water and electricity is essential for today’s farmers. Technology allows us to maximize every drop of water,” he said. Artificial intelligence (AI), a data-driven cyber-ecological system, and semantic maps can prove extremely helpful. That’s where a platform can help, connecting these components to enable smart, precision-agriculture techniques.
Like agriculture, the life sciences sector has proved to be India’s backbone during these times, which was our next focus area at 3DEXPERIENCE Forum.
How the Open Innovation in Life Sciences Could Speed Up Drug Discovery Progress: Can Hackathon provide a solution ?
Dr. Abhay JERE, Chief Innovation Officer, Ministry of Education, Government of India joined Dr. Anand KRISHNAMURTHY, Industry Process Consultant Senior Manager, BIOVIA, India, Dassault Systèmes, in discussing life sciences innovation.
The Playground featured interactive demo zones for manufacturing, infrastructure, and life sciences sectors offering attendees the opportunity to deep-dive into the various technology levers in action. Our esteemed partners were available at virtual booths to share their perspectives and insights with event attendees.
Eager to understand visitor opinion, feedback, and points of view, we conducted a variety of polls and surveys, gaining insights from our wider community.
As Florence VERZELEN said, we are only entering the next phase of this period or phase “suivante,” where technology, collaboration, and forward-looking ideation is more important than ever before. We thank our esteemed guests for taking time out to share their perspectives, and we hope to have left our attendees with lasting inspiration on the road ahead.
To explore these insights in greater detail, stay tuned as we bring you these sessions from experts on demand.