ESI Group
Encyclopedia
ESI Group provides virtual prototyping
solutions that simulate a product’s behavior during testing, manufacturing and real life use. Engineers in the aerospace
and defense, ground transportation and automotive, energy and power, electronics and consumer goods, healthcare, civil engineering
and other industries use ESI’s software to evaluate the performance of proposed designs in the early phases of the project with the goal of creating a better-performing and lower-cost product.
On May 30, 1978 ESI Group simulated the accidental crash of a military fighter plane into a nuclear power plant in a meeting organized by Verein Deutscher Ingenieure
(VDI) in Stuttgart. German automobile manufacturers took note and tested the applicability of several emerging commercial crash simulation codes, including what would soon become PAM-CRASH
crash simulation software. As part of this project, PAM-CRASH predecessor code simulated the frontal impact of a full passenger car structure in an overnight computer run. This was the first successful full-car crash simulation.
PAM-CRASH was used in the first numerical simulation of a full vehicle rollover by Bavarian Motor Works (BMW). Finite element simulation provided accurate determination of the structural deformations while computationally economical rigid body simulation was used during the relatively unimportant deformation and free-flight phases of the simulation.
In July 2000 ESI issued an initial public offering
that generated 30 million Euros which was used to help fund product development.
In 2003 ESI acquired EASi’s computer aided engineering simulation design and control software environments.
In 2004 ESI invested $5 million in its Indian development center with plans to grow the operation to a 300 person team in the next few years.
ESI Group acquired six computational fluid dynamics
(CFD) analysis products including CFD-ACE+
, CFD-FASTRAN
, CFD-VISCART and CFD-CADalyzer from CFD Research Corp in February 2004. CFDRC software end user revenues totaled approximately $6.5 million for 2003..
In December 2008 ESI Group strengthened their expertise in fluid dynamics simulation with the acquisition of the US CFD service provider Mindware Engineering Inc. with 70 people based in the United States, Europe and India.
ESI has obtained the ISO9001 certification, is recognized by Areva
with its Q-N100 and Q-N300 certifications, and by Électricité de France
(EDF) with its SGAQ system. ESI has received France’s “confidential defense” certification and obtained a specific certification from the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique
(CEA – atomic energy commission).
Fiscal year 2008/2009 was disappointing in terms of new business, however, the company’s financial results held up better than other software vendors, despite the economic crisis, because of its high renewal rate.
In July 2009, the French financial publication Boursier pointed out that ESI’s stock market value is far below comparable American companies quoted on the NASDAQ
stock exchange and suggested that it represents an excellent value.
Stock analyst Monica Schnitger said that ESI’s strong results for the first half of 2010 was partially due to Tata Motors
standardizing on PAM-STAMP, ESI’s sheet metal forming simulation solution. PAM-STAMP is helping Tata investigate the crashworthiness of a new type of steel sandwich material that reduces interior noise in automobiles..
In June 2011 Schnitger Corporation reported that ESI's first-quarter revenues were up 9% from the previous year's Q1, with performance being strongest in Europe and the Americas.
The Ford Motor Company
used ESI’s newest virtual performance tool PAM-COMFORT software to predict the seatback contour under occupant loading through the range of the lumbar support mechanism travel. The predicted change in seatback deflection matched up well with the measured values.
Researchers at the European Space Agency (ESA) used ESI’s CFD-ACE+ software to simulate transpiration cooling with turbulence in the main flow and the laminar flow assumption in the porous media. High performance computing capabilities are critical in modeling porous media and the ESA used up to 48 processors in some calculations.
ESI provides software solutions for casting simulation. Frost & Sullivan’s 2006 European Technology Leadership of the Year Award in digital simulation for prototyping and manufacturing processes went to ESI Group for its ProCAST 2005 software for foundry simulation.
Precision Engineering, a stamping company in Lowell, Michigan, cut die tryout cost from $18,000 to $3,600 by using ESI’s PAM-STAMP 2G software to simulate the drawing and forming process.
Also in the field of sheet metal forming simulation, Atlas Tool used ESI’s PAM-STAMP 2G software to accurately compensate for the effects of springback for high-strength and dual-phase steel for even the most aggressive product geometry.
In the aerospace sector, Vdot, a product acquired by ESI in 2008, was one of four "strong points" found during a recently conducted AS9100 audit at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF). MAF used ESI’s Vdot product for identifying the process and linking the customer requirements and the organization’s documents its very successful AS9100
audit. Joe Costa, Mission Assurance Director said: “…achieving AS9100 certification in one year, starting from ground zero, was the gold ring…”
In a review of VA One, ESI’s vibro-acoustic simulation software, Desktop Engineering said: “VA One combines finite elements (FE), boundary elements (BEM), and statistical energy analysis (SEA) in a single model. And you can use it whenever during your design stages, so it minimizes physical prototypes, last-hour design corrections, and a ton of best-guess work. With VA One you can set up your NVH model in a few hours and have your results in minutes if not sooner.”
Virtual prototyping
Virtual prototyping is a technique in the process of product development. It involves using computer-aided design and computer-aided engineering software to validate a design before committing to making a physical prototype...
solutions that simulate a product’s behavior during testing, manufacturing and real life use. Engineers in the aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
and defense, ground transportation and automotive, energy and power, electronics and consumer goods, healthcare, civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
and other industries use ESI’s software to evaluate the performance of proposed designs in the early phases of the project with the goal of creating a better-performing and lower-cost product.
History
ESI was founded in France in 1973 by Alain de Rouvray (currently Chairman) along with three other recent PhD.s from the University of California Berkeley: Jacques Dubois, Iraj Farhooman and Eberhard Haug. The company initially operated as a consulting company for European defense, aerospace and nuclear industries.On May 30, 1978 ESI Group simulated the accidental crash of a military fighter plane into a nuclear power plant in a meeting organized by Verein Deutscher Ingenieure
Verein Deutscher Ingenieure
Verein Deutscher Ingenieure is an organization of 139,000 engineers and natural scientists.Established in 1856, the VDI is today the largest engineering association in Western Europe....
(VDI) in Stuttgart. German automobile manufacturers took note and tested the applicability of several emerging commercial crash simulation codes, including what would soon become PAM-CRASH
PAM-CRASH
PAM-CRASH is a software package from ESI Group used for crash simulation and the design of occupant safety systems, primarily in the automotive industry. PAM-CRASH enables automotive engineers to simulate the performance of a proposed vehicle design and evaluate the potential for injury to vehicle...
crash simulation software. As part of this project, PAM-CRASH predecessor code simulated the frontal impact of a full passenger car structure in an overnight computer run. This was the first successful full-car crash simulation.
PAM-CRASH was used in the first numerical simulation of a full vehicle rollover by Bavarian Motor Works (BMW). Finite element simulation provided accurate determination of the structural deformations while computationally economical rigid body simulation was used during the relatively unimportant deformation and free-flight phases of the simulation.
In July 2000 ESI issued an initial public offering
Initial public offering
An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...
that generated 30 million Euros which was used to help fund product development.
In 2003 ESI acquired EASi’s computer aided engineering simulation design and control software environments.
In 2004 ESI invested $5 million in its Indian development center with plans to grow the operation to a 300 person team in the next few years.
ESI Group acquired six computational fluid dynamics
Computational fluid dynamics
Computational fluid dynamics, usually abbreviated as CFD, is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical methods and algorithms to solve and analyze problems that involve fluid flows. Computers are used to perform the calculations required to simulate the interaction of liquids and gases with...
(CFD) analysis products including CFD-ACE+
CFD-ACE+
is a general computational fluid dynamics and multiphysics solver for a broad range of physics disciplines.The partial differential equations involved can be solved inmultidimensional , and in steady or transient form....
, CFD-FASTRAN
CFD-FASTRAN
is a leading commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics software for aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic applications. It is specifically designed to support the aerospace industry. It employs multiple moving body capability for simulating most complex aerospace problems including missile launch,...
, CFD-VISCART and CFD-CADalyzer from CFD Research Corp in February 2004. CFDRC software end user revenues totaled approximately $6.5 million for 2003..
In December 2008 ESI Group strengthened their expertise in fluid dynamics simulation with the acquisition of the US CFD service provider Mindware Engineering Inc. with 70 people based in the United States, Europe and India.
ESI has obtained the ISO9001 certification, is recognized by Areva
Areva
AREVA is a French public multinational industrial conglomerate headquartered in the Tour Areva in Courbevoie, Paris. AREVA is mainly known for nuclear power; it also has interests in other energy projects. It was created on 3 September 2001, by the merger of Framatome , Cogema and...
with its Q-N100 and Q-N300 certifications, and by Électricité de France
Électricité de France
Électricité de France S.A. is the second largest French utility company. Headquartered in Paris, France, with €65.2 billion in revenues in 2010, EDF operates a diverse portfolio of 120,000+ megawatts of generation capacity in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.EDF is one of...
(EDF) with its SGAQ system. ESI has received France’s “confidential defense” certification and obtained a specific certification from the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique
The Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives or CEA, is a French “public establishment related to industrial and commercial activities” whose mission is to develop all applications of nuclear power, both civilian and military...
(CEA – atomic energy commission).
Fiscal year 2008/2009 was disappointing in terms of new business, however, the company’s financial results held up better than other software vendors, despite the economic crisis, because of its high renewal rate.
In July 2009, the French financial publication Boursier pointed out that ESI’s stock market value is far below comparable American companies quoted on the NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
stock exchange and suggested that it represents an excellent value.
Stock analyst Monica Schnitger said that ESI’s strong results for the first half of 2010 was partially due to Tata Motors
Tata Motors
Tata Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Mumbai, India. Part of the Tata Group, it was formerly known as TELCO...
standardizing on PAM-STAMP, ESI’s sheet metal forming simulation solution. PAM-STAMP is helping Tata investigate the crashworthiness of a new type of steel sandwich material that reduces interior noise in automobiles..
In June 2011 Schnitger Corporation reported that ESI's first-quarter revenues were up 9% from the previous year's Q1, with performance being strongest in Europe and the Americas.
Products
Editors at Desktop Engineering Magazine selected ESI’s Virtual Performance Solution as its Editor’s Pick for July 2010. Editor at Large Anthony Lockwood said: “The Virtual Performance Solution embraces a lot of things, such as gold-standard tools like PAM-CRASH. But what it really provides you is an integrated simulation environment. That is what makes it so cool. And so does this: You work across multiple analysis domains with a single core model – not different models for every load case. This streamlines your workflow, saving time and money by reducing the number of individual solvers you have to deploy and all that model re-creation business.”The Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
used ESI’s newest virtual performance tool PAM-COMFORT software to predict the seatback contour under occupant loading through the range of the lumbar support mechanism travel. The predicted change in seatback deflection matched up well with the measured values.
Researchers at the European Space Agency (ESA) used ESI’s CFD-ACE+ software to simulate transpiration cooling with turbulence in the main flow and the laminar flow assumption in the porous media. High performance computing capabilities are critical in modeling porous media and the ESA used up to 48 processors in some calculations.
ESI provides software solutions for casting simulation. Frost & Sullivan’s 2006 European Technology Leadership of the Year Award in digital simulation for prototyping and manufacturing processes went to ESI Group for its ProCAST 2005 software for foundry simulation.
Precision Engineering, a stamping company in Lowell, Michigan, cut die tryout cost from $18,000 to $3,600 by using ESI’s PAM-STAMP 2G software to simulate the drawing and forming process.
Also in the field of sheet metal forming simulation, Atlas Tool used ESI’s PAM-STAMP 2G software to accurately compensate for the effects of springback for high-strength and dual-phase steel for even the most aggressive product geometry.
In the aerospace sector, Vdot, a product acquired by ESI in 2008, was one of four "strong points" found during a recently conducted AS9100 audit at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF). MAF used ESI’s Vdot product for identifying the process and linking the customer requirements and the organization’s documents its very successful AS9100
AS9100
AS9100 is a widely adopted and standardized quality management system for the aerospace industry.It was released in October, 1999, by the Society of Automotive Engineers and the European Association of Aerospace Industries....
audit. Joe Costa, Mission Assurance Director said: “…achieving AS9100 certification in one year, starting from ground zero, was the gold ring…”
In a review of VA One, ESI’s vibro-acoustic simulation software, Desktop Engineering said: “VA One combines finite elements (FE), boundary elements (BEM), and statistical energy analysis (SEA) in a single model. And you can use it whenever during your design stages, so it minimizes physical prototypes, last-hour design corrections, and a ton of best-guess work. With VA One you can set up your NVH model in a few hours and have your results in minutes if not sooner.”