✅ Post 2: What Is DELMIA, Really? Let’s Start with Digital Manufacturing
🔷 “Still managing production with PowerPoint and Excel? There’s a better way — and it starts with understanding DELMIA.”
If you’ve started to explore the DELMIA brand, you’ve probably realized it’s more than just one tool — and possibly wondered where to even begin.
Let’s break it down clearly and practically.
🔍 What is DELMIA?
DELMIA is a brand from Dassault Systèmes that provides software solutions for manufacturing and operations.
And yes, it’s also an acronym:
DELMIA = Digital Enterprise Lean Manufacturing Interactive Application
But most importantly, DELMIA is not a single software. It’s a suite of purpose-built tools that help teams plan, simulate, and optimize how products are made, assembled, and delivered.
Here are a few core DELMIA solutions:
- 3DEXPERIENCE DELMIA – digital manufacturing and process planning
- DELMIA Apriso – real-time shop floor visibility and execution
- DELMIA Ortems – advanced planning and scheduling
- DELMIA Quintiq – supply chain planning and optimization
- DELMIAWORKS – ERP + MES tailored for manufacturing
- DELMIA AR/VR Solutions – immersive simulation and operator guidance
Each solution supports a different part of the manufacturing lifecycle — and throughout this series, we’ll explore how they work and who they’re for.
📌 Who Uses DELMIA?
DELMIA solutions support a wide range of professionals — far beyond just engineers. From planning and simulation to real-time execution and safety compliance, DELMIA plays a role across teams.
If your work involves building, managing, or improving manufacturing systems — DELMIA has something for you.
🔎 Focus of the Day: 3DEXPERIENCE DELMIA — Digital Manufacturing
Let’s start the series with the foundation: 3DEXPERIENCE DELMIA.
This solution is built on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which connects tools like CATIA for design and ENOVIA for data management — giving teams a shared digital environment for collaboration.
3DEXPERIENCE DELMIA is where manufacturing teams plan and simulate how a product will be built — before anything is physically made.
It allows you to define your products, processes, and resources in 3D, using real engineering data, so nothing gets lost in translation.
You’re not using static documents anymore:
- 🚫 No more screenshots pasted into PowerPoint
- 🚫 No more work instructions written in Excel
- 🚫 No more guessing whether a process will actually work
Instead:
✅ Plan factory layouts and stations digitally
✅ Simulate robotics, human interaction, and process flows
✅ Author connected work instructions that update with design changes
✅ Reduce rework and miscommunication between engineering and production
📊 Quick Breakdown: 3DEXPERIENCE DELMIA at a Glance
What it actually does:
It helps teams digitally plan, simulate, and validate how things will be built — before real-world execution.
It also lets manufacturing teams natively consume engineering data from CATIA, SOLIDWORKS, and other CAD systems, eliminating duplicate files and manual formatting.
Who it’s for:
Manufacturing engineers, process planners, robotics specialists, industrial engineers, EHS professionals, ergonomics experts, simulation analysts, and more.
Why it matters:
It enables a continuous workflow from design to manufacturing, eliminating handoff gaps.
It brings the same level of digital innovation and control typically used in design engineering to the teams responsible for production.
Whether it’s worth exploring for your team:
If you’re still using spreadsheets, screenshots, or siloed systems to manage manufacturing — this is your next step forward.
❓ Common Questions — Answered
Is it one software or six?
DELMIA is a brand with a portfolio of specialized tools. It’s not one product, but a family of connected solutions.
Is it for design or manufacturing?
Primarily manufacturing — but it bridges design and execution.
If you’re designing a station, simulating a process, or optimizing a production line, DELMIA fits right in.
Do I need it if I already use SOLIDWORKS?
SOLIDWORKS is great for 3D modeling.
But if you care about how products are actually built — process planning, work instructions, layout simulation — DELMIA takes you further.
If I already use 3DEXPERIENCE for CATIA or SOLIDWORKS, do I need to install a separate system for DELMIA?
No — DELMIA runs on the same 3DEXPERIENCE platform.
You simply activate the DELMIA roles you need. Everything shares the same data, interface, and environment.
Can DELMIA integrate with existing systems?
Yes.
3DEXPERIENCE DELMIA supports integration with ERP, MES, and PLM systems through APIs and connectors.
And the DELMIA brand also includes solutions like Apriso, DELMIAWORKS, and Quintiq — which are built to integrate with ERP, SCADA, and other enterprise systems, whether or not you’re on 3DEXPERIENCE.
Is it just about going paperless?
No — it’s about going connected.
Paperless is part of it, but the bigger value is in bringing your design, planning, and execution teams onto the same digital foundation — improving speed, accuracy, and adaptability.
Is DELMIA only for large companies?
No. While many global manufacturers use DELMIA at scale, many small and mid-sized companies use it to improve specific areas — like robot simulation, layout planning, or scheduling.
🔁 Next up: What is DELMIA Apriso — and why is it often called the “brain of the factory”?
If you missed Post 1, go here
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