Mentor Graphics Announces Software Vital For Wire Harness Supplier Competitiveness

Capital Harness TVM is part of the Capital tool suite, a powerful electrical system and wire harness design environment for the automotive, aerospace and defense industries. The new tool adds rapid, accurate harness manufacturing process modeling and cost calculation capabilities to the Capital “Define-Design-Build-Service” flow.



Capital Harness TVM addresses a critical business dynamic for wire harness suppliers: how to respond rapidly to requests for quotation. Rapid responses are needed both to win new business and to accommodate design changes, and are particularly challenging because wire harness manufacturing is typically a low-margin business. Capital Harness TVM provides rapid, highly detailed manufacturing cost data and also supports process choice and sourcing decisions, thus delivering total value management.



Jeremy Tibbett, director of engineering - LEONI Region Americas, commented, “Accurate, fast and repeatable cost calculations are a key to any harness manufacturer’s competitive capability. Capital Harness TVM not only helps harness manufacturers win business profitably, it is also a platform for other activities such as value engineering and process optimization. I am particularly impressed that Mentor Graphics has created a standard product that is, nevertheless, highly flexible and able to protect company IP in this critical area.”



Capital Harness TVM is a native Capital application, able to act directly on design data generated by other Capital tools. But it can also read data in several standard formats, including the emerging KBL standard. Capital Harness TVM can be implemented either as part of an extended Capital flow or stand-alone; data can also be received from the Mentor mid-market VeSys product, or from other industry tools.



Nick Smith, business development director of Integrated Electrical Systems Division, Mentor Graphics, said, “It was important to create a very flexible product that appeals both to large, multi-national organizations and to smaller harness suppliers. We expect Capital Harness TVM to deliver substantial business value to many existing and new customers.”