"Foundries use a 5,000-year-old technology and there has not really been anything new," Christof Heisser, president of MAGMA Foundry Technologies, says. "Simulation is really the only thing that has happened to the industry that has made a fundamental change in how you run your foundry and how you make money."
Simulation in the Fiery Heart of Manufacturing
This comes as no surprise to Christof Heisser, president of MAGMA Foundry Technologies, who has long sung the praises of simulation.
"Simulation technology has evolved from a geeky engineering thing to an essential business tool that helps companies change how they communicate," he says. "It literally changes the way they operate."
Heisser has a unique focus here. Foundries make up the fiery heart of manufacturing, responsible for creating product in the most basic sense possible. It is, as Heisser is quick to note, a centuries-old process that generally still relies on centuries old technologies.
However, just like manufacturing's more modern side, foundries are now entering a new high-tech age and, like Brown, Heisser sees this development centered around product development and simulation technology.
"Foundries use a 5,000-year-old technology and there has not really been anything new," he says. "Simulation is really the only thing that has happened to the industry that has made a fundamental change in how you run your foundry and how you make money."
Heisser sees this as the key to not only engineering success, but for transforming the whole business process.
