C4 and SMBP

General Motors

Category: Type 1 GERAM, with a strong emphasis on discrete parts manufacturing environments.

Comments: GM has a long history of use of CAD, CAE and CIM in design and manufacture of their products. They were early adopters of technology from many vendors, and by the 1980's they had over 100 different hardware/software systems, none of which were integrated with products used by other departments

The C4 Program was formed by GM in 1986. The key objectives were:

  1. to reduce the proliferation of non-integrated hardware and software,
  2. Integrate data between computer applications and design departments

  3. to advance the use of simulation in design of vehicles.
In 1999 GM introduced the SMBP (Synchronous Math-Based Program) which added:
  1. Advanced Solid Modelling
  2. Virtual Reality
  3. Knowledge-based Engineering (including parametrics
  4. Math-based Synthesis and Analytics