Advancing aerospace engineering through MBSE–PLM digital convergence
In the high-stakes world of aerospace and defense, developing complex systems requires more than traditional, document-driven processes. Organizations must bridge the gap between Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) to ensure traceability, accelerate development cycles and meet stringent regulatory requirements.
Our client, a leading Japanese aerospace and defense OEM — renowned for its engineering excellence — recognized the need to unify modeling and lifecycle data into a governed, enterprise-ready ecosystem. We partnered with the client to enable this transformation by deploying our proprietary Cameo Connector for Teamcenter. This solution integrated systems engineering data from Dassault Systèmes Cameo Systems Modeler with Siemens Teamcenter, enabling a seamless digital thread from requirements through verification.
The result: improved cross-domain collaboration, enhanced compliance and a future-ready PLM foundation built to drive traceability and performance across the entire product lifecycle.
The challenge
Overcoming siloed systems and traceability gaps in Aerospace engineering
Despite leveraging two industry-leading platforms — Dassault Systèmes’ Cameo Systems Modeler for systems architecture and Siemens Teamcenter for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) — the client faced significant challenges due to the lack of integration between these toolchains.
Critical engineering data such as architecture models, requirements and verification plans resided in disconnected silos, with no standardized mechanism for exchange. This fragmentation introduced multiple roadblocks:
- Manual data handling processes created inefficiencies, slowing collaboration and increasing the risk of errors
- Traceability across tools was incomplete and difficult to maintain, hindering visibility and lifecycle governance
- Compliance with aerospace and defense mandates for engineering traceability became a resource-intensive burden
- Collaboration between systems engineers, designers and verification teams was disjointed, impacting decision-making and downstream agility
To maintain engineering velocity and support its growing digital ecosystem, the client required a scalable, governed integration between MBSE and PLM. One that would enable seamless data continuity, ensure traceability by design and reduce compliance overhead.
The objective
Transforming siloed processes into an integrated Digital Thread
The client aimed to transform its siloed engineering processes into an integrated, model-centric development ecosystem by enabling robust, bi-directional interoperability between Cameo Systems Modeler and Teamcenter. Our team was tasked with designing and implementing a scalable solution that would ensure full traceability from requirements and system architecture to downstream design and verification artifacts. The integration needed to support large, complex datasets while embedding MBSE models within a governed PLM environment. Key objectives included enabling configurable data exchange, improving model management within Teamcenter and enhancing productivity and collaboration across cross-functional teams through a unified digital thread.
Our solution
HCLTech Cameo Connector: Enabling end-to-end systems engineering within a single source of truth
To bridge the operational gap between Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), we deployed our proprietary Cameo Connector for Teamcenter. A purpose-built integration platform designed to enable scalable, model-driven development across the enterprise. The connector allowed system architecture models developed in Cameo Systems Modeler — both file-based (.mdzip) and Teamwork Cloud — to be seamlessly published, managed and governed within the Siemens Teamcenter environment. This integration provided a centralized, auditable source of truth, aligning MBSE data with enterprise PLM workflows and enabling traceability by design.
Key capabilities delivered
- Bi-directional synchronization of model elements and attributes between Cameo and Teamcenter
- Configurable mappings between MBSE elements and PLM data structures, allowing tailored data exchange
- Element-level traceability across requirements, architecture, design and verification domains, enabling effective impact analysis
- Drag-and-drop object linking, empowering users to embed Teamcenter-managed artifacts directly into Cameo models
- Model versioning and lifecycle governance within Teamcenter to support structured evolution, reuse and compliance
- High-performance data exchange built to efficiently manage large, complex datasets with speed and reliability
- Digital thread alignment, integrating MBSE artifacts into the broader product data landscape for a unified engineering view
To ensure stability and user adoption, the solution was deployed in two production go-live stages, following a phased, user-validated rollout. This approach enabled progressive learning, minimized risk and allowed continuous optimization based on real-world feedback.
The impact
Realizing measurable value across systems engineering and lifecycle management
The deployment of Cameo Connector for Teamcenter delivered measurable impact across both engineering performance and strategic program alignment. By enabling a tightly integrated, traceable digital thread between MBSE and PLM, the client achieved significant advancements in compliance, productivity and cross-functional collaboration.
Key outcomes
- Mandated traceability achieved: Full traceability from system-level requirements through to downstream design and verification artifacts was established, meeting aerospace regulatory mandates with confidence.
- Seamless production rollout: The solution was deployed in two phased go-lives, resulting in high user satisfaction, minimal disruption and strong adoption across engineering teams.
- Enhanced performance at scale: Large and complex MBSE datasets were exchanged with speed and reliability, improving overall system responsiveness and user productivity.
- Centrally governed model lifecycle: MBSE models are now fully managed within Teamcenter, with version control, access governance and lifecycle integration, enabling structured reuse and improved audit readiness.
- Unified digital thread established: Architecture models are now an intrinsic part of the Teamcenter-managed product data ecosystem, providing a single source of truth that enhances traceability, collaboration and program decision-making.
- Improved stakeholder collaboration: Cross-functional teams — including systems engineers, designers and verification leads — can now review architecture diagrams and relationships directly within the PLM environment, accelerating feedback loops and alignment.
Looking Ahead
Enabling continuous transformation through smart systems integration
The integration of Cameo Systems Modeler with Teamcenter marks a key milestone in the client’s shift to model-based, digitally governed product development. With MBSE now embedded in a unified digital thread, the organization is primed to scale innovation, streamline engineering and enhance compliance. To build on this foundation, we recommend extending integration to Polarion ALM via our Cameo Connector for Polarion, enabling end-to-end traceability across software requirements, test cases and defect workflows.
We remain committed to advancing model-based engineering through smart, enterprise-grade integrations that drive agility, precision and performance.
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