Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Thales join Environmental Materials Technology Consortium

Granta Design to host next meeting of eco design collaborative project.

The Environmental Materials Information Technology (EMIT) Consortium today announced three new members: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Thales. The membership of the Consortium now numbers twelve leading engineering enterprises, focused on developing software tools and information resources that embed eco design and consideration of environmental regulations into everyday engineering workflows. The project has also confirmed that its next meeting will be in Cambridge, UK from March 19-21, 2012, hosted by Granta Design.

Since it was founded in 2008, this collaborative project has been guiding development of software and related reference data created by Granta. Each member has a formal vote in the process to prioritize developments. This ensures both that their specific needs are met at a fraction of the cost of developing in-house solutions, and that these solutions meet the wider needs of industry in general. Member organizations use the resulting software (including early access to new technology) and can apply it to address key problems for their business. They also receive dedicated training and support and opportunities to share and develop best practice through the Consortium networking meetings.

A main focus of the Consortium has been on restricted substances. Being able to consider the impact of restricted substance regulations when making materials and process decisions in design helps these organizations to assess and manage risk in this key area. These tools are available via the web browser-based interface of the GRANTA MI system and from within Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems (such as Pro/ENGINEER).

EMIT members can also benefit from quick and easy ways to assess energy and carbon footprint during product design. This helps engineers and designers to meet environmental objectives by exploring 'what if scenarios' during the crucial early stages of design, when changes cost least but matter most.

The full membership of the EMIT Consortium now includes:

Boeing
EADS Astrium Satellites
Emerson Electric
Eurocopter
Granta Design
Honeywell
Lockheed Martin
NASA
National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
Rolls-Royce
Thales
US Army Research Labs

"We are delighted to welcome these new members to the EMIT Consortium", said Dr David Cebon, Managing Director of Granta and Technical Director of the Consortium, "Ongoing input from leading engineering organizations means that this project remains focused on the challenges that really matter to industry, ensuring we develop practical tools to meet these needs."