Five minutes with ... Dominic Kurtaz, Managing Director EuroCentral, Dassault Systèmes

Can you briefly explain what products or services Dassault Systèmes offers?

Our key industry value proposition is a business innovation platform that we call the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform. It’s designed to connect people to processes and to data to eliminate the silos inside the company, but also the silos between companies and their networks. When we speak about data we are not speaking about spreadsheets and text documents, we are speaking about scientific data: How do we simulate product behaviors, how do we understand the end customer experience, how do we develop new materials, how do we understand the recyclability … Ultimately it is about sustainable business on 3 axes: sustainable innovation, sustainable business models and sustainable people skills and knowledge. This is at the heart of what we are doing and why we consider ourselves of being a scientific innovation company.

What role does Dassault Systèmes play in the digital transformation of the industry? From your perspective, what has changed in the last two decades, for example in the automotive industry?

What will happen in the next ten years will completely transform everything that has happened in the last 60 years – all industries, all sectors all companies. If we think about Germany, which is very reliant on the automotive industry, you see this transformation already starting to happen. It goes far beyond moving from internal combustion engine to battery electrical vehicles (BEV’s), it’s about re-imagining a completely different user experience, driver experience, ownership experience and software driven added value. The car becomes a connected piece of a connected infrastructure. Consequently, it’s not just the end product and experience that will change, it requires a paradigm shift in how companies like develop their products and services, how they collaborate and where they get their innovation and attract new skills. All business processes developed over the last 40 years will be completely disrupted. With our solutions we can support companies on their digital transformation journey from ideation through to manufacturing, service and even circular economy.

Through the 3D Experience platform, you aim to enable a close connection between industry and people. Can you use examples to explain what this means in practice?

Bringing an idea to reality and make it successful requires knowledge, time and resources. Nobody can do this alone, so the challenge is to connect industries, innovators – and with that people together.

Bavaria is really an innovation engine in Europe, not just in Germany, which is demonstrated with this ever expanding capabilities of new innovation of startups combined with the biggest industrial companies, some of the largest who are here in Munich also. Especially Munich is a very international and diverse city, with its incredible pool of talents, such as Technical University Munich (TUM), helping companies to bring that international thinking and flavor into everything they do.

- Dominic Kurtaz, Managing Director EuroCentral, Dassault Systèmes

Ottobahn is an interesting example with a new mobility concept, developing an emission-free and fully automated transport system above today’s traffic. You might have heard about the test track that is currently being built in Taufkirchen. Through the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud, Ottobahn can combine knowledge from best-in-class partners, share updates in real time and assure that everyone has the latest information readily available. Founders like Marc Schindler with their collaborative approach and thinking are perfect examples what innovating and bringing ideas to life means not only in the future but already now. Same with Maximilian Steger and Servail as another example, a very innovative product, developed in the heart of Munich: They offer robot-based maintenance of railway tracks and rolling stocks. It needs to be connected to rail operators, rolling stock providers, the truck maintenance, the rail servicing companies… - so we need a completely different and agile way to connect innovation across these industries and ecosystems.

This connecting industries, innovation and people is not just part of the business model, it’s an intrinsic part of how they think to bring products to industrialization.

Dassault Systèmes is opening one of its 3DEXPERIENCE Labs in Munich, for what reasons did you choose the Bavarian capital as a location. What goals are you pursuing with it and what added value does the Lab offer to the local innovation ecosystem?

Munich is an innovation hub for deep tech, therefore, it’s only logical to extend our global network of innovation labs here to accelerate sustainable innovation, which is at the heart of everything we as a company do. We’ve partnered with TUM Venture Labs and ESA BIC Bavaria, two important players in the regional to jointly support startups on their journey.

So what do we bring to the local innovation ecosystem?

Firstly, all Startups have access to a world class Fab Lab complemented with an end-to-end business innovation platform, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, to connect early concept to commercialization ideas, and this all on cloud.

Secondly, the scale of the ecosystem: There are more than 3,000 startups in Germany alone that we connected to in the last 24 months for them to use our software, to share knowledge and know-how and connect and collaborate with our huge industrial client ecosystem.

Thirdly, training and mentoring: Dassault Systèmes encourages all of its 23,000 engineers, scientists, business and creative talents to provide 10 percent of their time to mentor start-ups.

You have already lived and worked in various locations around the world. What makes Bavaria special for you?

Let’s remember that Oktoberfest has just been running a few weeks ago, the first time for a few years. You have this incredible mix of a traditional, cultural event, but where you can also make business – This is what makes Munich and Bavaria different from other places, a rich cultural heritage on the one side, but on the other side being the center of tech innovation. So this combination of culture and innovation is super interesting and provides a massive diversity of different talents.

The area is shaped by exciting contrasts: It’s great that you have this speed and technology moving forward in the innovation scene, but then you have the silent and slow landscape surrounding Munich that helps you to relax and recharge your batteries.

What practical recommendations would you like to give companies that want to expand to and in Bavaria?

Always think about the networks, as these are super important in German industries. Munich has this great ability to start small but think big – and that also applies to companies whatever size that are thinking about settling down in Bavaria. Munich is in the center – within a very short reach you have access to a big pool of diversity. Attracting future workforce and talents is becoming more competitive and Munich is a great asset to get these talents on board.