Simulation process and data management
Empower collaboration across engineering teams by allowing users to securely capture, version, and share CAD and CAE data for seamless simulation model execution.
Streamline model-based design processes
As engineering complexity increases, companies must shift away from relying on late-stage physical testing and instead anticipate validation earlier through virtual testing and simulation-driven verification.
Our simulation process and data management (SPDM) technology streamlines collaboration by standardizing and exchanging simulation datasets across engineering teams, making models, inputs, and results discoverable and reusable. Teams can publish and share automated multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) workflows, enabling domain experts to contribute, review, and re-run simulations without rebuilding pipelines.
By capturing simulation artifacts, traceability metadata, and provenance, our SPDM backbone connects simulation outputs directly to the product digital thread, delivering end‑to‑end traceability from requirements through to virtual validation and verification.
What is simulation process and data management?
Simulation process and data management (SPDM) is a framework that organizes CAE models, simulation runs, reports, and related metadata in a secure web environment. It automates repetitive simulation steps, connects engineering tools into standardized workflows, and maintains data traceability across disciplines and teams.
Far beyond simple file management, SPDM supports collaborative simulation execution, business process integration, design space exploration, and digital thread connectivity throughout the entire product lifecycle.
How customers use simulation process and data management
Our SPDM platform powers innovation for engineering leaders worldwide. Customers rely on our technology to tackle their toughest projects, achieving breakthrough products and processes.
“With VOLTA, our designers and engineers can now access the simulation results in one click and collaboratively make decisions, rather than relying on siloed reports of data.”
“With VOLTA, we can simulate up to 200 design alternatives — compared to just five in the traditional methods — and visualize their performance clearly. It has significantly improved collaboration and decision-making while reducing our design time by up to 67%, cutting total annual project hours from 2100 to 700.”
“Enterprise-wide Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (EMDO) will be one of the key enablers for us to make an impact across our global engineering community.”
Key challenges in simulation process and data management
Teams working in silos
Access to simulation data remains restricted to specialized domain experts, limiting cross-functional collaboration.
Capabilities
CAE workflows often lack automation and design optimization capabilities. Meanwhile, embedding traditional SPDM into existing PLM ecosystems requires significant time and customization efforts.
People
Encouraging engineering teams to transition from in-house solutions to a unified SPDM platform requires continuous support to maintain high adoption levels.
Company culture
Realizing SPDM return on investment takes dedicated resources, time and active management engagement to overcome the traditional "we’ve always done it this way" mindset.
Benefits of simulation process and data management
Simulation governance and version control
Maintain full control across data, simulation models and workflows. Enable stakeholders to securely access and share up-to-date information from anywhere.
Granular access control
Safeguard intellectual property with role-based permissions and fine-tuned security policies, fostering cross-team collaboration while strictly protecting proprietary assets.
Multi-model simulation automation
Standardize MDO workflows by seamlessly connecting data across third-party CAD and CAE tools. Automate repetitive simulation chains to save time and eliminate manual errors.
Democratize simulation and design optimization
Enable non-experts to safely run pre-configured workflows, unlocking actionable simulation insights without relying only on subject matter experts.
Enriching PLM’s Landscape with Multi-Physics Simulation Processes and Data
Digital continuity with a federated PLM, SPDM and MDO approach
With the VOLTA digital engineering platform, you can chain and automate CAD models with multiple CAE analyses — even when stored across different SPDM repositories — to perform Design of Experiments (DOE) or Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO). Evaluate your design space without compromising data traceability or interoperability between PLM and SPDM systems.
- Manage design, simulation and optimization by connecting existing PLM and SPDM systems directly into VOLTA.
- Preserve authoritative data sources using external data connectors.
- Link PLM-stored CAD and SPDM-stored CAE models seamlessly within an automated simulation workflow.
- Execute fully traceable CAD and CAE workflows for design exploration and optimization studies.
Scale and democratize MDO workflows with VOLTA
Learn moreESTECO VOLTA: the game-changer for SPDM & collaborative Design Optimization
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to questions you may have.
NAFEMS defines SPDM as simulation data management combined with simulation process management and automation.
Unlike shared drives, SPDM adds structured metadata, relationships, version control, granular access, traceability, search, reuse, and governed workflows.
While all of these technologies manage enterprise information, they serve distinctly different roles in the engineering lifecycle:
- PDM & PLM: Manage product definitions and product lifecycle processes.
- SDM: Stores and indexes simulation files and datasets.
- SPDM: Combines simulation data storage with automated process execution, versioning, and end-to-end CAD and CAE traceability.
- Data Lakes: Store large datasets but lack engineering semantics, configuration management, and executable processes.
Typical objects include geometry references, meshes, models, solver decks, scripts, material data, boundary conditions, solver versions, execution settings, hardware, licenses, results, reports, requirements, approvals, and lineage between them. The exact schema should reflect engineering decisions and reuse needs.
Yes. VOLTA uses a vendor-neutral framework and APIs. Integration depth can range from file exchange to parameter mapping, job control, metadata extraction, result parsing, and lifecycle synchronization.
VOLTA promotes PLM integration through APIs and external data source connectors.
Yes. SPDM packages approved workflows, inputs, rules, and outputs for repeatable execution. It should also expose method ownership, validity range, assumptions, solver versions, verification status, and change history.
VOLTA protects proprietary simulation IP using granular, profile-based access controls and role-based permissions.
Yes. Using VOLTA’s HPC management capabilities and distributed execution engine VOLTA Player, users can submit, monitor, and manage simulation runs across local workstations, remote clusters, or cloud infrastructure.
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