CAD services for automotive suppliers
In short
CAD services for automotive suppliers help meet OEM requirements for CAD system, data quality, data exchange and change cycles with less manual work. We support the move from CATIA V5 to 3DEXPERIENCE, check data before OEM delivery and carry engineering changes from CAD through PDM to ERP.
Updated 27 Oct 2026
OEMs set the CAD system and release, the data quality rules and the exchange format, and they expect fast answers to change requests. We help suppliers meet these requirements in CATIA V5, 3DEXPERIENCE and their PDM, and in Solid Edge or SolidWorks for smaller parts, with less manual work.
- Typical systems
- CATIA V5, 3DEXPERIENCE, Solid Edge, SolidWorks
- Start with
- Intro callfree, 45 minutes
What slows design down
OEM-specific requirements
Each customer specifies its own CATIA release, check profile, formats and naming.
Two CATIA generations
Some OEMs move to 3DEXPERIENCE while others still require V5, so suppliers run both.
Frequent engineering changes
Changes arrive at short notice and touch CAD, PDM and ERP at once.
Solutions for this industry
CATIA V5 to 3DEXPERIENCE
Many suppliers move to 3DEXPERIENCE while some OEM customers still specify a CATIA V5 release for delivery. The move touches more than geometry: catalogues, start models, PowerCopies, Knowledgeware rules and VBA or CAA macros each need a decision.
Learn more →OEM data delivery check
A rejected data delivery means a correction loop shortly before a deadline. Typical causes can be found by rules: tiny edges and gaps, missing properties, wrong units, file names or CATIA release, and incomplete delivery packages.
Learn more →Change management for suppliers
OEM change requests often arrive at short notice, with a deadline for the supplier's statement on feasibility, cost and timing. The change then touches models and drawings, the PDM structure and the ERP, often maintained by different people in different systems.
Learn more →
Frequently asked questions
Which CAD systems do automotive suppliers use?
Automotive suppliers mostly use the CAD system their OEM customers prescribe. CATIA V5 is widespread in the German automotive supply chain, increasingly alongside 3DEXPERIENCE, and suppliers of several OEMs often work in more than one system or deliver in neutral formats such as STEP and JT. Suppliers of smaller parts and components also design in Solid Edge or SolidWorks.
How do automotive suppliers exchange CAD data with OEMs?
Through the channels and formats the OEM specifies: native CATIA data in a fixed release, neutral formats such as STEP AP242 or JT, and transfer via OEM portals or ENGDAT messages over OFTP2. Before sending, the data is checked against the OEM rules, often with a check profile the OEM prescribes. Naming, release and package contents matter as much as geometry.
When should an automotive supplier move from CATIA V5 to 3DEXPERIENCE?
When OEM customers require it, or when the supplier wants platform functions such as managed revisions, maturity states and collaboration across sites. Running V5 programmes can stay in V5 where the OEM allows it, while new programmes start in 3DEXPERIENCE. The decision depends on each OEM's timeline, so it is planned customer by customer.
Can AI help automotive suppliers with CAD work?
Yes, in clearly defined tasks: explaining check findings and proposing fixes, filling properties and names to the OEM rules, and preparing impact lists for changes from where-used data. Applications run through the CAD system's API, show every change as a preview and apply it only after an engineer confirms. Tolerances, design decisions and statements to the OEM stay with the engineers.
Talk to us about your task.
In the free 45-minute intro call we show a live demo on comparable geometry. Someone from our team replies personally within one working day.