Dassault Systèmes is a French research and development company dedicated to the development of IT solutions for industry and production, including development solutions, solid 3D modelling, life cycle maintenance, digital factory operations, data management, etc. Dassault Systèmes solutions are widely used in the aircraft manufacturing industry, as well as the production of rockets and space satellites around the world.

- First, let's talk about the results of the outgoing year in terms of your cooperation with the aerospace companies. How do you evaluate the year 2017?

- Aviation for us is strategically important, maybe even the most expensive industry in terms of emotion. It was from the aviation that our company came out, and now Dassault Aviation is already the client of Dassault Systèmes. I can not say that we have a big increase in customers in the world. For one simple reason - new aircraft manufacturers do not appear every year. If we take the Western world, then all Western companies are our customers. If the Russian Federation - the history is the same, and the manufacturers of aircraft engineering or space technology, one way or another, these are all our customers. Therefore, when we talk about results or some kind of progress, we talk about what is happening in the dynamics: new projects, new solutions, new offers from us to customers. However, in Russia in this sense everything is not so dynamic, simply because not many new planes are produced. The plane is created, and then its configuration remains the same, nothing changes throughout its life cycle. Including software. If at the stage of development, product design, a solution has been chosen, it does not change throughout the support of the operation of this product. Therefore, if new aircraft do not leave, one can not talk about new projects or new sales. Therefore in Russia we are talking more about supporting those projects that already exist. If we talk about promising international projects that are being implemented in Russia, no final project has yet been completed before the final implementation. Therefore, now it is difficult to speak in practical terms about something concrete. But we are present in all projects conducted by UAC, "Helicopters of Russia" and other aircraft manufacturing enterprises in Russia. We work with them, we offer everything that we develop. Speaking of the world, I can say that all helicopter builders, all aircraft builders (Boeing, Airbus, Safran Transmission Systems), satellite manufacturers are all our customers, including in Europe and the USA.

- About your projects in Russia. Do you have any new solutions for the Russian aircraft industry?

- Yes. The company Dassault Systèmes, in this sense, is interesting as a portfolio owner of such solutions. For example, CATIA itself is a tool for solving a specific problem - the design of a particular product. However, after the design, there are other tasks. For example, modeling of different processes, calculation of various loads. Aerodynamics, strength and so on ... These are already different, more physical tasks that need to be addressed. There already begins not in itself the design of the wing or fuselage, namely the calculations. And we have solutions that allow us to solve this problem. Some of our customers already use them, some we offer. There is a very serious mathematics - very serious algorithms are embedded in the "inside". Many of our clients around the world use this.

- What other possible prospects do you see on the Russian aerospace market?

- Prospects are more connected with the prospects of our clients. There is a large program of digitalisation of Roskosmos. There are plans for international expansion of the same UAC. There are plans, I do not know how much they are being financed, the revival of production in Russia. But while the number of aircraft that is produced in Russia, unfortunately, is small. We are in this sense - "here, side by side" and completely dependent on what happens with our customers. In solving those problems that have to do with us, we are participating.

- How much did the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions affect your work with Russian aerospace enterprises?

- Like any company, we are subject to the laws of all countries where we work. If there is a ban on direct commercial interaction, then of course there is no such interaction. We do not work through intermediaries - we work with customers who buy products from us directly. We have a small number of customers who buy products through our partners. However, even in this case, we determine who is the ultimate purchaser of the software. Sanctions, unfortunately, affect the business, but we are coping with the situation. We have a lot of different industries that are far beyond sanctions, embargoes and everything else, since embargoes and sanctions were imposed on quite specific industries and specific companies. But since we work in 12 industries, this does not affect us much.

- Can you tell us about the interaction of your company with the Russian aerospace universities in Russia?

- We have long (we can say, historically) work with many universities of Russia, including on aircraft-building subjects. With the MAI in the first place - because the MAI is close to us. In the office of Dassault Systèmes in Moscow, there are many graduates of the MAI. We are constantly discussing, including with Mr. Poghosyan, what and how we can improve how we can bring technology, including in the education process. Now we are working on a program of joint actions on the part of Dassault Systèmes for the Moscow Aviation Institute. Here, probably, we are not talking about special classes. I'm sure that special classes on SolidWorks and CATIA products continue to work there. Engineers come out trained, literate in this sense. The question is different. In view of all the dramatic changes that are taking place in the world, including the main industries, and with factories, and with software, and with equipment, and with the production capability that exists today, something needs to be changed in the educational process. Educate students not of yesterday's technology, but technology, which will come to replace in two years, in five years. This is not an easy task: both Mr. Pogosyan and the MAI leadership understand this perfectly. For their part, they solve this problem. Collaborate with international universities - they have a program of cooperation around the world. We want to participate in this process, to share our interesting ideas and projects. Today we have many decisions that fundamentally change the approach to the aircraft. The same three-dimensional printing and topological optimisation, which was not before. It changes the engineer's approach to how to make an aircraft. Composite wing and everything else - that is, it was not there before. And today it is, and this has already been realised with these or those manufacturers. In addition, there are new software products, new solutions for production and so on. This should be taught. We are now trying not only to bring this to our customers, but also to bring them to universities in parallel.

- What new products, new solutions of Dassault Systèmes appeared in 2017? Perhaps, the improvement of existing solutions for the aviation and space industry?

- "It happens every year." We joke that every new employee does not immediately implement the full scope of the solutions offered by our company. Due to the fact that we have hundreds and even thousands of certain proposals, solutions for specific tasks. People specialise in the areas, by industry - and then it all develops into a very deep tree of knowledge. Collect all this in the head of one person is impossible. Therefore, we have specialist experts in every industry (including aviation) who are engaged in both the development of the product and the understanding of what the industry needs from us. The matrix of the work of Dassault Systèmes is very interesting. There are regional offices, as we are here in Russia, they are more involved in supporting the territory. We have "brands" - these are the teams that deal with specific products. For example, we have the CATIA brand, and there is a whole organisation that develops CATIA. Namely, R & D - R & D, programmers and so on. There is, for example, the aviation industry. Industrial experts work there - that is, not programmers, not sellers of a wide profile, but people who have a specialised education and worked for the largest aircraft manufacturers. Coming from the industry, they fully understand what the industry needs today.

- So they say what and how to do, and then programmers do it?

- They work together with the "brands" in a bunch, agree: what tasks are facing the industry today and how they can be solved by software, new or existing. From this cooperation, for example, our various acquisitions of new businesses in the market, which Dassault Systèmes buys, follow. We do not buy a company for a collection or just to spend money. We acquire companies in order to enrich our portfolio with the latest technologies. Either when we understand that this technology is needed to implement our long-term strategy. This year, Exa Corporation was acquired to model liquid flows. This applies to both fluid and air - to practice, to calculate the optimisation of the wing, as everything happens in terms of turbulence and everything else. With the acquisition of Exa, the Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE platform will provide customers with a proven and diverse portfolio of complex technologies for modelling hydrodynamics using the Boltzmann lattice equations, fully industrialised Exa solutions and the combined experience of about 350 highly skilled process modelling specialists.

Such innovations and developments are made every year in different industries. In the same logistics. We did not have logistics, but when we acquired software that is related to geology, mining, we realised that there is a huge task to optimise the management of equipment, trains and trains. There are a lot of logistical issues. Not only is it necessary to design a mine and get what lies deep in the mine, after it is lifted to the surface, there is still a huge unresolved logistical task. Proceeding from this, a new product was purchased, which supplemented this solution, and which now offers customers from this industry everything at once: to make a digital shaft, to optimise the logistics chain, to do something else there. The same approach in aviation. It is especially important to connect the industry with the developers, when they together analyse the tasks of the client - the modern tasks of today. It is estimated that our portfolio needs to be optimised, which is not enough, and decide on the addition.

- If you take aircraft construction, rocket construction, spacecraft production and your industry ... In terms of ideas, in terms of what you need - you are ahead of the industry or industry ahead of you? Who is catching up with whom?

- What an interesting question. I think that we are running from the point "A" and point "B" towards each other.

- Closer to what point will you meet - to point "A" or "B"? Because the speed is different.

- I have an interested person's answer, on the one hand. On the other hand, if we are talking about Dassault Systèmes, and not in general about IT as an industry, for thirty years Dassault Systèmes has repeatedly confirmed the fact that ideas that were presented to the market, even when they were not initially accepted by the market, or accepted with great caution, after the lapse came into life. For example, Boeing 777. This is the first aircraft that is completely made in the figure. Then it was an innovation. Nobody did everything in the figure. Boeing, having decided on such an experiment, took a bold step. To make an airplane, then to certify it and run it is not a trivial task. Completely move from the old technology to the new one, just because Dassault Systèmes offered it, it was a bold move, and for many companies then it was completely not obvious. Now it's standard. If we are talking about PLM (Product Lifecycle Management), then PLM is the term that put Dassault Systèmes on the market. The complexity of the product was such that it was necessary to control the entire cycle from beginning to end. When this was all introduced, there were no competitive decisions. Nobody understood what it was - but we offered it to the market and began to implement it. Now PLM is well known by all specialists. In this case, not even everyone knows that this came from Dassault Systèmes. As a company, we believe that linking all technological solutions in one complex is exactly what is required, and what will move the entire market forward. Those companies that do not have this today ... Answering your question specifically, in this case we run faster than they do, and they are catching up.

- You can now tell a little more about the contract with Boeing, which you signed in 2017. What is its meaning? What was before, what has changed? Perhaps, some already results can be summed up?

- The largest contract was signed in the history of PLM, which will significantly expand the range of tasks that we solve together with Boeing. It will expand those sectors within Boeing, where Dassault Systèmes products were used. This will be implemented in the next decade. For example, Boeing will use our 3DEXPERIENCE platform in commercial aviation, space and defence programs.

- Why you were not allowed to go before the military direction?

- "I do not think they did not." I believe that due to various reasons and choices that were made many years ago, other software solutions were used. And today, apparently, based on the results and successes that exist in the civilian segment of Boeing, such a decision was made. Again, I was not a participant in negotiations with Boeing.

- With whom and on what new decisions are you currently negotiating in Russia?

- With many Russian customers, we are in an active stage of negotiations. I can not disclose the details now. For example, we have a solution called the "Virtual Passenger Experience". This is when you have a virtual aircraft salon, and you, as a customer, can come to the manufacturer and say: I want for my airline here such a salon or another. Or I want such chairs. There is such a solution that we now offer, including our customers in Russia, and they will be able to simulate and simulate this salon on the basis of their digital model. This is a virtual reality or even a little more. This is when you can simulate a fireplace right here in this room. Now even manufacturers of consumer goods have such things: you can choose different furniture options right in your room. And at us it is a digital model of an interior of the plane. There you can even open shelves live. It will be possible to sit in armchairs, but only the chair will be virtual, and in reality it will be a stool. You can sit in an armchair, open a shelf, see how high it is to reach for your hand, you can see something in the shelf or you can not see it. That is, you sit on a stool, put on virtual glasses and completely see the aircraft cabin. You can get up, walk on it, see how the salon looks this way, in another. Even look in the porthole. The only thing that is missing is tactile sensations. But they can not be transmitted yet. But the visual impression is completely transmitted.

- Summarising, can you say that you are satisfied with the results of 2017? What do you think about the prospects for 2018?

- Satisfied. I think that the results agree with my initial expectations. We have become more aware of the challenges facing our customers. This gives me confidence to think that 2018, 2019 and subsequent years will be even more interesting from the point of view of teamwork. 2017 passed and ended well, but a deeper awareness of what is before us and what we have to offer in return is even more positive for me.