#119: MBSE Isn’t Just for Rockets: Winning in Fast-Moving Consumer Markets

Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is often viewed as a heavyweight discipline reserved for aerospace, defense, or highly regulated industries. In this episode of Stay Sharp, hosts Juliann Grant and Jonathan Scott challenge that assumption.

Joined by Eran Reinshmidt and Safae El Abkari from Dassault Systèmes, the conversation explores how MBSE principles apply directly to fast-moving consumer markets. From coffee machines and vacuum cleaners to furniture and connected appliances, the guests unpack why changing consumer trends, regulatory pressure, and competitive intensity demand a more connected, model-driven approach to product development.

Through clear examples and memorable analogies, this episode shows how MBSE helps consumer product teams manage requirements, behavior, variants, and cross-disciplinary complexity without slowing innovation.

Key Takeaways

• MBSE is not about product size or industry. It is about rate of change and system complexity
• Consumer products face continuous requirement churn from sustainability, regulation, and competition
• Document-based requirements and behavior models break down as products become multidisciplinary
• A shared system model improves traceability, alignment, and decision-making across teams
• Behavioral modeling is critical for integrating mechanical, electronic, and software systems
• Product Line Engineering (PLE) enables scalable variant management without restarting from scratch

Guests

Eran Reinshmidt
Solution Leader, Consumer Industries, Dassault Systèmes
Expert in PLM and systems engineering for consumer products across home goods, appliances, lifestyle, and wearable industries

Safae El Abkari, PhD
Solution Engineering Consultant, Dassault Systèmes
Specialist in connected products, multidisciplinary systems, and embedded systems engineering

Resources Mentioned

• Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)
• Product Line Engineering (PLE)
• Connected and smart consumer products
• Digital engineering for consumer industries

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