What I learned this week … came from the keynote and press conference at IBM’s Rational Software Conference (RSC2009). IBM is talking about how to help companies develop and manage today’s smarter products. What was surprising to me is that the conference is focused on developing software – not physical products – but that a lot of the conversations focused on manufacturers and product development. Are we finally getting to the point where ALM (application lifecycle management) and PLM (product lifecycle management) can be discussed in the same sentence?
What I Learned: Socially Developed Engineering and Product Documentation?
What I learned this week … came from two recent conversations with manufacturers about their use of social computing to support product innovation, product development, and engineering. I am exploring how companies are using these technologies to improve design and product development collaboration, but also trying to uncover ways they are going beyond collaboration on a specific product or design. Two of my recent conversations touched on the use of wikis and blogs to present information. To be more accurate, these manufacturers are using wikis and blogs to both collect and communicate engineering and product knowledge. Pretty interesting stuff, I think.
One-to-One: SmarTeam Customers Talk About PLM for SMB
I had the chance to talk with … several ENOVIA SmarTeam customers during my recent research. I talked with them for my paper on how mid-sized manufacturers have leveraged product innovation and PLM to get through challenging economic times and come out better during the recovery. See my Research Rap: Small to Midsize Manufacturer in an Economic Downturn? Innovate! for an overview of…
Research Rap: Complementary Roles of ERP and PLM in Innovation
A quick peek into some research on … the respective roles that ERP and PLM play in product innovation. This is not brand new research, but I believe it is just as relevant today as when I initially wrote this almost 5 years ago. Why? Not much has changed – with a couple of notable exceptions (SAP and Oracle). I find myself coming back to this topic on a regular basis, and I am starting to do some research in this area again so I thought I would bring this one back to the surface. It also offers some insight that migh be helpful for a recent discussion on PLMTwine that touches on the importance of integrating PLM with ERP.
Research Rap: Small to Midsize Manufacturer in an Economic Downturn? Innovate!
A quick peek into some Tech-Clarity research on … Innovating Through an Economic Downturn points out the importance of innovation so that smaller manufacturers can survive in the current, global economic crisis. The paper is intended to help companies develop an action plan that both recognizes the difficult reality that most manufacturers face today, and allows them to continue to invest in the future. This research complements earlier Tech-Clarity research focused on Engineering’s Role in Surviving a Down Economy, focusing on the implications for small to mid-size businesses (SMB).
One-to-One: Teamcenter Express – Expressly for Small to Midsize Manufacturers
I had the chance to talk with … Bruce Boes and the team at Siemens PLM Solutions about their Teamcenter Express offering for small to midsize manufacturers. The Express solution is a a part of what Siemens calls “The Velocity Series,” which is a full PLM offering for the small to mid-size business (SMB). The Velocity Series includes complements to Teamcenter Express that supports computer aided design (CAD, SolidEdge), computer aided analysis (CAE, FEMAP), and computer aided manufacturing (CAM, CAM Express). Teamcenter Express, either as a part of this suite or on its own, provides the base PLM capabilities, primarily collaborative product data management (CPDM).