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2PLM John Stark Associates |
Number 6 |
- Welcome Page 2 - Update Page 3 - News Page 4 - Brief lines | Welcome to this issue of 2PLM, an e-zine distributed every two weeks on a free subscription basis. This week's article, "PLM, welcome to new challenging worlds", is from Menno Huijben of Technia. But first, a quick update about the PLM Interest Group. * PLM Interest Group * On the basis of the feedback from the first meetings of the proposed PLM Interest Group, a draft Charter is being drawn up. It should be circulated by Monday 27 October and then discussed at the next meeting, which will be held in Frankfurt, Germany on Tuesday 25 November 2003. This should enable the Group to be formed and start operating by 2004. The meeting is open to all those interested in PLM - users, vendors, consultants, researchers, government agencies, etc. The meeting has been planned to make it easy for you to attend. Frankfurt has one of the largest airports in the world. Participants can take a shuttle from the airport to the meeting. The meeting location can also be reached easily by those coming by train or car. In addition to reviewing and ratifying the draft Charter, the meeting should also
* PLM, welcome to new challenging worlds * I belong to the generation that has never fully endorsed computer games. You know, that generation which wrote their first computer program with punched cards, but managed to write their master thesis on a PC. However, I have picked up enough of computer games to understand that in most games the player is challenged to score enough points in one 'world', to be promoted to the next world where new, fresh challenges are awaiting him or her. If the player were immediately presented with the most challenging world, he/she would not enjoy the game, as the challenge to succeed would be too great all at once. What is true for an individual player, is probably also true for a whole organization; introduce too many new concepts and changes at the same time, and people will start to resist, as they feel pressed too hard. So, here I am wondering, why is it that most PLM projects do not acknowledge the obvious and adjust their project plans accordingly? Most PLM projects have some kind of implementation or release plan - a PLM roadmap. However, most of those roadmaps have a technology or software license scheme as driver: "Let's start by implementing document management, and then buy the configuration management module'. In the best cases there is some connection to the business strategy to prioritize implementation and the rollout order: 'first our main business units, and somewhat later those units located far away'. With these types of roadmaps the organization's capability to deal with all the new functionality and processes is not taken into account. What I propose is to apply the computer game metaphor to the PLM roadmap. Start with world-one. Only when the players (users) have collected enough points (skills), can you move to world-two. What is in world-one? There is no easy answer. The content depends on your type of business, the bottlenecks identified in the PLM process, or the areas where people really want to move on to a next level of support for their work. World-one could be replacing the Excel sheet used for data management with a simple structure browser. When enough structures are put into the new system, and the user activity has reached a certain level, revision or change management could be introduced in world-two. This approach does not remove the need, when evaluating a PLM system and vendor, to check if there are enough challenging worlds available (= is the technology and the experience of the vendor on the right target level?). Careful though, thinking about all the available functionality at once will confuse many people. Quite often PLM projects get stuck in some specification loops, where features and functions are designed to be too dependent on each other: 'We cannot have this without that'. Such statements are often not challenged, and slowly the package of functionality being implemented and rolled out becomes larger and larger; in the end it becomes too difficult for the users to swallow at once. Of course, all that functionality might be needed to gain the full benefits of the PLM investment, but that is no argument for these types of big-bang roll-out approaches. Up until now the business has been running without the PLM system (although not as efficiently as possible, perhaps), so the only urgency for implementing PLM quickly is to gain the benefits faster. But benefits are only obtained when people are motivated and capable of working with the new PLM processes. In other words: your organization's PLM 'Maturity Capability' needs to be assessed before any PLM roadmap and project plan is drawn up, to ensure a successful journey through the PLM worlds. For questions and comments, please contact me by mail or call +358 424 722 1. Menno Huijben is a consultant at Technia, a leading supplier of PLM solutions in the Nordic countries. He has 13 years experience of using, consulting, developing, managing, and providing PDM/PLM solutions. |
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News |
Arena Solutions, Inc. announced it has secured $5 million in Series C funding. Details Documentum, Inc. and EMC Corporation announced a definitive agreement for EMC to acquire Documentum in a stock transaction valued at approximately $1.7 billion. Details EDS announced it is considering an Initial Public Offering (IPO) or private offering of a minority stake in its PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) Solutions subsidiary as a strategic alternative for the business. Details ePlus inc. announced that it has acquired the software business of Digital Paper Corporation. Details Jaguar Technology Holdings, LLC announced the commencement on October 23, 2003 of a cash tender offer by Fire Transaction Sub, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Jaguar, for all of the outstanding shares of common stock, $.10 par value per share, of FirePond, Inc. at a price of $3.16 per share. Details Open Text Corporation and IXOS SOFTWARE AG announced that they have entered into a business combination agreement in which a wholly owned subsidiary of Open Text will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of IXOS. Details * Financial * Ariba, Inc. announced results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended September 30, 2003. Revenues for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2003 were $59.1 million. Details Cadence Design Systems, Inc. announced total revenue for the third quarter of 2003 of $269 million. Details Dassault Systemes reported financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2003. Total revenue in the third quarter was Euro 176.3 million, compared to Euro 175.9 million in the year-ago quarter. Details Documentum announced preliminary financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2003. The company anticipates revenue for the third quarter of approximately $73.5 million, an increase of 31% over revenue of $56.3 million reported for the third quarter of 2002, and an 8% sequential increase over $68.2 million reported for the second quarter of 2003. Details FileNet Corporation announced financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2003. Total revenues for the third quarter of 2003 were $89.4 million compared to total revenues of $83.1 million for the same period in 2002. Details Geometric Software Solutions Co. Ltd. announced consolidated revenue for the quarter ended 30th September 2003 increased to Rs. 267.24 million, as compared to Rs. 214.49 million for the corresponding quarter last year, representing an increase of 25%. Details Hummingbird Ltd. reported its consolidated results for the fourth quarter ended September 30, 2003. Sales for the quarter ended September 30, 2003 were $53.4 million representing a 15.5% increase from the quarter ended September 30, 2002, and an increase of 11.0% over the third quarter ended June 30, 2003. Details i2 Technologies, Inc. announced its results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2003. i2 reported total revenues of $117 million in the third quarter of 2003, compared to $122 million in the second quarter of 2003 and $374 million in the third quarter of 2002. Details MatrixOne, Inc. announced results for its first quarter ended September 27, 2003. For the first quarter ended September 27, 2003, total revenues were $23.2 million, compared to $31.1 million in the same period last year. Details Mentor Graphics Corporation announced third quarter revenues of $157 million. Details MSC.Software Corp. announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2003. Reported revenue from continuing operations was $62.1 million versus revenue from continuing operations of $61.6 million in the third quarter last year. Details Open Text Corporation announced financial results for its first quarter ended September 30, 2003. Total revenue for the quarter ended September 30, 2003 was $44.2 million, up 17% from $37.7 million in the same quarter last year. Details PTC reported revenue totaling $163.7 million for the fourth quarter ended September 30, 2003, compared with $188.6 million for the same period last year. Details SAP AG announced its preliminary financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2003. Total revenues for the third quarter of 2003 were down 3% to Euro 1.65 billion. Details Staffware Plc announced an update on its trading performance in respect of the third quarter ended 30 September 2003. For the third quarter of 2003, sales revenue was approximately £8.3 million, an increase of 3% compared with the third quarter of 2002. Details Sun Microsystems, Inc. reported results for its fiscal first quarter which ended September 28, 2003. Revenues for the first quarter were $2.536 billion, a decline of 8 percent as compared with $2.747 billion for the first quarter of fiscal 2003. Details * People * Intergraph Corporation announced that Reid French has been named Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning and Corporate Development. Details  Stage-Gate Inc. (SGI) announced the appointment of Michel Delifer to the newly created position of Vice President, Sales. Details * Implementation * Autodesk, Inc. announced that Malaysia's Ngai Cheong Metal Industries Sdn Bhd has halved manpower needs and tripled production rates using Autodesk Inventor. Details Documentum announced that RWE Thames Water, the third largest water and wastewater services company in the world, has deployed the Documentum ECM platform to manage content for its worldwide Internet and intranet sites. Details EDS PLM Solutions announced an expansion of its Solid Edge CAD software system at VAI CLECIM, a plant equipment producer for the iron industry, based in Saint-Chamond and Montbrison, France. Details MatrixOne, Inc. announced that Porsche will implement Matrix10 to manage the development of its products throughout the entire product lifecycle. Details Moldflow announced that Elcom Incorporated, a member of the Yazaki Group and a leading manufacturer of connectors and electronic parts for automotive applications, has made a plant-wide investment in Moldflow's Manufacturing Solutions (MMS) products. Details Selectica, Inc. announced that GE Medical Systems has recently deployed Selectica Configuration Platform and Pricer as part of a global rollout to streamline its global sales and operations business processes. Details STEP Tools, Inc. announced it was awarded a contract from the U.S. Army's Watervliet Arsenal for the implementation of STEP-NC technology within their manufacturing operations. Details * Developments * ABAQUS, Inc. announced that Version 6.4 of its ABAQUS product suite will include the new ABAQUS GUI Toolkit for automating analysis methodology. Details Commerce One, Inc. announced the release of version 6.5 of its composite process management (CPM) platform. Details EDS PLM Solutions launched Teamcenter Community, the latest addition to its Teamcenter product lifecycle management (PLM) portfolio. Details EDS announced its support of the Microsoft Office System by developing solutions that extend the system's capabilities, delivering innovative tools that enable clients to quickly deploy applications, lower product development costs and increase their overall productivity. Details FileNet Corporation announced general availability of its FileNet Image Services Resource Adapter (ISRA), which provides connectivity from applications built on J2EE to content managed within FileNet Image Services repositories. Details FileNet Corporation announced support for the Microsoft Office System. Details FileNet Corporation announced the introduction of FileNet Records Manager, a new records management suite that is designed to offer comprehensive lifecycle management of records from creation to disposition. Details gedas announced a newly-developed interface for the integration of SAP R/3 systems with the Matrix10 PLM platform. Details IDEAL.com announced WiseImage 6.0 for AutoCAD 2000/2000i/2002/2004. Details Open Text Corporation announced the availability of Livelink CADManager which gives architects and engineers a more robust system for managing large volumes of interrelated CAD drawings for major design projects. Details Rasterex Software announced the new release of their RxSDK (build 36) with RxViewX R6 and RxHighX R6. Details 3D Systems announced the availability of LaserForm A6 Steel for the SLS system. Details * Relationships * ABAQUS and AVL announced a strategic agreement that will accelerate and deepen the integration between the companies' software products. Details ALGOR announced its InCAD products have achieved certification under the Autodesk Inventor Certified Application Program. Details AVEVA and Autodesk, Inc. announced a strategic alliance. Details Documentum announced the extension of its Alliance Program to focus on independent software vendors (ISVs) who provide commercial applications and solutions based on the Documentum ECM platform. Details EDS PLM Solutions announced a reseller agreement with Adobe Systems to deliver Adobe document services with its Teamcenter product lifecycle management portfolio. Details Fishbowl Solutions, Inc. announced a partnership with Spicer Corporation to provide Spicer ViewCafe as an integrated universal viewing and markup tool for the Stellent Content Server. Details gedas announced that it has signed an agreement with Cideon, a software company providing solutions for engineering applications, to support its integration products in North America. Details MatrixOne, Inc. announced that they have established with Cadence Design Systems, Inc. an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) agreement between the companies. Under the agreement, Cadence will embed MatrixOne technology into PLM solutions that will be marketed and supported directly by Cadence. Details PTC announced that Toyota Motor Corporation has signed a joint research and development agreement to expand the solutions available to powertrain product and process designers. Details RealityWave Inc. announced the general availability of VizStream Access and VizStream Spectrum. The general availability of the solutions follow the formation of the RealityWave and Spicer partnership. Details think3 announced a new partnership with GlobalSpec, Inc. Details * Other * A book called "Implementing and Integrating Product Data Management and Software Configuration Management" has recently been published. The authors are Ivica Crnkovic, Ulf Asklund and Annita Persson Dahlqvist. More details . An article about providing engineers with immediate 3D-views during design at MAN-Sonderkraftfahrzeuge in Vienna. The University of Michigan, Center for Professional Development, together with the PLM Development Consortium is offering a short course called Overview of PLM. It is being offered October 30th, and again December 9 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Click on the link, click on Programs, click on Short Courses.) Agile Software Corporation announced that it is a member of the 2003 Deloitte Technology Fast 500, a ranking of the fastest growing technology companies in North America. Details Alias Systems announced it has been named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers. Details Documentum announced support for two new portal computing standards Java Specification Request 168 (JSR 168) and the Web Services for Remote Portlets (WSRP). Details Engineous Software cordially invites you to attend the 2003 PIDO Strategy Workshop. Details FileNet Corporation and EMC Corporation announced an extension of their alliance and product integration offerings aimed at satisfying a wide range of regulated records retention needs. Details Firepond, Inc. announced that Banter Systems, Inc. will license three patents in Firepond's patent portfolio. Details Geometric Software Solutions Co. Ltd. inaugurated its second software development center situated in the InfoTech Park, Pune. Details LightWork Design announced that there are now over 80 LightWorks-based applications with over 1 million users. Details LMS International announced it concluded a multiyear co-development contract with Jiangling Motor Corporation in China. Details Moldflow Corporation announced the donation of multiple seats of the latest release of the Moldflow Plastics Insight (MPI) software product to the Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering department at Western Michigan University. Details PTC announced enhancements to its Global Maintenance Support Program that will enable PTC customers to manage their complete range of PTC products, licenses, and services within a single, consolidated web location using the new Business Asset Summary Tool. Details |
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