Managing Automation - February 2008 - (Page 38) [ INTEGRATION ] Transformation Integration TechWatch Industries launch queue and how each is performing once PLM capabilities and terminology beyond the it is launched, says Jeff Hoilo, research analyst core product development and product data manfor AMR Research Inc. agement (PDM) functions. Building out vertical “It’s helping accelerate the maturation of PLM functionality to address supply chain functions as a product innovation platform,” Hoilo says. and to tie quality assurance back to engineering “CAD data management and collaborative enand manufacturing is a big deal in those indusgineering are just one aspect of PLM, and as tries. That’s why vendors like Oracle have built newer industries come into the fold, they have ver tical applications for dealing with such multiple seasons to deal with through the year, processes as corrective and preventive actions and they need a portfolio dashboard capability to (CAPA), says Chris Farinacci, vice president of understand their dif ferent product lines.” “How long it takes to get to ROI from the TALK THE TALK The retail and apparel industr y, in par ticular, has shown great interest in PLM, in part because of the complexity of product lines and outsourced manufacturing relationships in that vertical. However, a generic PLM platform designed to manage parts and bills of materials wouldn’t necessarily work for apparel makers. “They don’t manage parts and components and hardware; they manage styles through seasons and calendars,” says Kurt Andersen, vice president of strategy and industry solutions for ENOVIA at PLM software provider Dassault. By tailoring the ENOVIA data model, Dassault, via its MatrixOne acquisition, created the Apparel Accelerator, which uses terminology and workflows that are familiar to manufacturers in this environment. The product features a “style change managingautomation.com request” rather than an “engineering change request,” RELATED ARTICLES: for instance, and refers to Charting the Course of PLM www.managingautomation.com/PLMhistory items as “styles,” “fabrics,” and “lines,” rather than Enterprise PLM: Will More Integration Offer a Cure? “parts” and “components.” www.managingautomation.com/PLM8 “When a company deploys PLM and the American Automaker (Fuelthis kind of vertical PLM apInjected Change) plication to the end user, www.managingautomation.com/PLMauto they look at their screen and PLM and Manufacturing: A Digital Bond see their business, their terwww.managingautomation.com/PLM9 minology, and the repor ts Managing Automation’s PLM Knowledge they need to see for the role Center they do in their industr y,” www.managingautomation.com/PLM7 Andersen says. “We put ourselves in the chair of the COMPANIES MENTIONED: users and uncover the things Dassault Systemes www.managingautomation.com/Dassault they need to do their job across a global organization.” Oracle www.managingautomation.com/Oracle3 Consumer products goods manufacturers and life sciSiemens PLM Solutions www.managingautomation.com/Siemens ences companies are also looking for vertical-specific solution has everything to do with how well the vendor understands the particular industry.”— Chris Farinacci, Oracle applications marketing for Oracle. Oracle, via its acquisition last year of Agile Software Corp., got a jumpstart on the trend to create vertical versions of PLM for such markets as high tech and electronics and life sciences. In addition to those targeted segments, Oracle has expanded its core capabilities around recipe and specification management to appeal to food and beverage companies. Those capabilities came to Oracle via Agile’s 2006 acquisition of Prodika. Moving forward, Oracle plans to expand its vertical PLM reach to such sectors as private label retail and semiconductors, according to Farinacci. Private label retail companies have many of the same design and manufacturing problems as electronics manufacturers, especially when it comes to the packaging and labeling component and keeping product features in sync with customer requirements. The retail and apparel vertical, however, isn’t on Oracle’s docket for now, Farinacci says, as that domain expertise is outside of Oracle/Agile’s traditional core competencies. Farinacci believes there’s a lesson for customers looking to take the vertical PLM route. Given the level of activity among PLM vendors introducing new vertical solutions, he cautions customers to consider how well the vendor knows the particular industr y in order to derive the most benefit from a packaged solution. “It really comes down to proof,” Farinacci says. “How have other customers in my industry vertical solved the problem? What was their time to market, and what’s the risk? How long it takes to get to ROI from the solution has everything to do with how well the vendor understands the particular industr y and problems, and how well they can bake that knowledge into the core PLM product.” s maonline ma February 38 2008 Photo courtesy: Oracle http://managingautomation.com http://www.managingautomation.com/PLMhistory http://www.managingautomation.com/PLM8 http://www.managingautomation.com/PLMauto http://www.managingautomation.com/PLM9 http://www.managingautomation.com/PLM7 http://www.managingautomation.com/Dassault http://www.managingautomation.com/Oracle3 http://www.managingautomation.com/Siemens
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