Managing Automation - December 2008 - (Page 34)

[ TRANSFORMATION ] Transformation Integration TechWatch Industries example, offers synchronous technology embedded in its design platforms, which enables users to edit, author, and modify data from multiple types of CAD systems. With synchronous technology, says Bill Carrelli, vice president of strategic marketing at Siemens PLM, users in different functional roles can perform design audits, changes, and modifications in real time. The technology also allows users to reuse data from CAD systems other than the original system without remodeling. Such tools can help reduce much of the wasted time that is often a byproduct of collaborative design efforts. In a traditional product development scenario, team members spend — some might say waste — time sitting in status or project review meetings, experts say. “You become so preoccupied with collaborating and sharing information with other people that you don’t get any actual work done,” says Andy Michuda, CEO of Sopheon, a maker of software designed to help manufacturers automate product development processes while managing the business risk associated with new product introductions. The company’s technology uses relational databases to provide metrics used in measuring the success of product development projects. When data resides in silos, Michuda says, people might be using technology in their own corner of the business, but “there is a lot of rework involved in pulling data out of one world into another — a very manual and time-consuming effort.” CULTURE CLASH While the benefits of implementing technology to enable design collaboration might be obvious, cultural barriers can crop up, especially in the absence of managingautomation.com executive-level buy-in and support. Management can RELATED ARTICLES: PLM and Manufacturing: A Digital Bond help by decentralizing deciwww.managingautomation.com/plm9 sion processes and empowThe Digital Factory ering employees, encourwww.managingautomation.com/digitalfactory2 aging workers to focus Enterprise PLM: Will More Integration Offer more on processes and less a Cure? on tasks, says CIMdata www.managingautomation.com/plm8 President Ed Miller. “Collaboration is still COMPANIES MENTIONED: ver y much of a struggle PTC www.managingautomation.com/ptc for some companies because traditionally it has Right Hemisphere www.managingautomation.com/righthemisphere not existed in many processes,” says Siemens Siemens PLM Software www.managingautomation.com/siemensplm PLM’s Carrelli. “People tend to do their work and Sopheon www.managingautomation.com/sopheon hand it of f in a serial process, by throwing it over the wall between departments.” Carrelli advises manufacturers to initiate change gradually by building collaborative “touch points,” such as virtual review sessions that introduce new technology, into existing processes to get people used to the idea of working together. The idea is not to force change down workers’ throats, but to demonstrate the value of new tools or processes on an individual level. Another key challenge for manufacturers is maintaining the security of their intellectual property even as they expand their ability to collaborate across organizations, says CIMdata Director of Research Ken Amann (see chart, p. 33). Modern product development software often provides a “There is a lot of rework involved in pulling data out of one world into another.” — Sopheon’s Michuda variety of data security and digital rights management functionality. Such measures include setting expiration dates or placing restrictions on users’ ability to print or save files, as well as enabling access rights only to certain layers of the data itself. PLM software provider PTC is one vendor that embeds security tools in its products to help manufacturers protect their intellectual property in a collaborative network. “Digital rights management allows a company to share CAD information with design contractors, vendors, and suppliers in a way that allows them to adjust the level of rights access they get,” says PTC’s Saitz. “When you’re collaborating with other organizations, you want to keep track of everything. Our system records all the interactions while providing deep levels of access control.” Aberdeen Group, in a recent study, identified the strategic global design priorities and challenges that manufacturers face in various vertical industries. For example, the report says that aerospace and defense manufacturers should prioritize IP protection, while automakers need to concentrate on cost containment, and high-tech and electronics companies must get products to market before technology becomes obsolete. But all companies share the need to remain competitive. And forward-thinking companies across industries, experts say, recognize that innovation is key to maintaining a competitive edge. “Improving product development, particularly when the economy is down, is critical,” Sopheon’s Michuda says. “Because the innovation rate a company brings to the market ultimately will dictate its rate of success or failure.” ■ maonline ma December 34 2008 Photo courtesy: Sopheon http://www.managingautomation.com http://www.managingautomation.com/plm9 http://www.managingautomation.com/digitalfactory2 http://www.managingautomation.com/plm8 http://www.managingautomation.com/ptc http://www.managingautomation.com/righthemisphere http://www.managingautomation.com/siemensplm http://www.managingautomation.com/sopheon

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managing Automation - December 2008

Managing Automation - December 2008 Contents Take 1 Business Objects Chief Says Union with SAP Meets Objectives After One Year Yes, Emerson, Too, Is in the MES Market Infor Chief Puts Off IPO, Restarts Buying Plans Kronos Now Tracks Shop Floor Machines IQMS Rolls Out User Interace, Other Upgrades Notes Five Ideas for Demand Planning Building on the SOA Blueprint Innovation Now A Team Effort Lean %2B Technology = LEAN^2 Finding Flaws Before They Spread Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - December 2008

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