Applied PLM: Design Automation

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Applied PLM: Design Automation

An Interview with Scott Heide, CEO of Engineering Intent - PPLM:  Welcome, Scott.  Thank you for spending some time with us.  We are happy to have you bring additional perspective to our topic of CPQ.  Before we start, give us a quick backgrounder as well as what you are doing today.  Scott:  I started out with an interesting educational combination, both engineering and computer science degrees.  After I graduated with a master’s in science from MIT in the mid-80s, I immediately joined a company that was a pioneer in engineering automation called ICAD.  They developed the concept of what was then called “knowledge-based engineering,” now more often called “engineering automation,” and were able to deliver some eye-opening applications to a wide variety of high-end customers.

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How Do You Get Senior Management Buy-in

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How Do You Get Senior Management Buy-in

PLM inherently touches multiple departments and areas of responsibility.  It can start at sales, but at a minimum will involve engineering, planning, production and segments of manufacturing.  If your responsibilities are in engineering, then getting other departments to buy-in can be challenging.  Executive sponsorship cuts across these boundaries.  So, the real question is “how do I get the bosses to buy-in?”  The short answer is, in part, by identifying the business values at the P&L level.  PLM values can be tied to one or all of three areas on the P&L: revenues, cost of goods sold (CoGs) and overhead.  Thus, doing more for less will most likely be found in CoGs and overhead.

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The Science & Business of Engineering

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The Science & Business of Engineering

Peter Schroer, the Aras CEO and Founder, recently penned a compelling article that contrasts the irony that exists for many manufacturers today. He notes that sophisticated design technologies are used for 3D CAD, analysis and simulation, and DMU (digital mock-up) work. Yet, to manage the resulting data, manual steps, paper, email, Excel, Lotus Notes, DropBox, FTP, and homegrown systems are used.He refers to these design technologies as the "science of engineering." He further   states, "Leaving other critical processes, including software, electronics, requirements, process planning, technical publications and quality – the "business of engineering" –  is disconnected and underserved." It's the contrast between the "science of engineering and the "business of engineering."

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Pursuing the Promise of PLM – Part 1

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Pursuing the Promise of PLM – Part 1

Personally, one of my go-to content sources is TED talks.  In particular, I have enjoyed Simon Sinek.  He’s an author best known for popularizing the concept of "the golden circle" and to "Start with Why.”  In one of his talks, Sinek encourages us to understand “why” we pursue an idea, and then dig into the “how” and “what” later.  By doing so, the result is a vision and energy that transcends the morass of tactical details.  A prime example … Steve Jobs is the iconic “why guy.”

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What’s the value of a PLM solution?

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What’s the value of a PLM solution?

The term “PLM” is not as common as other terms in an IT organization.  I would imagine that common threads of discussions touch on technologies such as SaaS/cloud based solutions, SAN/NANs storage, voice-over-IP, etc.  Some of the terms related to specific applications most likely include CAD, ERP, ECM (Enterprise Content Management) and CRM.  My own anecdotal experience with various customers suggests that PLM is still not common vernacular.

 

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