PLM Connect 2011, PLM Showcase, Value of PLM/ERP Integration and Collaboration (5)
2PLM NewsletterJohn Stark Associates January 17, 2011 - Vol13 #21 |
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Welcome to the 2PLM e-zine This issue includes :
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| Invitation to PLM Connect 2011 by John Stark |
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The Manufacturer magazine, the UK's leading publication for manufacturing leaders, is hosting PLM Connect 2011 on Thursday February 17, 2011 at The Belfry, West Midlands. To register for the event, telephone Ben Walsh on ++44 207 401 6033 or email b.walsh@sayonemedia.com.
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| PLM Showcase by Roger Tempest |
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| If your company makes products, then take some time to have a look at the brochures. They are a glossy, appealing presentation of what the products are, and what they can do. Visit an industry trade show and you will see hundreds of these, creating a powerful collective message for customers that makes them want to buy.
When you look at your own company's brochures you also have an "insider's" viewpoint, and can see in detail the extensive engineering and manufacturing expertise that made them possible. PLM is part of this, and we need a way to showcase PLM as effectively as the brochures showcase the products that spring from it. The PLM showcase needs to be highly visible, easy to understand, and have international appeal. Its purpose is to make PLM a clear and attractive proposition to the millions of business people who still don't understand it. It needs the power to stay with the audience like an advertising campaign, and the persuasive "pull" to draw them into project justification. The driving force will be the formalisation of current PLM knowledge, which is long overdue (see January 03) and which will create standards and best practices that everyone can use. The platform will be a series of collaborative events in 2011 (see November 22) at which participants from different countries can add to, and learn from, a new global body of knowledge. |
The "brochure" effect comes from the new knowledge that is generated. As groups of PLM practitioners meet in each country, they will be able to share their experience and produce a regional benchmark for current PLM progress. Each meeting will have a different emphasis, and the series will build up a global picture of international strengths in PLM. The new standards will include metrics, which provide the link to business performance; and the growing list of participating companies will provide the endorsement for further and deeper PLM investment.
The launch is aimed for the Nordic region, and this will be balanced by one or more locations in the USA. Where the roadshow travels between these points could be up to you, because it will go to countries where there is a large enough base to hold a meeting. Germany and the UK are obviously possible, but could we reach Canada and Brazil, perhaps - France, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands - India, Australia or Japan? If you would like to find out more about taking part in an event, you can register your interest at plmshowcase@plmig.com. PLM claims to be a global phenomenon - we could show the world that this is true.
Roger Tempest is co-founder of the PLMIG. Membership of the PLMIG is available via membership@plmig.com.
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| Maximizing the Value of PLM/ERP Integration and Collaboration (5) by Dick Bourke |
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Part 5: Integration: The Quest Continues Preface Introduction The basic purpose of software integration is to unify related systems to make possible the timely exchange of trustworthy data. Successful software integration eliminates the inefficiencies of manual tasks, semi-automated processes and disconnected systems. Such inefficiencies obstruct the flow of data and frustrate system users trying to do good jobs. Unfortunately, these conditions often encourage inappropriate use of Excel spreadsheets. In the past, custom coding of software integration offered a company the allure of a fully tailored solution to meet its specific needs; the custom code, however, also brought greater risk and a high price tag. This is because it required special maintenance and on-going support, due to subsequent releases of related software application systems. Custom coding for systems integration is no longer the preferred tactic. Continuing advances in software provide capabilities to unify interrelated systems - with reasonable expenditures. Sources of this software include PLM/ ERP vendors as well as numerous third party firms. Nowadays, a faster, more cost-effective approach is to start with commercially available software as a base, and then add custom code - if necessary - to achieve systems integration. Integration of PLM/ERP Systems Unifying PLM/ERP is one of the most critical integrations for a manufacturing company to implement. These two foundation systems - working together - are indispensable for total management of a product's lifecycle. In the engineering - manufacturing continuum, coping with massive amounts of frequently changing product data is a constant challenge. Manual and semi-automated processes for exchanging data are error prone and time consuming. Interfacing or loose coupling methods, such as use of Excel spreadsheets, have not proven adequate to cope with the challenges to manage product data. Worse yet, product configuration integrity is at risk; discovering the true configuration during final assembly haunts companies with inadequate configuration management. |
Therefore, to attain a timely and smooth flow of trustworthy product data the complete electronic integration of PLM/ERP is mandatory. Best practice integration methods take advantage of software capabilities for seamless, real-time, bi-directional exchange of synchronized product data between PLM/ERP systems. This level of integration makes possible the automated transfer of engineering bills of material (eBOMs) to the ERP processes for managing manufacturing bills of material (mBOMs) and related planning, such as bills of process (BOPs). What's more, they nourish the timely return of accurate data, such as part attributes and status, from ERP back to PLM. Using Web-based technologies, PLM/ERP integration gives all virtual enterprise users the ability to view, revise and make the most of product information for astute decision-making. Joint decisions are facilitated, such as planning new product introductions and managing engineering changes. After successful implementation of best practice systems integration, companies should look to the range of results such as those cited by CIMdata:
These day-to-day operational savings contribute directly to attaining strategic benefits, such as reduced Time to Market. Nevertheless, there is a continuing quest for even more productive means of unifying these systems. Coming Up Soon What's Next
For more detail, see Additional Sources of Information Contact Dick at dickb@bourkeconsulting.com. |
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