SolidWorks PDM Gets Integrated with Arena
Earlier this week, cloud PLM developer Arena Solutions announced that it has teamed up with PLM services and solutions provider xLM Solutions to release an automated integration between Arena PLM and SolidWorks PDM Professional.
Arena claims that the integration will give SolidWorks PDM users seamless product data flow into Arena PLM for prototype, new product introduction and ongoing product development processes.
This means that companies who sign up for this integrator will be able to create and publish parts, files and bills of materials (BOMs) to Arena PLM from within the SolidWorks PDM Professional user interface. The automated data flow will also eliminate the need for manual import/export work and data entry.
"With this integration, organizations that use SolidWorks PDM Professional can gain all the benefits of cloud-based PLM with Arena Solutions, without requiring their engineers to leave either of their original environments in order to enter data into Arena PLM. Data transfer between the two applications happens automatically. That's a huge time savings, providing increased productivity and cleaner data,” said Marc Young, managing partner at xLM Solutions.
Analyst Highlights Top Three Emerging PLM Trends
Technology consultancy Technavio recently released a report highlighting the top three emerging PLM trends in the aerospace and defense markets from 2016 through 2020.
Amrita Choudhury, a senior industry analyst at Technavio, said that, “Increasing demand for commercial aircrafts from the EMEA region will significantly drive global PLM investments in the aerospace and defense market until 2020.” She added that in the next 20 years, demand for commercial aircraft is expected to be more than 2,000 from the Middle East and more than 7,000 from Europe.
This trend, combined with ever increasing product complexity, will drive the demand for more capable PLM and CAE solutions.
The report highlights three emerging trends in this market between 2016 and 2020, including:
● Increased integration among PLM software, especially when it comes to electrical design automation (EDA) and CFD simulation software.
● A more important role for PLM solutions when it comes to developing IoT-supporting devices.
● Increased outsourcing of FEA pre-processing jobs to India and China. This is mainly centred around the creation of the meshes required for FEA-analysis, which is 43% cheaper in these countries according to the study.
The report is behind a paywall, but if you’re interested in learning more, here’s a link.
German Fashion Brand Adopts Centric PLM
On Tuesday, apparel PLM developer Centric Software announced that the German fashion brand Tom Tailor has chosen to implement the Centric 8 PLM solution. Tom Tailor has 7,000 employees worldwide with 1,450 retail stores in more than 35 countries.
The main impetus behind the adoption of Centric’s PLM solution is Tom Tailor’s problematic legacy situation, which features more than 74 different systems and makes internal and external collaboration complex and rigid. Tom Tailor will start using Centric 8 PLM across their denim division, before rolling out to casualwear for men, women and children.
Future steps will consist of integrating their agents in Asia and their suppliers.
PTC’s ThingWorx Used in Smart-City Project
PLM developer PTC announced Wednesday that its subsidiary Thingworx is joining the MK:Smart project smart-city initiative. Led by the Open University, the project aims to tackle barriers to economic growth in the city of Milton Keynes, UK.
ThingWorx, which offers a platform for the development of IoT applications, will provide the application development environment as a feature for the project’s data hub.
The MK Data Hub will provide a platform for apps and services that can be used by local companies to take data-driven innovations to market. As part of this project, PTC’s ThingWorx platform will be free to use for local small and medium size companies.
“ThingWorx is a great addition to the MK Data Hub,” said professor Enrico Motta from Open University, who is project director for MK:Smart. “It will enhance our platform by facilitating rapid prototyping and delivery of IoT applications, a key aspect of smart city solutions. I am looking forward to seeing the results from this exciting collaboration.”
New Version Drives License Sales for IFS
Judging from its recently released year-end report, 2015 was a year of strong financial performance for ERP and PLM developer IFS. The company increased its license revenue by 14 percent in constant currencies, to a total of 682 million SEK (approximately $80 million).
The company largely attributes these numbers to last year’s release of version 9 of their enterprise suite IFS Applications. Total revenue for the year was 3.4 billion SEK ($400 million), an increase of 5 percent year-over-year.
It is interesting to note that license sales really took off at the end of 2015, increasing by 27 percent during the fourth quarter, compared to the same period the previous year.
If you’re interested in learning more about IFS and their ongoing feud with German enterprise giant SAP, you should watch this report: IFS passes one million users and challenges SAP: "They’ve lost contact with their customer base” – TV-report.
Dassault Systèmes Gets Top Marks for Sustainability
French PLM company Dassault Systèmes has earned itself the number two place on Corporate Knights’ list of the most sustainable companies around the world.
DS is one of only two software companies to make it onto the list - the other being Adobe Systems in 92nd place -. BMW snagged the top position.
Most companies talk about sustainability, since doing anything else could have disastrous consequences for the company’s image. However, few companies actually place sustainability as a top priority.
Dassault Systèmes has long been a proponent of corporate sustainability not only within the confines of its own enterprise, but also by giving free software to companies working on innovative sustainable solutions.
The annual list from Corporate Knights, which bills itself as a “Clean Capitalism magazine,” seeks to investigate how deeply engaged corporations are in these matters. The results are derived from looking at 12 key performance indicators, which include things such as energy/water/carbon/waste efficiency, innovation capacity, employee turnover rate and pensions as well as diversity in leadership positions.
Here’s a link to the list, which also includes KPIs and methodology.