It’s a wrap: Siemens PLM Connection

Just back from several days at Siemens PLM Connection, the company’s user-run annual conference. This year’s theme was managing complexity: globalization, regulations, competitive pressure — each layer adds more information, more requirements, more team members to interact with. How can you best manage all of these sources and uses of information? Siemens PLM’s answer: HD-PLM, a new way to explore, share and use — in one place — all of the information typically captured in CAD and data management. The 3D models created and manipulated in NX can be “augmented” with product lifecycle data from Teamcenter, all displayed in a single, unified application window within NX7. Trying to figure out which parts of a design have overdue change orders? HD-PLM can do that in a colorful, intuitive way by overlaying enterprise data such as inventory status, change notices and supplier availability on the 3D geometry. Think of it as looking for a deli on a Google map — only instead of a pushpin, the design component is highlighted. Much easier than looking at lists or clicking through one email notification after another. Tossing around terms like “breadcrumbs”(the icons in the top of the NX window that lead to HD-PLM information) and showing HD-PLM on a traditional workstation, an iPad and a Android phone definitely takes Siemens PLM to a new level of “techiness” that impressed me and the users sitting around me. Of course, many of these users can only look on; their companies are still using much older versions of NX and Teamcenter because of the duration of their typical projects. But they are definitely interested, and innovations like HD-PLM make the “upgrade or not” decision more compelling. Maybe PLM can be cool! As you probably know, the Siemens PLM Connection was originally scheduled for a month ago in Nashville but had to be moved because of the flooding that devastated the area. Even so, 1400 to 1500 users were able to attend the over 300 sessions on the program. In the day and a half I was there, I sat through the keynotes and focused on the CAE track. In no particular order: • There really is lots of excitement around how HD-PLM provides access to information and the visual aspects of making data more actionable • Siemens PLM is part of a giant company and is able to offer only limited information on its business operations. The company reports 50% license growth in its March quarter (likely over a very weak 2009, but still impressive); with a few days left in its June quarter, CEO Tony Affuso said things were “looking good as well” • Attendees like the idea of Synchronous Technology but need to figure out how to redesign their processes to keep from simply doing the same things in the same way with different technology. They are trying to figure out how to take full advantage of Synchronous Technology • CTO and VP R&D, Chuck Grindstaff at the analyst/media luncheon: “CAE is at the forefront of our competitiveness – the market just doesn’t know it yet.” • The simulation sessions were packed; the general themes were resolving complex, multi-domain systems in distributed R&D environments and connecting CAE results to design requirements. We also got to hear about recent and near-term future plans. Most exciting: bidirectional thermal/mechanical coupling in beta early 2011 and pre-solved subassemblies used as superelements to enable CAE assembly-tree-like analyses being rolled out over the next few releases. • Product Lead for CAE (apologies, don’t know exact title these days), Jim Rusk at the CAE session: “The simulation data management market still very fresh – it’s the next hill to climb – because it exposes value of simulation to the enterprise”. To bring home that point, about 40% of the companies represented in the CAE session at that moment are investigating managing their simulation processes and data • Over lunch one day, we got into whether CAD is dead as has been claimed for a while by some PLM vendors. It clearly isn’t, as enhancements in NX and SolidEdge prove — we may have cracked the basic “make a 3D digital model” but there are always process and technology improvements to be made. There were a couple of very funny moments, too, during my time in Dallas. For example, Microsoft was doing an excellent job of explaining the concepts of cloud computing but hadn’t realized that probably 1000 of the 1500 people in the ballroom would be using the WiFi connection and ran into download problems. To cover the awkwardness, the speaker quipped that he’d be drop-testing iPads from his room later that day … We won’t even get into PLM analysts and media doing karaoke — but was it ever a blast. The co-sponsor area was usually packed. I did squeeze in a meeting with Moldex3D — their mold analysis tools are integrated into the NX environment — and Maya, whose tools are central to the new NX Flow product. There’s no question that dealing with complexity underlies all of the innovation showcased here. Making complex data available in more intuitive, visual formats is key to enabling quick, accurate, fact-based decision making. Simulating as much as possible (via CAE, or in Tecnomatix or NX) before creating a physical prototype creates its own complexities (are we using the latest data?) but ultimately makes so many business processes more effective that it is a critical part of the daily lives of PLM Connection attendees. Is Siemens PLM addressing their needs? The users certainly seem to think so. Note: Siemens PLM did cover some of the costs for analysts to attend PLM Connection but did not compensate Schnitger Corp. for the contents of this blog.