Did I read this right? They didn't even have 3D yet? Sounds like they were milking the old for all it was worth to show better short term numbers. Their engineers probably need to be rejuvinated as well. Sound like a big project.
It is always surprising to me, who has covered PLM and other enterprise software for years, how much adoption rates always lag behind what the industry perception is. Naperlou is right that implementation of PLM on an enterprise scale is a huge endeavor, not so much for the software implementation (although that's difficult), but for the huge organizational and process change it invokes. That's often why companies are slow to get on board. That and high cost, due mostly to associated consulting fees.
I, too, am a little surprised, Beth. The Detroit automakers are already very advanced in this area, and it would seem that the tier-one and tier-two suppliers have to move with the OEMs down a parallel path.
You're right, Naperlou, adoption can be painfully slow, and ERP is a good example. Plant software is another good example. Seems like the mandate for adoption doesn't come down until it becomes a competitive or cost imperative. My guess is that OEM customers prompted the action at Johnson Controls.
Beth, it is amazing, but it takes a long time for tools and techniques like PLM to become widely adopted. It is like ERP, where many companies were not up to date until recently. Finally, the high end corporate market is getting saturated. In the software and systems development area CASE tools are still not as widely used as they should be. I was working for a company in the early 1990s. The statistics they quote about project failure rates and other indicators have not changed much since then. And they have sold a lot.
So, it is good to see PLM more widely used. Effeciency improvement is what really drives wealth in a society.
Yes, it is surprising Johnson controls was not further along in PLM, Beth. I think they finally got on board in part out of pressure from their OEM customers. At one point an automotive executive joked that our cars are fromt he space age now, but our seats are still from the 1970s. Since Johnson Controls is the largest seat maker, the company's adoption of PLM may begin to changed that.
Nice customer win for Siemens. I'm actually surprised such a major automotive OEM supplier was not further down the pike in implementing PLM. PLM, while still not as widely understood in some manufacturing sectors, is pretty well entrenched in the automotive and aerospace markets and in use at most of the major automotive OEMs. Interesting that the Vistagy folks seem to be the driver on this deal. Vistagy, a maker of tools for composite design, was recently acquired by Siemens. Perhaps the need for a tool for effective material composition was the final straw that drove Johnson to pull the trigger on a move to implement PLM on an enterprise scale.
Using almost 200 light-emitting diodes in the front and back of the new 2014 CTS, Cadillac designers are showing how LEDs can change the character of a vehicle.
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
1 
