Thank you, but if you're trying to promote your product in new markets, you'd be wise to not assume that everyone is familiar with all the acronyms. As a simple-minded engineer, even with your explanation, it's not altogether clear to me how "PLM" software really does anything that comptent old-fashioned human management can't do. If a company can't maintain, for example, standard corporate industrial design standards (shapes, colors, fonts, etc) without software, they have bigger problems. But maybe PLM software really does tie a bunch of previously-loose ends together.
Maybe an example, rather than just a bunch of jargon-laden praise, would make the function more clear. When I started reading the article, since it was dealing with a specific company (Cabela's), I expect to read a clear example of what it does and how it works. This is how articles for engineering magazines are usually written. What you have here is what the marketeers tell me is know as a "concept sell". You have to show customers why they need a product that they never thought they needed before (toilet paper is the classic example). Even with your explanation, I'm left thinking, "Well, of course, any good management team will do all that. Why buy and maintain yet another elaborate software package?"
Anyway, thanks for the reply. At least now I know what PTC and PLM stand for.
PLM stands for Product Lifecycle Management. It's both a process and a type of software that focuses on managing product content (such as color management, design files, requirement documents and Bills of Materials) throughout the entire "life" of a product. You are correct that PTC is the name of the company and we sell PLM software. Cabela's is using our product, FlexPLM, to help them better manage all of their apparel and footwear designs.
We were, of course, excited to see Gabe talk about how FlexPLM helped Cabela's be more productive and get products to market more quickly. As Gabe mentions, "Speed and the ability to change quickly is everything."
What does PLM stand for? What does PTC stand for? I've been an engineer for 30 years, and I'm not insulted by a writer defining acronyms the first time he uses them in a story. Since the whole article is about how great "PLM" is it would be nice to start out by explaining WHAT PLM is.
Once I get into the article, I find more jargon. It's jargon I can parse, because I've read enough business-speak to know what "cross-functional team collaboration" reduces to in plain Engiish, but why put the reader to all that work? Why not just write an article in plain English, define acronyms the first time they're used, and if necessary include the jargon-filled press release as an appendix?
After reading the entire article I still have no idea what "PLM" and "PTC" are. I have a hunch that PTC is a vendor of PLM, but that's about it. I'm told that PLM is a great system that has worked wonders for Cabela's, but I have no idea if it's an email system, an MIS system, or some combination. if I had to guess, I would say it's probably software, although it could be a philosophy like JIT or TQC (I hate the alphabet soup, but I at least know what JIT and TQC are by now).
Please, can we have an editor who cuts through the press-release jargon and translates articles into someting useful, or at least comprehensible, to an ordinary engineer? Thank you.
By experimenting with the photovoltaic reaction in solar cells, researchers at MIT have made a breakthrough in energy efficiency that significantly pushes the boundaries of current commercial cells on the market.
In a world that's going green, industrial operations have a problem: Their processes involve materials that are potentially toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive. If improperly managed, this can precipitate dangerous health and environmental consequences.
With LEDs dropping in price virtually every year, automakers have begun employing them, not only on luxury vehicles, but on entry-level models, as well.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
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
3 
