The Evolving Product Lifecycle Management Landscape

However, as our business has evolved so has the solution with additional capabilities around Part and Supplier Management. We are also beginning to integrate our PLM solution with our Oracle EBS ERP solution to synchronize BOMs across both systems as well as using our PLM solution to manage and comply with the European Union Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive.

To make business counterparts think differently about PLM, it is important to remind everyone to think broadly about Product Lifecycle Management and to not look at it through an IT lens. Rather, they need to recognize that it cuts across multiple departments, business processes, and thus systems. As mentioned earlier, it also encompasses partners, suppliers, distributors, and fielded product. This is where IoT and the cloud begin to provide new opportunities for cross-company integration and real-time product insights. Having a full understanding of the broad PLM landscape and all of the business processes that contribute to it is critical.

3. As the PLM technology sphere evolves with each passing day, what are some of the latest trends that are gripping your mind?

While Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and remote system monitoring systems have been in place for many years in various industrial sectors, my team and I are focused on the promise of the new and broader IoT opportunities that are being driven by pervasive and constant connectivity, mobility, the processing power of cloud solutions, reduced costs, and low technical barriers. IoT has gone from niche to mainstream in what feels like only a handful of years. Within our company, we have been leveraging device connectivity and IoT capabilities to drive our “Gas Detection-as-a-Service” business since 2003 with the majority of our focus being transactional in nature. More recently, we have begun to go much deeper into the data to gain quality insights. This has created a quality feedback loop that connects our fielded products to our Quality and Reliability team in near real time. As things mature, we plan to push those insights into our channel partners, service partners, and end equipment users.

4. How can the PLM evolving technologies help Industries overcome the challenges?

Evolving PLM technologies can really help companies be more proactive. Companies that bake connectivity, sensors, and PLM related data collection into their product designs will be well positioned to get out in front and ahead of not only technical issues but will also be able to see trends in how their products are being used. Putting those insights to use should result in higher quality products that meet emerging customer needs. Companies that do this will no doubt have a strong competitive advantage over those that don’t.

5. What changes have you seen in the IT operating model of your organization during the last five years?

Our IT operating model has changed considerably over the past several years. Most notably, we restructured our ERP and Business Application teams to be aligned with our business functions and have also been successful in pivoting from an 80 percent reactive tactical focus to an 80 percent strategic proactive focus. We achieved this by immersing our IT leads in the business areas they serve while also formalizing both the engagement level and the cadence of interaction between the IT and business teams. As a result, our business teams now view their IT counterparts as internal consultants who are ready to apply technology solutions to business problems. Additionally, we established a very clear IT vision centered around three basic principles: 1) Deliver highest quality & business value; 2) Leverage a flexible & scalable team structure to meet demand; and 3) Act as one global IT team with common standards whenever possible.