Highlights
- Windchill PPMLink - A new program portfolio management solution that couples stage-gate methods with unique capabilities to aggregate program and product-related metrics, improving visibility and decision-making
- Windchill SocialLink - A new solution utilizing social computing capabilities to bring the collective wisdom of communities to bear on product development challenges
- Windchill Web Parts for SharePoint - An enhanced solution that consolidates critical information from Windchill and other enterprise systems for presentation in a familiar Microsoft SharePoint 2010 environment for easier, extended information access
- Windchill ProductPoint - An enhanced solution, to address the specific CAD data management needs of small and mid-sized businesses (SMB)
“PTC believes in Microsoft's vision around the SharePoint 2010 business collaboration platform for the enterprise,” said Jared Spataro, director, SharePoint Product Management, Microsoft. “The potential for PTC to deliver great product development solutions for customers, based on the SharePoint platform is demonstrated by the early success of Windchill ProductPoint and the release of these new PTC solutions, offering significant value to manufacturing companies seeking to improve product development processes.”
Windchill PPMLink
Windchill PPMLink extends Microsoft's Enterprise Project Management capabilities with configurable stage and gate processes, and scorecards that aggregate traditional project management measurements with PLM-derived product attributes. Further, it allows each project team the freedom to choose its own solution for project management while facilitating comprehensive bottom-up metrics reporting.
In a December 2009 independent Forrester Research, Inc. report, “It's Time To Revisit Portfolio Management For Product Development,” Senior Analyst Roy C. Wildeman stated that “Across the product life cycle, few processes have as much impact on a company's product innovation efforts and financial performance as managing the R&D project pipeline and resulting new products.” He also stated in the report that “[PPM] applications can help clarify and align product development strategy with the core strategy of the business.”
Windchill Web Parts for SharePoint
Windchill Web Parts for SharePoint 2010 provides a single, consolidated view of product information by enabling SharePoint users to easily view, search, and edit Windchill data together with content from ERP, finance and other enterprise applications. Using Microsoft's Business Connectivity Services, Windchill Web Parts for SharePoint 2.0 offers new and enhanced capabilities that expand the current search, assignment, and executive reporting features and take full advantage of the SharePoint environment.
Windchill SocialLink
With Windchill ProductPoint 1.1 and Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0, PTC first brought social computing features into product development applications. Now, PTC is announcing its development of a dedicated solution, enabling companies of all sizes to realize the value of social product development. Windchill SocialLink will combine social computing enabled by Microsoft SharePoint 2010 with a rich knowledge of product data, and deliver a modern user experience, seamlessly accessible across all PTC solutions. Content tagging, filtering, and activity feeds will automatically disseminate relevant knowledge quickly to product communities and “communities of practices,” self-forming groups united by shared professional interests. Uncovering and utilizing the collective wisdom of the crowd will enable faster and more-effective decision-making.
Planned capabilities and associated benefits of this new solution include:
- Community provisioning for information sharing and collective problem solving
- Dissemination of relevant knowledge to community members intelligently extracted from product content and metadata housed in the Windchill PLM system by way of activity streams
- Knowledge and expertise discovery, via personal profiles which are continuously updated based on PLM system usage
- Modern, engaging user experience delivered via a social toolbar offering connectivity to all PTC product development solutions
Windchill ProductPoint offers CAD vaulting, sharing, visualization, mark-up, and data reuse within heterogeneous environments, typical of SMB product organizations. Additionally, new data loading tools facilitate the direct migration of Pro/INTRALINK 3.x content, including as-stored configurations, metadata and full version history, into Windchill ProductPoint.
“By extending SharePoint 2010, Windchill enables everyone -- design engineers, program managers, and top executives-- to participate in the product development process in a meaningful way through a familiar platform,” said Brian Shepherd, executive vice president, product development, PTC. “This results in better, faster decision-making, which can ultimately drive a sustained competitive advantage for our customers.”
Commentary By Jeffrey Rowe, Editor
We just returned from the PTC/USER event. PTC demonstrated these SharePoint solutions and several other things at the PTC/USER World Event 2010, June 6-9 in Orlando, FL. PTC said it expects these and other solutions will be available later this year. While the Windchill/SharePoint announcements were definitely significant, a number of other things were introduced and discussed at PTC/USER, as well.
The company is undergoing a massive transition on several levels and most of the concerns and complaints we had experienced in the past with the company and its products, services, and direction are being addressed in a positive way.
First of all, this was the first major event where PTC's new president and CEO, Jim Heppelmann (effective October 1, 2010) took center stage as the new leader going forward. Heppelmann is succeeding Dick Harrison, the company's current Chairman and CEO, and will report directly to the Board. I really think that Heppelmann at the helm is a good thing because he is a “product guy” with an engaging personality (no BS), as well as a good perception and attitude toward his customers. Before leaving the stage, however, Harrison said that PTC estimates a 38% increase this fiscal year in software licenses across the board - CAD (Pro/ENGINEER), PLM (Windchill), etc. On the whole, though, it looks as if PTC is working to achieve a 50/50 balanced split on CAD and PLM, and not favoring one over the other like a swinging pendulum, as has been the case the past several years.
Speaking of attitude, that's another big change company-wide that I experienced. Whereas before, PTC had a transactional, tactical approach with customers; this attitude and way of doing business has evolved to more of a strategic, partnership relationship. The former arrogant attitude and stance has been replaced by one of confidence. All good things when trying to win the hearts, minds, and budgets of current and prospective customers. Heppelmann said that going forward, “Winning the big relationship is more important than just winning the big deal.”
Heppelmann said that PTC will continue to help customers with software and services for product development, as well as process improvement. It is this process aspect that he says distinguishes PTC from the competition, whom he said have a narrower product focus. He also said that there is a continuing and pressing need for new fundamental design and engineering approaches - changing and improving such things as the UI on software products is incremental, not monumental.
On the PLM front, Heppelmann said that he believed for investment and ROI considerations, PLM has significant advantages of ERP systems. In fact, he said, “PLM has gotten as big and strategic as ERP.” PLM is obviously one of the big dogs at PTC, especially knowing that the company (by its own admission) has spent more than $100,000,000 on Windchill R&D in a little over a decade since acquiring it.
On the CAD side, Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire was not really discussed all that much. However, something big seems to be in the works. Known now only as Project Lightning it is PTC's self-proclaimed “vision and strategy for the next 20 years of mechanical CAD. Without offering any details, it will supposedly allow a large potential user base with 2D and/or 3D direct and/or 3D parametric capabilities. Again, no details were given except that Project Lightning will provide choice and “the right tool for a given task and user.” Project Lightning will be unveiled on October 28, 2010 in some sort of virtual event. What it will be is unknown; what it might be is intriguing.
Then there was the mandatory/obligatory compute cloud discussion and PTC's plans . . . As it turns out, Windchill has been “cloud-ready” for a while now because it can be accessed and used with a browser. However, when asked directly, Heppelmann had some interesting thoughts on cloud computing and pulled no punches. “As far as cloud computing goes, I'm not pro or anti - I'm ambivalent, ambiguous, and neutral on it. While I'm not anti-cloud, I am anti-hype regarding the cloud and clouds are made of vapor. What problems does cloud computing truly solve and how do you address the performance problems it introduces? Windchill is available via public and private clouds but we currently have no plans for CAD, primarily because there is no demand.” Obviously, PTC is venturing carefully into the computing cloud and not betting the farm on it just yet.
All in all, the PTC/USER World Event 2010 was a good one with lots of takeaways about the future of the company and its products. PTC employees and customers were confident, enthusiastic, and optimistic about the future and where the company is going.
As they emerge in the coming months, we'll be taking closer looks at the following PTC offerings:
- Project Lightning
- Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire
- Windchill and some of its SharePoint derivatives
- Social Product Development
- CoCreate
- Arbortext Galaxy for 3D publishing
Disclosure: PTC paid for conference registration, hotel, and some meals.
The Week's Top 5
At MCADCafé we track many things, including the stories that have attracted the most interest from our subscribers. Below are the five news items that were the most viewed during last week.
The Passing of a PLM Industry Visionary
CIMdata was saddened to announce that Eddy D. Miller, CIMdata President and a pioneer in the PLM industry, died Sunday, June 6, 2010, after a short illness. Ed was a valuable colleague and friend whose wit and wisdom will be sorely missed. Mr. Miller, who was born on April 21, 1949 in Linton, Indiana, is survived by his wife Karen, his daughter Jana, his son Ryan, and his sister Barbara Reed, as well as countless colleagues and friends around the world who knew and respected him both professionally and personally. Mr. Miller attended Purdue University and graduated in 1971 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. He was a member of Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Pi Engineering honoraries. He received a Master of Science degree in Engineering from The University of Michigan in 1973. Mr. Miller was generally recognized as the “Father” of PDM and the foremost worldwide authority on the PLM marketplace and technologies. Mr. Miller authored numerous industry articles and was a frequent keynote speaker at PLM solution supplier and industrial events around the world. Mr. Miller's vision will continue to shape the PLM industry for years to come.
Ingersoll Rand Expands PLM Footprint with PTC's Windchill
PTC announced that Ingersoll Rand is leveraging Windchill to implement outcome-driven innovation - the practice of asking its customers what outcomes they want and then delivering those results. By eliminating the need for revisions, Ingersoll Rand is able to reduce costs and drive competitive products to market faster. Ingersoll Rand has made a customer commitment to deliver the kind of outcome they want right from the start - to innovate, rather than iterate. By using Windchill to increase early collaboration, the company is reducing the need to make changes later in the product development cycle when alterations are more costly and time consuming to correct. As a result, Ingersoll Rand is now more efficiently producing the high quality products its customers need to be competitive. In addition, Ingersoll Rand is also leveraging Windchill to unite its transforming and growing business. Specifically, with the completion of the Trane acquisition, Ingersoll Rand doubled in size. In order to realize its PLM objectives and share data across its newly diverse product lines, the company turned to Windchill to consolidate disparate systems and more efficiently unite now doubled departments and sources of product data.
Luxion releases KeyShot 2
Luxion introduced KeyShot 2, an update to the original KeyShot and HyperShot software. The new release features an all new user interface, many new rendering features, and significant performance improvements. It also delivers import of native Pro/ENGINEER data with associative linking. KeyShot 2 is an all new application built on Luxion's production-proven interactive realtime raytracing and global illumination technology. KeyShot 2 further breaks down the complexity of creating photographic images from 3D models. With its much improved ease-of-use, KeyShot 2 gives anybody involved with 3D data the ability to create photographic images in a matter of seconds, independent of the size of the digital model. Available for PC and Mac, KeyShot 2 delivers amazing “shots” without the need for special graphics cards. Customers who bought KeyShot after April 1, 2010, as well as all customers who have purchased KeyShot for Education will receive the upgrade to KeyShot 2 free of charge. Existing KeyShot and HyperShot customers can upgrade to KeyShot 2 for an incremental fee. All KeyShot customers with subscriptions will automatically receive the upgrade to KeyShot 2.
ITP Selects Teamcenter As Its Global PLM Solution
Siemens PLM Software announced Industria de Turbo Propulsores (ITP), a global aeronautical company and maintenance service provider for most engine manufacturers in the world today, selected Teamcenter software as its global PLM solution. ITP will use Teamcenter in the processes of designing and manufacturing engines and gas turbines. ITP selected Teamcenter to achieve its goals for cost containment and improvement of on-time delivery. ITP has been using NX software since 1996. ITP conducted a thorough and detailed analysis of the PLM market to assess which company could meet the needs of combining all business units' processes.
PTC To Release Mathcad 15.0
PTC announced Mathcad 15.0 engineering calculation software. Mathcad 15.0 delivers enhanced capabilities to help customers solve complex engineering calculations and improve the documentation of calculations throughout the product development process. Mathcad 15.0 includes over 25 new functions, more robust reference libraries and integration with third-party tools, including the latest version of Microsoft Excel. Additionally, the Mathcad 15.0 integration with existing engineering platforms like Pro/ENGINEER, as well as with PTC's Windchill solutions, Windchill PDMLink, and Windchill ProductPoint, enables better management of critical engineering content, making it easier to share and reuse information leading to standardization and best practices.
Jeffrey Rowe is the editor of MCADCafé and MCAD Weekly Review. He can be reached at Email Contact or 408.850.9230.
This Week
Lead Story
PTC Extends Windchill PLM
Product and Company News
Dassault Systèmes Acquires Exalead
SolidWorks 3 Dudes Escape Their Trailer Long Enough to Win A National Marketing Award
Master3DGage Goes Global
MSC.Software Releases SimManager 2010
Forming Technologies Announces FASTBLANK for PTC Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0
VX CAD/CAM releases Version 14.4
Encore Announces Immediate Availability of Punch! Software ViaCAD 2D/3D v7
Advanced Innovation Tools of Spain Joins the Aras PLM Software Partner Program
ETRAGE LLC Announces Plot Service for Windchill Integration with Inventor and NX
Kubotek Launches KeyMachinist Mill Low-Cost CAM Product
TPK Touch Solutions Selects Aras PLM Software
PTC and HP Expand Relationship Through Customer Loyalty Program
Mentor Graphics Announces FloEFD Pro 9.3.1
Innovative Australian manufacturer simplifies product development with KOMPAS-3D
PTC Updates Q3 and FY10 Revenue Targets, Maintains $1.00 EPS Target for FY10
Kubotek USA Launches New Website for Kubotek Validation Tool
Studica selects CAD Gorilla for its Autodesk Premium Support Package
The 5-Axis Technology Leader: Now The Best CADCAM System Its Official
Dassault Systemes Lifelike Experience Technology Enables First 3D World Expo
CAD Gorilla Becomes an Autodesk Authorized Developer
SIMPOE Launches SimpoePro
GKN Aerospace Selects VISTAGYs FiberSIM and SyncroFI to Develop Winglet for Bombardier CSeries
Cimatron, DMG, ISCAR Demonstrate Dramatic Reductions in Machining Times With 5-Axis Technology
Roland DGA Debuts Live Creative Center Web Cam
Aero-Plastics Utilizes CompareVidia for CAD Translation Validation
Okino Releases JT v5.3.2 CAD Importer
Ingersoll Rand Expands PLM Footprint with PTCs Windchill Solution
EPM Live Announces Release of Agile WorkEngine for Product Development
ZWCAD available with DWG 2010 support
Autodesk Seek Gains Ground with Building Product Manufacturers, Design Professionals
Bluebeam Software Debuts Studio for Real-Time Collaboration in PDF
Lattice Technology Releases XVL Player 10.2
Sajan Releases GCMS Authoring Coach for PTC Arbortext Editor
Materialise makes strides towards a better and healthier world with its factory of the future
TEC and Cadsoft Donating Software to SkillsUSA Winners
IronCAD Extends Growth in South Africa
Lattice Technology Releases XVL System Toolkit ver. 3.1
Delcam's PartMaker makes aerospace company more productive
MSC.Software Donation to University of California, Irvine Gives Students Engineering Simulation Experience for the Future
Invention Machine Adds New Resellers To Its Growing Innovation Network
DeskProto releases Hobby License to celebrate two birthdays
Maintaining as-built documents with Cadac Organice and SharePoint
IDES Develops an Easier, Faster Way to Browse Plastic Materials
2Wire Leverages Oracle's Agile PLM 9.3 to Increase Productivity and Reduce Costs
Autodesk Names Applied Software Reseller of the Quarter
New TopSolid web sites
SYSPRO ERP Choice of Pioneering Medical Device Manufacturer
MLC CAD Systems Stillwater A Local and Regional Success
Research and Markets: CAD Software Market in Korea 2009-2013 Highlights Scope of the Korean CAD Software Market
Related MCAD News
Manufacturer Converts Its Factory to Run on Solar Power
Boeing to Demonstrate Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Cooperative Control Technologies for U.S. Air Force
Manufacturing Technology Consumption Up 50.6% Year-to-Date
KYOCERA Commences U.S. Manufacturing of Solar Modules
Boeing Receives FAA Engineering Contract Worth up to $1.7 Billion for Next-Generation Air Transportation System
Boeing 737 Production Rate Increases to 35 per Month
HP Partners with Vidyo to Offer Anytime, Anywhere Visual Collaboration
NASA and Japan Announce Cloud Computing Collaboration
Johnson Controls Remains Interested in Visteon Acquisition
TSMC Extends Open Innovation Platform
GLOBALFOUNDRIES Launches Global Partner Ecosystem to Drive Industry Collaboration
Mentor Graphics Extends TSMC Reference Flow 11 With Support for ESL and Integrated Design and Manufacturing Closure
ebrary Launches New Aerospace E-book Database
Calyptos Industry Expands Lead in ESL Verification with Latest SLEC Release
HP Introduces the Future of Printing: Web Connected and Cloud Aware
First Solar Announces Intent to Expand German Manufacturing Plant
SGI Releases Next Generation COPAN™ 400 Storage Platform
Research and Markets: Robotics Application Report
America's First New Lithium Ion Battery Separator Manufacturing Company in Decades Set to Open with Breakthrough Technology
Bombardier Aerospace Announces its Plan to Acquire ExelTech Hangar
The Henry Ford Announces Plans for New Racing Exhibition in Henry Ford Museum
SGI Releases InfiniteStorage 5000 SAS External Storage System
Corporate Moves
VISTAGY Appoints Bruce Boes as Vice President of Product Management & Marketing
ANSYS Leader Honored with World Class Award by Southpointe CEO Association
Boeing Announces Election of Liddy to Rejoin Board of Directors
Wetherbee Named President of ATI Metalworking Products
CD-adapco announces the opening of its new Seattle office.
Industry Events
Autodesk to Webcast Its Annual Meeting of Stockholders
CIMdata Announces Date and Location of Its Next CIMdata PLM Certificate Program
Delcam to launch new feature-based CAM at IMTS
Free Webinar: AxSTREAM in Turbomachinery Education
SEMATECH to Present at Design Automation Conference
Design Automation Conference 2010 Exhibitor Profiles
GibbsCAM to be Demonstrated at Haas Demo Days
Geometric to showcase GeomCaliper for Pro/ENGINEER at PTC User/World 2010
USA Science & Engineering Festival Announces Nifty Fifty; Top Scientists Will Tell Their Stories in DC-Area Schools
Geometric to showcase CAMWorks 2010 at ACMEE 2010
CCE to Demo Innovative Solutions for PTC users in Orlando, FL
47th DAC: Design Ecosystem Comes Together to Deliver Solutions from Design to Manufacturing
PTC to Provide Investor Update at the PTC User World Event On Monday, June 7, 2010
47th Design Automation Conference Program Offers Five Tutorial Sessions by Domain Experts
Delcam to launch Polish subsidiary at MACHTOOL
Software Factory to Showcase Add-ons and Customizations for Pro/ENGINEER, Windchill PDMLink and Pro/INTRALINK at PTC/USER World Event 2010
Epicor to Present at the Atlantic Design and Manufacturing Show
Delcam to show high-accuracy dental CADCAM in Asia
SGI to Present at UBS Global Technology and Services Conference
SoftInWay Announces Turbomachinery Training Schedule for July-December 2010
Tata Technologies BETTER INNOVATION on Tour Shows Tata Nano for the First Time in Canada at APMA-Auto21 Conference
Open-Silicon to Highlight ASIC Design and Manufacturing Expertise at DAC 2010
Corporate Newsletters
FEA Journal - May 2010
See the Future of PLM - Siemans PLM : May 2010
Delcam: June Issue 46b
CAMWorks Newsletter Issue 10