In last month's issue of PLM Perspective, I talked about New Product Development – one of eight PLM business initiatives that companies are using to accelerate their business growth and ability to innovate. This month I would like to focus on another of those initiatives, Value Chain Synchronization.
Two announcements UGS made last week reflect the ongoing importance UGS places on this initiative: An agreement between UGS and IBM to provide PLM to small and medium-sized businesses in six major markets across the world – businesses that are frequently part of an extended supply chain; and publication of the JT™ data format – an open solution that provides a common language for visualization, collaboration and retention of 3D product data in a heterogeneous environment.
As manufacturers globalize their operations they are creating complex, animated data-driven networks connecting, in some cases, thousands of suppliers, customers and partners. The expertise, market knowledge and capacity created by these innovation networks are key to business success today and PLM provides the collaboration tools that make these networks effective for businesses of any size.
