How many virtual meetings\nhave you held via cloud applications lately? How many times have you uploaded a\ndocument or exchanged information in a shared drive that others could edit?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While some express\nconcerns about using the cloud due to performance capabilities or IP\nprotection, those same people are already using cloud applications for everyday\nbusiness purposes and may not even realize it, thus de facto endorsing cloud\nsecurity and performance capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The digital\ntransformation of enterprises is more prevalent now than ever. Everything from\nthe digital twin and simulation to cloud-based applications are helping to\nsimplify an increasingly complex product lifecycle. Companies shying away from\nthis digital evolution will likely be left behind by the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For companies with design\nteams and manufacturing facilities spread across the globe, digitalization has\nbeen a proven, reliable way of working. Many successfully embrace a PLM in the cloud<\/a> strategy where all the benefits of cloud and product lifecycle\nmanagement (PLM) come together:<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Jim Brown of Tech Clarity<\/a>, \u201cThe cloud is a means to an end. The real\nvalue is helping manufacturers improve the pace and level of innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps the most critical benefit of adopting PLM in the cloud is how the architecture allows for growth and innovation. With PLM and cloud, companies realize faster deployments and can easily scale PLM based on business requirements. With a modern cloud architecture that is easily integrated with other systems, companies can leverage the latest technology* and allow for new apps that address new use cases to be quickly created, when needed, using low-code methods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out our blog post AI Classification to work smarter<\/a> for more information on this topic.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Modern,\ncloud-based PLM systems help organizations work more efficiently and streamline\ntheir product development data and processes. For example, PLM in the\ncloud addresses basic PLM requirements like design and document management,\nvisualization, and change management. It moves beyond basic needs to address\nother business requirements like supplier integration, product sustainability,\nmaterials management, and more. Companies that need\ntheir global users to get up and running quickly can benefit from a PLM cloud\ndeployment where users can access product and process data securely – anywhere\nand on any device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most industries can benefit from PLM in\nthe cloud. For example, companies in the medical device industry require\nglobal collaborative functionality that is swift and secure. PLM cloud\ndeployments enable users to access product and process data safely. Aerospace and high-tech companies can streamline change orders and\nexpedite global supplier collaboration processes more efficiently with PLM in\nthe cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine a small clothing designer of premium shirts made\nwith unique, organic materials. As a startup business, they have two employees\n\u2013 the owners who work out of a small design studio in the Midwest. Suddenly,\nthe organic shirt trend catches on and attracts venture capital. Now, they must\nexpand their business, increase operations from two employees to thirty, forty,\nor hundreds, and streamline material and design management. In addition, rapid\nexpansion requires accommodation of multiple patterns, styles, fabrics, colors,\nand sizes, all while successfully managing fulfillment to numerous major\nretailers around the world. They must grow fast and using spreadsheets for\nworkflow won\u2019t cut it anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How do they control production? How do they control their\ninternal document management? How do they manage external organizations that deal with\nterms of vendors, clients, and customers as well as fulfillment\nand finance? Moving from a startup to a complex, global business means managing\nexponential growth in information, tracking physical assets and inventory throughout\nproduct development, and handling the entire product lifecycle that potentially\nincludes thousands of different iterations on a single type of shirt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NP Innovation, a Swedish-based company that develops water\ntreatment solutions for aquaculture, industrial and municipal applications, is\na real-world example of using PLM\nin the cloud<\/a>. The company started as a small startup business with a team\nof four designers and didn\u2019t have the IT staff or budget to support a large\nsoftware deployment effort. The nimble team determined that using cloud\ndeployment as a monthly operational expense eliminated the need for an upfront\npurchase of servers, and therefore the need to invest significant capital to\nboost technological capabilities was not required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NP Innovation installed and deployed the PLM solution in just ten days, including user training. The design team was able to collaborate 50 percent more efficiently and witnessed increased design re-use by 50 percent as well, saving both time and money in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cChanges are now managed using Teamcenter and all the history is there, so it gives us the knowledge needed to understand when to make a change and when to act as a consequence of a change. This gives us full control over our product development and facilitates innovation\u201d<\/p> -Gustav K\u00e5gesson, Design Manager at NP Innovation <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n As you can see, massive Fortune 500 companies\naren\u2019t the only ones benefitting from PLM in the cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBuilding the architecture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Small-to-medium sized businesses across industries<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
PLM in the cloud: Where today meets tomorrow<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n