Capability Overload
PTC has many components and solutions to choose from, and it can be overwhelming to know where and how to start. Before diving into solution selection, determine your business objective and goals. Taking this step will make it easier to review PTC solutions and how they can help you overcome or solve that problem.
Here are some common core competencies PTC offers to address specific needs in the manufacturing industry:
- 3D modeling and simulation (Creo Parametric)
- Managing Engineering Data, PDM & PLM (Windchill)
- IoT, connected equipment (Kepware, Thingworx)
- Aftermarket service and support (ServiceMax)
And if choosing a solution wasn’t overwhelming enough – implementation and management can bring its own confusion and questions. Being prepared for this will only help ease the process and let you fully experience the benefits PTC brings. Let’s dive into common challenges and how to address them.
Enterprise System Connectivity
A common challenge is connecting enterprise systems for one-time data entry. Even if your PTC software allows engineers to collaborate and control data storage, if that data isn’t being published to your ERP system, you could be doubling your work.
The goal is to maintain PLM and ERP data in one system. This starts with understanding where PLM ends and ERP begins. Enter enough data into your PLM system that you can create the part and BOM in ERP, but don’t need to publish everything that ERP needs. This is the first crucial step into connecting your digital thread.
Management & Mindest
Managing manufacturing information within the PLM system helps your business adapt and prepare for manufacturing in an agile way, reduce costs and increase quality simultaneously. To achieve this successfully, you must adopt an organizational change.
There are also fundamental shifts in who does what and how. To boil it down – it’s more than simply adopting Windchill technology. Companies that fail to shift structure and process of the business often fail in the pilot phase or struggle down the line. Changing people’s mindset is essential.
Requirement Management
Most regulated industries adopt a formal structure for requirements management – known as application lifecycle management (ALM). Tracking can involve design, BOM or many other areas. Because of this level of complexity, most companies end up using a document instead of a system to track requirements. While this method captures the information, it isn’t trackable.
Using a software system gives you visibility into design requirements, and allows you to make value-added decisions to improve performance or critical characteristics of the product.
Roadmap
These are just some of the many solutions and challenges that accompany Windchill integration and use. It’s more than technology adoption; it’s about changing the way you do business. It requires careful planning and strategy and buy-in from C-level executives. We strongly recommend formulating a plan and a roadmap that aligns with the strategy of the company in the near and long term. A roadmap helps determine priorities, gather the right resources and gain alignment with other departments. A roadmap is vital for breaking through the hardest part of the process – organizational change.
No matter what challenges you’re facing, we can help you navigate the world of PTC. Get in touch.
