Today's engineers must meet program management demands within the context of the challenges facing the industry as a whole. Resource scarcity, both people and capital, is forcing the automotive industry to optimize the deployment and consumption of enterprise resources. As globally dispersed project teams become more commonplace, efficient and effective communication across geographies is critical. Market segmentation and technology are influencing how well manufacturers deliver products within performance and timing guidelines.
Future success means providing global engineering teams with state- of- the- art tools and processes to unify disparate business groups in a virtual workspace -24/7. The solution to this is Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), a strategic business approach that supports collaborative creation across the enterprise and all stakeholders.
PLM solutions link information from different authoring tools and others systems to the developing product configuration. However, for real time collaboration, the approach must be accomplished through PLM 2.0, “an ONLINE ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL.” Through implementation of a unique architecture platform, PLM 2.0 is a reality that creates an online environment that allows stakeholders to work concurrently in real time via a simple Web connection accessing the latest information regardless of geographic location.
Collaborative online creation gets a boost from enhanced 3D applications that deliver an intuitive interface, enabling users to work in visual context and experience how products react to changes. By eliminating language barriers, 3D changes occur with no misinterpretations - 24/7, regardless of location.
Some of the benefits obtained from this strategy include the leveraging of intellectual assets throughout the entire product lifecycle, the creation of a virtual, global value chain without time, distance or organizational boundaries, and enhancement of the ability to innovate and improve products. All of this leading toward better vehicles delivered in a more timely and cost-effective manner.