Manufacturing

Interview:

Profiling Siemens PLM Software Teamcenter 9

8 May 2012

Siemens PLM Software released Teamcenter 9, the latest version of the company’s product lifecycle management (PLM) solution, at Hannover Messe in April. Karen McCandless speaks to Eduard Marfà, director EMEA Marketing – Teamcenter, Siemens PLM Software to find out more

What are the key enhancements in the Teamcenter 9 solution?
We are delivering new functionality in four main areas with the release of Teamcenter 9. The first is a systems engineering solution that brings together strategy, related information and the requirements of a product. It also integrates with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and Visio, as well Matlab. The second area is content management, where users can now create the technical documentation related to a product at the same time is being designed. The third area is in maintenance repair and overhaul – what we call service lifecycle management – with new service scheduling and execution functionality to help track failures, corrective actions and maintenance history. And the last area is high definition (HD) user experience, with the launch of a new application called Active Workspace, which we think is a breakthrough in the way users can interact with and consume product lifecycle management (PLM) data in a 3D graphical user interface. This application – which uses Microsoft Silverlight – is completely different from anything we have ever done before and is truly a game changer.

We have worked hard on integrating information in a more intelligent way to enable users to consume PLM data better and easier

Eduard Marfà, Siemens PLM Software What benefits will these enhancements provide for the end user?
We have worked hard on integrating information in a more intelligent way to enable users to consume PLM data better and easier by providing access to the right data at the right time. Users can now access and relate information from different areas and disciplines and embed this into the product design process. With Teamcenter, we provide a platform that empowers our customers to make better decisions and manage increasing product complexity by having access to relevant information.

How does the Teamcenter 9 release support the HD-PLM vision?
Our HD-PLM vision is not just part of Teamcenter, it is part of our strategy for developing applications across our entire software suite. There are three different components involved in this strategy. The first is intelligently integrated information, which brings together data from different areas and provides the tools to enable users to search and relate this information and make it part of the development process. The second area is future proof architecture. The way we develop new versions of Teamcenter must be cost effective for our customers so we aim to deliver a platform that is at the peak of technology with a low total cost of ownership and is easy to integrate with new technology like HTML5. And finally, the openness of our architecture means other applications can be easily integrated and our customers can adapt our data models to their needs.

What differentiates Teamcenter in the market and makes it the PLM solution of choice for manufacturers?
We have a lot of experience working in different industries – not just aerospace, automotive and machinery, but also in CPG, energy and utilities. In these areas, we have dedicated design, product development and marketing teams that understand the industries and work to better adapt our solutions accordingly. Teamcenter is also an open platform that is easy to install and integrates with other applications such as ERP suites, CAD/CAE offerings and Microsoft Office.

How does Teamcenter 9 leverage Microsoft technology and what are the advantages of using this Microsoft technology?
Teamcenter 9 now integrates with Microsoft Visio in our systems engineering applications, as Viso is the platform many systems engineers use for logical systems design. It is easy to use and visual solution that is already used by many in the industry. When users are drawing these diagrams in Visio, all objects are created automatically in Teamcenter, with the designs then being simulated in Matlab. We have also updated our Microsoft Office integration to increase user productivity. In addition, with our extensive market experience, customers can have the peace of mind that Teamcenter is the de facto PLM solution in many industries.

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