Your PLM Supplier Should Really Be Your Business Partner

By Bill Boswell, Siemens PLM Software

Anyone purchasing business solutions realizes the cost of the investment goes well beyond software licenses. Total cost of ownership also includes installation, maintenance, upgrades, and training. In product lifecycle management (PLM) software, another key consideration is customizing the application to your company’s business environment. This is an issue when the software is first implemented, and it can come into play for each update.

  I believe your PLM vendor has a responsibility to keep these issues in mind, and that ultimately, it is the vendor’s job to help lower the total cost of PLM ownership. My company has focused on adding functionality designed to lower our customers’ overall ownership costs with every release of UGS Teamcenter since 2003. As a result,  we have a pretty good idea of what total cost of ownership means; we know it doesn’t end when the software is delivered.

When evaluating PLM systems,  companies should consider suppliers who have worked with customers to tailor solutions to their business processes and goals. Typically, that has been where a large share of the ownership cost accrues. PLM software must be seamlessly integrated into the way a company does business to have the greatest payoff.

  Consider whether your PLM supplier offers versions of its software that are pre-tailored to the specific needs of an industry. For example, are there industry-specific versions for automotive and aerospace organizations developed in concert with leading companies from these industries? Users of these programs experience faster implementations because industry-specific aspects such as parts lists and industry-standard forms are preconfigured.

  Another concept that addresses the customization issue more aggressively is called the Business Modeler Integrated Development Environment (BMIDE). With the BMIDE we have drastically reduced the need for companies to code customizations through the ability to model business processes and data models — in essence, what a company wants its PLM implementation to look like — using rules and process diagrams. The BMIDE then generates the code behind the scenes, so the installation is simply configured rather than customized. This is a critical distinction that will save companies time and money across the life of their PLM implementation.

  On a larger scale, companies need to ensure the architectural foundation of the system they select is based on state-of-the-art technology. Modern PLM solutions should be built on a more nimble architecture known as a service-oriented architecture (SOA). According to the market research company, CIMdata, SOA- based PLM “reduces the cost and complexity of deploying and maintaining a distributed PLM environment.”

  As a purchaser of software, you might already know that vendors are adopting SOA because it is cost-effective and significantly reduces the time necessary to integrate new capabilities into the product. However, SOA also lowers customer total cost of ownership. Again,  as CIM-data states, “Over the long term, the use of the SOA can significantly reduce a customer’s exposure to costly upgrades and deployment expenses and will preserve their tailored implementations.”

  One of the most important benefits of SOA is easier integration of the PLM system with other applications. For example, our customers typically link UGS Teamcenter with one or more design systems, analysis programs, digital manufacturing applications,  an ERP system, and other business applications. The SOA facilitates these kinds of connections and, as a result, the PLM system offers your business greater flexibility, making it easier to respond to changing market conditions.

  Another important cost consideration stems from the effort your vendor makes to understand your businesses. For example, many companies have PLM deployments that span the globe,  with employees working somewhere every hour of the day. There is no good time to shut down all their servers to install an update. Look for a solution that can update the environment without taking the system down. This helps customers avoid costly downtime and maintain productivity.

  Finally, don’t overlook usability and training costs. Many of our customers implement PLM across a variety of languages and cultures and they all need an easy to learn and use interface that is common yet familiar across the globe. By replacing the previous user interface with a Microsoft Outlook look and feel, we’re making PLM more intuitive. We’re also working with our partner Microsoft to allow Microsoft Office to serve as a front end to additional functionality, further reducing training costs.

  There are several ways to lower the total cost of PLM ownership but it is important to ensure your supplier is on your side. The software purchase price is only part of the picture. A PLM supplier should be a business partner committed to your success.

  Bill Boswell is the senior director of Teamcenter Product Marketing at Siemens PLM Software, a division of Siemens Automation and Drives. You can send your thoughts on this commentary to DE-Editorsmailto:[email protected].