COE 2008 Annual Conference Program Hot Topics

The COE 2008 Annual PLM Conference & TechniFair program is carefully developed by ensuring that all content presented at the conference maps back to the most pressing PLM business issues of the day. These issues, as identified by the Conference Committee Chairmen and the COE Board of Directors, are as follows:   

• Collaboration
• Implementing PLM, Success and Lessons Learned
• PLM Legacy Data
• Working in Heterogeneous PLM Environment

Hot Topics

Collaboration
This topic explores the approaches, benefits, tradeoffs and results to be obtained through structured and effective collaboration.  It includes the challenges created by global locations, time zones, and cultures; as well as, technology and cost sharing issues.  It addresses all collaboration within a PLM environment, such as Product Development, Production within the Supply Chain, and Post-delivery issues.

Implementing PLM, Success and Lessons Learned
This topic in general covers approaches for implementation, supporting tasks, and early results gained within the context of this typical industry challenge.  Specifically, it can address issues involving PDM implementation, managing change, and best practices in a PLM environment. 

PLM Legacy Data
Many products have a life that is measured in decades.  Customers require support for products even though the technology that developed them in the market is long gone.  This topic addresses the issues of data migration, compatibility, and accessibility as these technologies change.  The requirement to efficiently access legacy data is not limited support, since decisions can also be driven by PLM’s goal to reduce design to market Cycles through the reuse of design data. 

Working in a Heterogeneous PLM Environment
This is a reality in many projects and companies today.  The product development environments depend on multiple vendors for PLM Solutions.  This topic explores the issues and solutions for working with multiple operating platforms, multiple PDM solutions, and multiple CAD solutions.  It also addresses specific issues such as SOA (Service Oriented Architecture), Open Architecture, (evolving) Standards for Data (e.g., 3DXML), and network issues working with geographically distributed users (with remote facilities, business partners, and suppliers).