CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

28 April 2005

Company News

Bentley Launches Survey and Information Program for PDS User Organizations

Bentley Systems, Incorporated announced a survey and information program to help users of Intergraph's Plant Design System (PDS) decide whether to take a revolutionary or evolutionary path to a digitally integrated plant environment.

The survey's initial results show that 87 percent of the respondents said the transition from PDS is important to them; yet only 28 percent said they had enough information to make decisions about this strategic transition.

In response to this request for more information, Bentley has developed a program to help users identify their transition options, determine the key factors, and evaluate the benefits versus risks of their choices. The program, as detailed at http://www.bentley.com/pdsusers , includes:

•  A public replay of Greg Bentley's recommendations on the topic.

•  An ROI study and calculator to help users develop their business case for moving forward toward a digitally integrated plant environment.

•  A series of sessions dedicated to the needs of PDS users at the upcoming BE Conference 2005 ( http://www.be.org ) in Baltimore. These sessions will focus on the interoperability of PDS data, on getting the most out of existing PDS systems, and on the road-map options available to PDS users to transition their systems.

•  A series of executive seminars and DigitalPlant integration labs for PDS users and their managers to follow up on these proceedings and work on their next steps.

The Core Decision

As PDS users think through their transition decision and move towards the creation of a digitally integrated plant environment, they have two basic choices: one revolutionary, one evolutionary. The revolutionary choice is to completely replace their existing design systems with newly introduced technology that comes at the cost of redesigning workflows and retooling interfaces to other systems. The evolutionary choice is to maintain continuity with all existing systems and workflows, by building upon and innovating within investments already in place.

Many of the respondents to Bentley's survey to date have expressed a bias towards an evolutionary transition. Ninety percent said it is important that a new system not disrupt their work processes or make their existing project standards obsolete. And about 80 percent said they would be more competitive if they implemented any one of eight listed capabilities available today from Bentley into their PDS environments.

Based on Bentley's MicroStation, Plant Design System is an intelligent computer-aided design/engineering (CAD/CAE) application for plant design.

Bentley would like to hear the views of all PDS users to understand what information is needed and the key issues involved. To participate in the information program, take the PDS user survey, and qualify for a $100 discount on tuition at BE Conference 2005, visit http://www.bentley.com/DigitalPlant/pdssurvey .

The BE Conference is a once-a-year learning opportunity for Bentley users and their managers offering professional training, technology updates, keynotes, and best practice sharing. At these sessions, attendees better themselves, better their organizations, and better the ways they can improve the world's infrastructure.

This year's conference program offers over 350 information-rich sessions, over 100 best practice sessions, conference tracks tailored for the industries of attendees, the BE Awards of Excellence gala evening, expanded networking opportunities, and much more.

The sessions for PDS users include using XMpLant to achieve interoperability of PDS data with third-party systems, users and Bentley experts presenting ways of getting the most out of existing PDS systems, and many world-class project examples involving PDS and other systems.

Management guru and civil engineer Tom Peters kicks off the BE Conference 2005 agenda with a look at how AEC can benefit from creating what he calls "WOW! Projects." According to Peters, WOW! Projects move at record speed and create a buzz in organizations.

To register for BE Conference 2005, being held May 8-12 in Baltimore, Md., go to http://www.be.org .

 

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