How Electrification is Transforming PLM Strategies

A Complimentary CIMdata Educational Webinar with John MacKrell, Chairman, CIMdata

13 October 2022
11:00 EDT | 08:00 PDT | 17:00 CET

Do any of the following statements sound familiar?

Product complexity continues to increase across all aspects of mechanical, electrical, and electronic subsystems, embedded software, other physics, and cloud-based software systems.
Systems are much more difficult to manage than individual aspects of products.
PLM solutions have to handle many more types of processes and design data and the essential links among those domains and disciplines.
People in product development do not have, in general, a good understanding of systems of systems processes across domains—they tend to specialize in one aspect.
The lack of a well-designed system architecture platform makes products difficult to adapt to changing requirements and difficult to support.

Almost all products are becoming more complex as we strive for more automation, autonomous operation, and less environmental impact. This is exemplified by vehicle electrification, wherein cars are not only powered by electricity but also controlled in many ways by complex mechanical, electrical, electronic, other physics, embedded software, and cloud-based software systems. Optical, radar, and laser (LIDAR) components are accelerating affordable sensing into products that, in turn, enable computer-assisted and autonomous operation. All aspects of the resulting systems of systems need to be managed, including disparate data and processes; in the past, PDM solution strategies concentrated on managing, for the most part, only the mechanical structure during design, engineering, and manufacturing.

Managing the mechanical solution is too narrow a view as systems become increasingly complex and all of their aspects become more tightly intertwined to produce innovative products that address the needs of modern-day expectations. The resulting strategy requires the support of a digitalized ecosystem. That is a digital transformation with a focus on systems rather than individual aspects of a product design. Furthermore, systems operations with continuous feedback will lead to product upgrades after mass production.

The digital transformation of a business is a process requiring active planning, management, and ongoing support, no matter what technology and process changes are undertaken, to assure that all domains sustainably meet customer and management expectations and are supported and managed as a holistic whole.

This webinar will present the importance of understanding why and how PLM is becoming more systems focused to support the journey to products as systems of systems. CIMdata will present its view based on helping our clients through their digitalization journeys.

What will I learn?

You will gain a better understanding about why the complexities of today's product systems are forcing changes in strategies for using PLM.
You will discover how PDM has historically stored mechanical CAD and drawings (including wiring schematics) even when there wasn't much electrification on products.
You will see how PLM is expanding to support electrification and fast-growing product, production, distribution, and services complexity.
You will understand how systems engineering enables companies to address growing complexity without corresponding increases in staff.

Who should attend?

Regardless of your products' complexities, this webinar will be timely and informative. It will provide useful guidance on how to expand your strategy for PLM to support rapidly evolving systems of systems throughout product development. Attendees can come from every part of the organization since systems have cross-functional impacts on product design, manufacturing, service, and other downstream product processes and product operations. People from multiple levels will find the information pertinent and valuable: senior and middle managers, PLM team participants, PLM users (engineers, manufacturing planners, installation and services practitioners, and others), IT—anyone impacted by how an organization adopts new digital strategies to support product programs.

During the webinar you’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions about the topics discussed.