The Code of PLM Openness – what it is and why it matters now more than ever!
A Complimentary Webinar sponsored by the Aerospace & Defense PLM Action Group
Featuring Kenny Swope, Senior Manager of PLM Technical Excellence, The Boeing Company
21 October 2025
11:00 EDT | 08:00 PDT | 17:00 CET
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) has become indispensable in the digital age, enabling organizations to coordinate every stage of a product’s journey from conception to end-of-life. In today’s fast-evolving supply chains, open systems architecture and adherence to the Code of PLM Openness (CPO) are critical.
Originally developed in 2012 by the prostep ivip Association, the CPO was a response to the industry embracing the service-oriented approach to technology and computing for access to engineering data. Since then, the concept has evolved into a holistic approach to open systems architecture, accompanied by a corresponding standard that includes a self-assessment and organizational certification. In May 2025, CIMdata, acting on behalf of the A&D PLM Action Group, and the prostep ivip Association established a Memorandum of Understanding in which their member companies will cooperate to support the further development and adoption of the CPO.
This webinar will reflect on the core concepts of PLM and explore the transformative value of open systems in supply chain contexts with a foundation anchored in the use of the Code of PLM Openness.
Do these statements sound familiar?
- PLM systems over the past decade have matured to platform solutions that are creating their own silos in a supply chain context.
- Despite the maturity of PLM capabilities, collaboration at the data level continues to generate massive technical debt and costly rework when collaborating with the supply chain partners.
- Technological change continues its relentless pace of improvement, leaving many legacy PLM implementations with significant barriers to technology upgrade or replacement.
- The regulatory environment and customer expectations for access to product data that support new use cases for Digital Engineering and Digital Twin demand seamless access to data not previously required.
What will I learn?
- Understand the core concepts of PLM and Open Systems
- Learn about the different product representations that are used in a supply chain context
- Learn the basic constructs of the Code of PLM Openness
- Gain insight into using the CPO Self-Assessment as a tool
- Find out how you can actively participate in and contribute to the evolution of the Code of PLM Openness
Who should attend?
This webinar is designed for anyone interested in product program integration, systems engineering, PLM program planning, and PLM Systems Architecture. More generally, it will be of interest to those involved in product, production, or service digitalization and digital transformation. Specific roles that would benefit include product program managers, product program planners, and supply chain managers. It is also highly relevant for systems engineers, PLM program and project managers, PLM solution architects, and PLM business analysts. Finally, supply chain architects and strategists, as well as solution architects focused on the digital thread, digitalization, and digital transformation, will find this information particularly valuable.
During the webinar, you’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions.