Siemens PLM Software’s Active Workspace provides users a customizable, graphically rich interface into PLM data and functionality. Users of Active Workspace benefit from being able to quickly find and execute their daily work responsibilities within one unified, consistent, user managed environment.

Conflict minerals rules in the Dodd-Frank Act require companies to assess, track and report the usage of tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold (3TG) in their global supply chains, yet another in a series of important compliance mandates. Providing conflict mineral traceability is required for many industries, and managing that data is challenging. Along with material compliance data, PLM can provide a necessary engine for early traceability for 3TG utilization in product designs. Conflict minerals regulations highlight the need for a versatile framework that can manage similar needs in the future. CIMdata believes that a flexible compliance management solution will be needed by many manufacturers in the future, and could potentially provide a competitive advantage in industries where conflict minerals continue to be an issue. Companies who respond to the conflict minerals challenge today will be much better positioned for future developments than those who wait.

CIMdata believes that Autodesk has made great progress in advancing their PLM 360 strategy, offering, and go-to-market since we were briefed at Autodesk University in December. Focusing on key business challenges like BOM management, change management, security, and supplier collaboration among others, helps Autodesk to help its customers achieve a rapid time to value.They are making the needed changes in their go-to-market strategy, learning from SaaS market leaders like Salesforce.com, and their partner NetSuite. These changes, and their customer successes, are helping to breed more success, bringing many new customers into the Autodesk user community.

The AVEVA World Summit, which took place in Berlin, drew a global audience of senior leaders and decision makers from the AEC and shipbuilding industries. Great progress has been made on the AVEVA Everything 3D^™ (E3D) offering, and now claims over 170 customers.    AVEVA also demonstrated exciting new cloud and mobile technology to help their customers build and leverage their “Digital Asset,” a central concept in AVEVA’s vision, messaging, and offerings.

CIMdata recently attended Inforum 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana—a global event with attendees interested in all of Infor's business lines. Infor stated that over 7,000 people attended the event. Overall, CIMdata was pleased with the continued evolution of Infor’s product suites and the introduction of both a new PLM solution for discrete manufacturers and their CloudSuite portfolio. Infor’s Hook & Loop internal creative group is continuing to design a user interface paradigm for all its products that should be much more intuitive, effective, and easy to use.

Increased product complexity and better enabling-technology creates an intersection where businesses have new opportunities to transform operating models and develop new revenue streams. Accenture’s Digital PLM Network enables customers to improve business performance by leveraging state-of-the-art technology across the enterprise and applying new and more interconnected processes. The Digital PLM Network leverages Social, Mobile, Analytics, and Cloud (SMAC) technologies to deliver a robust platform to enable better business outcomes and product decisions.

Wipro held their 2014 Analyst and Advisor Day in Boston, MA, an event bringing together over 200 Wipro staff and key influencers from across a range of industries. TK Kurien, Wipro’s CEO, updated the crowd on the big changes afoot in IT that lead to changes in his business. Leading customers are facing those same trends; using Wipro for some IT services allows them to focus on delivering applications that provide differentiating value.

CIMdata’s PLM Enterprise Value & Integration Knowledge Council has done research on the topic of PLM investment sustainability and developed a model that can be used to assess the sustainability of PLM solution implementations within industrial companies. The PLM investment sustainability model provides a quantitative tool that can be used by industrial companies as well as solution providers to assess the sustainability of a PLM solution. Based on the results, industrial companies can choose improvement projects that will maximize their PLM solution performance and its sustainability into the future. Members of the PEVI knowledge council provided input to develop the model as well as validation support to ensure its accuracy. Council members have the right to use the model for internal assessments and solution provider PEVI knowledge council members can use it to assess their clients and prospects.

The global industrial equipment (IE) market is crucial for economic development and growth. In many IE products, software and embedded electronics are providing differentiating features, and providing the most user value. Many IE products are delivered as a service, imposing new requirements on product development and lifecycle management. Product data used downstream to support manufacturing and services requires broad, deep, and varied content and delivery. Some claim that these trends are driving a fourth industrial revolution.

On September 16 and 17, 2014, Autodesk held their first ever Autodesk PLM 360 user event, Accelerate 2014, in Boston, MA.The event went off without a hitch, and the excitement among the attendees and the Autodesk team was infectious. Autodesk is transforming their company and their offerings to respond to overarching trends in products, and means of production and consumption. The company is thinking differently about enabling product development, and is addressing longstanding technical and usability issues in PLM in innovative ways.