The decision announced last week by Daimler to adopt Siemens PLM Software’s NX as their mechanical design solution and Teamcenter for data management across all car and truck programs signals a new era in the PLM industry.Previously, the costs and risks of moving vast quantities of legacy 3D data from one solution to another was a major barrier to firms considering new tools. The last few years have seen the broader adoption of common formats, including the designation of Siemens PLM Software’s JT as an ISO Publically Available Specification (PAS), a necessary step on the path to ISO standardization. But beyond formats, many other PLM solution providers have offered solutions that can effectively use such common data as the basis for additional design, analysis, and manufacturing applications. Companies like SpaceClaim were founded with this capability as a selling point. Synchronous Technology from Siemens PLM Software and Inventor Fusion from Autodesk continued this evolution. Most recently, PTC announced a major reimagining of their design portfolio with Creo, which has at its core the ability to quickly and easily import many different CAD formats that can be further modified within Creo. In just a few short years, we have gone from “CAD is a commodity” to an exciting new competitive environment, in part because of the ability for these solutions to be used more effectively in today’s heterogeneous geometric world.
With this decision, Daimler has just begun a long road to a new PLM environment as part of their “PLM 2015” strategy. Much hard work remains. Rebuilding their entire PLM strategy around a new solution set will be difficult. But the tools and techniques that have emerged over the last few years should smooth their geometric path.
