Digitalization and the Digital Thread

Ready for a rousing debate on Product Data Management (PDM)? It may not be the most compelling topic, but reading up on it has its uses. In a pinch, it’s a surefire way to get to sleep on time. It’s a fine alternative to watching paint dry. And make no mistake, if you’re ever trying …

PDM is a Personal Productivity Tool Read More »

CATIA is a longstanding CAD application with traditional as well as progressive capabilities.

Delving into CATIA, you’ll find all of the capabilities one would expect from a traditional CAD application. You’ll find parametric feature-based modeling along with extensive drawing documentation functionality. You’ll also uncover NC machining, CMM and tool design tools. Routed system functionality is there with wiring, harness and piping. As opposed to Solidworks, most of the niche CAD areas has been filled with CATIA modules instead of 3rd party partners.

A little more than a year ago, I wrote post titled The PDM Revolution is Upon Us, Brought to You by CAD in the Cloud, which postulated what would happen as some PLM providers moved their CAD offerings to the cloud. Fast forward to today, and things haven’t quite played out as I suggested.

Technology can be a powerful thing. But is it always a good fit for every organization? The proposed advantages and benefits may sound appealing, but sometimes new tech can actually introduce more bureaucracy and disruption than it solves. In today’s post, I’ll look at what aspects of PLM and PDM systems make sense for smaller …

PDM Capabilities: The Right Fit for Small Organizations Read More »

In this post, I detail the capabilities provided by BigLever and offer commentary and analysis on the value it provides.

This post provides an overview of the capabilities that this new product, Arena Exchange, provides as well as my commentary and analysis on what it means for engineering organizations.

This post reviews the value proposition of Concurrent Product Development, originally powered by CAD, as well as revisits why it is no longer a central topic in the industry.

This post provides details on ENOVIA data management capabilities as well as my perspective on how it can impact an engineering organization’s ability to collaborate.

Dassault Systemes’ plans for their 3DEXPERIENCE platform has implications for SIMULIA products. This post takes a hard look at what it all means.