Today's Automation News Headlines from Automation.com

April 5, 2010 - Siemens PLM Software announced its new Teamcenter Mobility mobile device application (app) for instantly accessing — from WiFi or mobile broadband-available locations — product knowledge managed by its Teamcenter software. Through the use of this app, which is being initially deployed on the Apple iPad portable digital device, companies can interact with product data and workflows at the right time, in the right place and in the right context to further enhance the speed and accuracy of decisions made throughout a product’s lifecycle.

Accurate data anyplace, anytime means smarter decisions, better products
As companies throughout the world continually increase their reliance on Teamcenter as the digital backbone of their product lifecycle process, the need to instantly and securely deliver Teamcenter managed data to more – and sometimes unconventional – locations has also increased. Teamcenter is the most widely used PLM system in the automotive and aerospace industries, and is used extensively in other industries such as consumer products, shipbuilding and high tech electronics. Companies in all these industries need to rely not only on the valuable input of typical office-based personnel, but also on critical feedback from individuals who may be working in less conventional locations.

This mobile workforce can include executives who spend a significant amount of time in airports, on airplanes or attending meetings at remote locations. It could also include field personnel working inside a partially assembled airplane fuselage or walking the shop floor of an automotive assembly line. Teamcenter Mobility enables these individuals to quickly search, view and interact with product and process workflow information on the spot using a convenient mobile device. This enables decision makers to make critical decisions without delay using the most up-to-date information, while allowing contributors to provide their unique perspective in real-time. As a result, companies can react quickly and intelligently to the rapidly changing environments associated with all product lifecycle disciplines such as design, simulation, manufacturing and maintenance.

Availability and Support
Teamcenter Mobility is available immediately and currently enables the user to search, display and interact with detailed product information, including 3D product models, providing a powerful tool with a visually compelling presentation that enhances understanding and supports decision making. The initial implementation is being deployed via iPad with additional platform and functionality support to be announced at a later date.
 

“Due to their accelerated worldwide adoption and their role as a company’s single source of all product and process knowledge, PLM systems have become a competitive necessity for the global manufacturing community,” said Joe Barkai, Practice Director, Product Lifecycle Strategies, IDC Manufacturing Insights. “However, in order to effectively leverage this vast pool of information for fast and intelligent decision making, it needs to be made instantly available to all stakeholders in the product lifecycle process at the point of activity that decisions are made. Teamcenter Mobility helps make valuable product knowledge much more accessible to a significantly broader audience of users throughout the extended enterprise.”

“Teamcenter Mobility is an exciting and significant evolutionary step in delivering the HD-PLM vision we announced last summer,” said Chuck Grindstaff, president, Siemens PLM Software. “By making up-to-the-minute Teamcenter data available at the necessary point of activity, our customers can act immediately on accurate information and further reduce their design and production cycle times. This is entirely consistent with the vision of HD-PLM to help our customers make smarter decisions that result in better products, thus enabling them to establish the competitive advantage of being the first to deliver innovative solutions the market will embrace.”

About Siemens PLM Software
Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division, is a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services with 6.7 million licensed seats and more than 69,500 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Siemens PLM Software works collaboratively with companies to deliver open solutions that help them turn more ideas into successful products.