Making Sense of Unstructured Data

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Making Sense of Unstructured Data

Over the past several years, vdR has sought to represent the Aras Innovator solution to companies in the engineering, construction and manufacturing space.  Along the way, it is becoming clear that relevant data has settled into three categories … unstructured, legacy applications and database-oriented applications such as home-grown Access apps, PDM and even PLM.  Of course, Aras Innovator offers a breath of fresh air to the weary workers trying to corral the data and establish repeatable processes.

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vdR Group Speaking at Aras Community Event (ACE)

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vdR Group Speaking at Aras Community Event (ACE)

vdR will demonstrate how Aras’ new “options and variants” capabilities can be used to accelerate pre-award bill-of-material development, establish place-holder parts and/or assemblies, activate workflow routings based on customer and product types, and produce quotes leveraging Aras’ technical documentation module.

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Aras, vdR’s PLM Technology Partner, Joins the PLM Elite

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Aras, vdR’s PLM Technology Partner, Joins the PLM Elite

In the PLM business, CIMdata’s “PLM Mind Share Leaders” list is a trusted resource for understanding which companies are making the largest impact on the PLM industry. Companies that get on this coveted list join the likes of Dassault Systèmes, Siemens PLM, Autodesk, SAP, PTC, IBM and Oracle.  The last few years have seen little change in the lineup and many industry commentators have suspected the “music had stopped” and the chairs were full.

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Aras Innovator as an Application Development Platform

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Aras Innovator as an Application Development Platform

Let’s cut to the chase.  Why have the likes of Airbus, GM, Microsoft and others leveraged Aras Innovator to displace traditional PLM solutions?  Simply stated, they have discovered that Aras Innovator is more than just PLM.  It’s an application development platform that also does PLM.  They have embraced a fundamental shift that is being heralded and delivered-on by Aras. 

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The vdR Group Sponsors and Exhibits at ACE 2017

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The vdR Group Sponsors and Exhibits at ACE 2017

If you are starting a new PLM initiative or replacing an old one, thinking about moving from PDM to PLM, or growing your existing Aras PLM implementation ACE 2017 is the place for you.  Who attends ACE events?  Whether you’re a business executive at a large enterprise, a manager at a mid-sized company, or the IT pro at a start-up, you’ll get valuable information and the insight necessary to achieve success with Aras

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      Can PLM Measurably Increase Revenues?

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      Can PLM Measurably Increase Revenues?

      As a business owner for 30 years, I’ve developed a few guiding principles about making business decisions.  One of these principles is based on understanding the impact of a decision on the P&L, and visa-versa, identifying what proactive steps I can take to affect changes to the P&L.  A recently published white paper by Accenture parallels this idea (see next article below).  It speaks to the benefits of PLM by highlighting its effect on time to market, reuse, scrap, quality, etc.  It is informative, yet it prompted me to be more definitive.  Can we map the contributions of PLM to the P&L … and what would that look like?  So, I decided to take a stab at this.

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      The Business of Engineering and CPQ

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      The Business of Engineering and CPQ

      The spirit of the Business of Engineering is to focus on broader strategic issues.  The steadily increasing complexity of product development fuels the need for coping with products developed across multiple disciplines while driving profitable outcomes.  So when we received the question, “why not run CPQ as a standalone application?” it seemed like an ideal time to integrate CPQ considerations into the Business of Engineering theme.

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      What is CPQ and Why Should it Matter?

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      What is CPQ and Why Should it Matter?

      CPQ helps companies configure product offerings, price them and produce quotes and proposals.  It is functionality used by sales people and can be extended to customers via a self-serve portal.  Ultimately, it is about minimizing the quoting effort and accurately conveying the specific requirements for downstream processes.  As can be seen in the acronym itself, CPQ involves multiple disciplines.  The elements of a quote include …

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        You Can’t Scale the Business without PLM

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        You Can’t Scale the Business without PLM

        Structuring Data for Reuse and Establishing Repeatable Processes - Look at the diagram below, a generic data structure that highlights that part and product data are comprised of numerous components.  What’s not shown are the ongoing changes that occur.  Parts change along with associated documentation, specifications, calculations, and so on.  Hence, there are revisions and rolled up versions.  In reality, this should be a three-dimensional image that reflects changes over time.

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        Wrangling Engineering Change Orders

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        Wrangling Engineering Change Orders

        Earlier this month, Desktop Engineering published an article by Brian Albright that provides a refreshing perspective on a familiar topic – engineering change.  Albright suggests that many of the strategies and techniques used to manage engineering change (EC) are quickly becoming obsolete due to increasing product complexity and market demands.  While this concept is not new, the article looks at the root causes of this issue and explores actionable solutions.  The urgency of the problem is highlighted by thoughts and comments from industry experts and day-to-day EC practitioners.  These perspectives represent a range of organizations, including Arena, M-Files, Omnify, Oracle, Synergis and others.  It quickly becomes clear that a new approach to information management – whether it be PDM, ECM, or PLM – is key to modernizing EC.  However, Albright is careful to avoid picking sides.  Despite this impartial analysis, PLM seems to break away from the pack.

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        Field Report: Aras Community Event (ACE) 2016

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        Field Report: Aras Community Event (ACE) 2016

        Aras just concluded their annual Aras Community Event (ACE) in Detroit, Michigan.  The two and a half-day event in Motor City was packed with a combination of compelling customer stories, thought leadership, updates/roadmap for the Aras Innovator PLM solution, and practical and relevant implementation insights.  The uptick over last year’s attendance coupled with the addition of 32 new partners from around the globe, reinforces Aras as a disruptive player in the traditional PLM landscape.

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