Concurrent Engineering Blog

Businesses are demanding more than ever before from engineering. And, as the Internet of Things (IoT) becomes more and more prevalent in our manufacturing processes, our approaches to managing product development needs to adapt too. Smart, connected products are more complex to design, build and service. So multiple teams are expected to collaborate on the design stage before the product is even created. Through integrated and connected systems, teams are expected to provide faster time to market.  How can this all be achieved? It requires a modern approach to product lifecycle management.

The advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) is really centred around one core trend: the changing nature of products. It’s the ability for product to be smart and connected, in a way and on a scale that hasn’t previously been possible.

Ever wanted a better understanding in how your product design team operate? Do they tend to delay the overall manufacturing process, and therefore the time to market? It’s probably because they are in a long line of manufacturing functions, which could be described as a domino effect. Many organisations play this game and operate in this way; the next process can only start until the task before is successfully completed. Sounds a little old-fashioned, doesn’t it?

It’s no surprise that product design firms and manufacturing companies are under constant pressure to develop more products in less time – and that’s without sacrificing innovation or quality. There are so many participants who are often involved in developing products that you can sometimes forget where the design intent came from or who is supposed to be working on what.

 The powerful data available to businesses, together with new capabilities of smart, connected products, is transforming how businesses function on a day to day basis. Product development is playing a key part in the manufacturing value chain. As it spreads, functional boundaries are shifting and restructuring, as new functions are being created.

More and more, manufacturers are opening their eyes to the possibilities and benefits of PTC Creo Simulate, to understand, identify and resolve design issues early in the design process. In an increasingly competitive market place, manufacturers need to be able to validate product performance, improve quality and reduce costs.

You know that, as a manufacturer, it’s a tireless process looking for ways to improve efficiency and get products to market faster than ever before. One way which you can do this is by bridging the gap between CAD applications and technical publications.

Only a small number of small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have set up a best-in-class product design environment (Aberdeen research). This means that most organisations simply aren’t prepared or well positioned to handle new challenges as they arise. But there is software out there that can help.

It’s a well known fact that last minute calls on your design process can extend schedules, sometimes well into the night, to get the job done.