Technology Record - Issue 22: Autumn 2021

146 www. t e c h n o l o g y r e c o r d . c om I NT E R V I EW M anufacturing businesses must success- fully manage many flows of information to design, deliver and support a product that ensures customer satisfaction. Such information includes data that encom- passes a product’s design and specifications, the processes and execution details frommanufactur- ing to servicing, along with real-time data from that product’s performance in the field, through- out the product life cycle. It is generated in the value chain, often in data siloes, and comes from different tools that were designed to meet the spe- cific needs of just one specific team. The result can be a disconnected work environment. “By definition, this makes hand-offs between teams difficult, particularly when they become physically separated from each other, such as we have all seen in the recent past,” says Iain Michel, divisional vice president and general manager of connected products solutions at PTC. “And if data on product performance in the field isn’t part of the product information, suppliers have to wait for something bad to happen, such as an end user complaining.” Another example is rejection of raw materials by any member of the value chain. This could be because of an out-of-date specification in the hands of a supply chain partner, an improper incoming inspection procedure, or the wrong inventory item being released to the shop floor. And Michel says that the economic impact grows at each value-added stage where the mis- take isn’t caught. “The same can be said of servicing equipment in the field,” he explains. “Without a unified data set and system in place, a technician may not have the most current information on the equipment condition or performance. Coupled with the fact that, in many cases, the mistake has only been found by a customer, this can result in uncompetitive customer satisfaction scores and costly unplanned downtime for the end user’s equipment. “These are all issues that come from a poor flow of product information, which should be consid- ered as an enterprise-level issue.” But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. “Historically, because of how and where this data is generated, it has not been given the same priority as customer relationship management or Disparate systems and silos of data can affect a manufacturer’s ability to meet expectations. PTC and Microsoft are working together to address this A unified approach BY E L LY YAT E S - ROB E R T S “Manufacturing companies can now understand how the end customer is using their equipment”