UGS, HP and Intel drive PLM to mid-market manufacturers in Asia

UGS Corp., a global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services, announced the launch of the Velocity Series Consortium, an Asia Pacific initiative aimed at stimulating the use of PLM technology among small to mid-size manufacturing companies. UGS, along with consortium partners HP and Intel will help these companies drive innovation using PLM software running on efficient, optimized hardware and networking platforms.

Mid market companies have traditionally been slower than large manufacturers in implementing PLM, according to AMR Research. Limited technology budgets, smaller IT teams, a focus on production rather than innovation, and – of equal importance – highly fragmented legacy IT environments are common barriers. Responding to these issues, Velocity Series Consortium is launching a number of initiatives aimed at making PLM technology easier for these mid-market companies to acquire, deploy and support.

To demonstrate PLM feasibility, implementation and return on investment, the Velocity Series Consortium has invested in a PLM Center of Excellence located at the facilities of leading Chinese auto manufacturer Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corp (SAIC). In addition to the UGS Velocity Series portfolio, the center will include UGS’ Teamcenter, NX, and Tecnomatix solutions running on Intel Xeon DP processor-powered HP xw8200 workstations and DL380 server.

Industry sources suggest that demand for PLM among mid-market companies is increasing rapidly. AMR Research predicts that PLM sales to mid-market companies will increase from $2.1 billion in 2005 to $4.0 billion in 2009.

www.ugs.com