You have probably heard about Teamcenter, and you know it is used extensively at the major OEMs. You will probably know as a system that stores and manages CAD data. But is that all it can do? Certainly not, Teamcenter is capable of much more. In fact, it can be used as an enterprise collaboration platform and its capabilities can be leveraged to make an organization more effective and efficient

So, you may ask, how is this possible? Let’s look at Teamcenter as a complete platform, captured in the graphic below:

The first three apps are probably what most people are familiar with – CAD designs, associated documents and BOM’s. But note that there are many other capabilities in Teamcenter; process, manufacturing, supplier to name a few.

Before explaining how Teamcenter can be used to leverage enterprise collaboration, lets take a step back and explain the concept of a platform.

In the technology and software world, a platform is defined as a single underlying application that forms a backbone for the overall application. This platform can then be used to install user apps which provide different capabilities. The main characteristics of a platform are as follows:

In the technology and software world, a platform is defined as a single underlying application that forms a backbone for the overall application. This platform can then be used to install user apps which provide different capabilities. The main characteristics of a platform are as follows:

• Multiple capabilities are included in a single technology suite. In the case of Teamcenter, examples may include CAD data management, project management, BOM, Workflows, Supplier Collaboration, Manufacturing etc.
• Ideally, the various apps in the platform would communicate seamlessly with each other
• A platform has an underlying database which is keeping track of all the various objects
• Users are presented with a single interface, regardless of their function and activities
• The platform represents a single source of truth

Teamcenter is such a platform. In addition, a modern intuitive interface, Active Workspace Client (AWC) is part of Teamcenter. This allows users to quickly and easily interact with the platform using any device from anywhere (subject to security considerations)

Here are some examples of how Teamcenter can be leveraged as a collaborative enterprise business platform over and above its traditional domain of CAD data management.

Workflows and Approvals

There are usually multiple workflows in an enterprise that require steps such as initiation, review and approval. Teamcenter has a powerful workflow engine that can be easily configured to handle any process. Beyond the normal CAD data approval, this capability could be used for legal document approval workflows, purchasing approvals etc.

Supplier Collaboration

Many companies will report that getting data to and from suppliers (who are crucial to their business) is a very manual and error prone process. In the spirit of the extended enterprise, Teamcenter can be used to seamlessly communicate with suppliers in a bidirectional manner. The advantages are huge.

Document Management

Because Teamcenter has extensive document management capabilities, it can be used to replace any other document storage and archive solution. The advantage of this approach is that it can be tied into other non-document data, searched easily and attached to workflows. The days of having multiple disconnected databases are over.

Access to Manufacturing Tools

Often the design function of an organization is divorced from the manufacturing engineers. These individuals are vital as they design the processes that will allow a product to be manufactured, assembled and shipped. Teamcenter will facilitate seamless collaboration between these groups.

Collaboration among distributed groups

Business is now a global undertaking, and this requires global collaboration. Teamcenter has architecture that makes this very possible. The single source of truth can be replicated across the world in such a way that it is transparent to the users. Everybody is looking at the same data – no more emailing files around.

3D Visualization

Organizations that design and manufacture parts need to create a 3D model of the part before manufacture. This is normally done in a CAD application. However, engineers and designers are not the only participants that need to look at 3D representations. A 3D model is a powerful form of communication (a picture is worth a thousand words). Teamcenter contains comprehensive tools to display 3D to all participants on the platform.

These are just a few examples of how Teamcenter can be leveraged as an extended enterprise collaboration platform. The possibilities are endless!