New & Noteworthy: A Single Source of Truth to Accelerate Smart Manufacturing

Rapid digital transformation is a critical part of competitive success when it comes to new product design and advanced manufacturing. However, many companies struggle with siloed data and disconnected processes that create bottlenecks in the design-to-manufacture workflow.

CONTACT Software’s CONTACT Elements platform for product lifecycle management (PLM), manufacturing execution systems (MES), and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) offers a consolidated source of visibility for manufacturing companies, allowing them to design, manufacture and operate smart products more efficiently. Ohio-based consultancy Razorleaf has partnered with CONTACT Software to provide CONTACT Elements implementation services for manufacturers in North America.

While relatively new to the U.S. market, CONTACT Software has been providing secure, composable and sustainability-driven PLM solutions in the European market for 35 years. The “best kept secret in PLM,” CONTACT Elements enables companies to merge data silos into a single source of truth and seamlessly exchange information with third-party apps. The software can be hosted in the cloud, embeds sustainability data directly in product development, and includes platform-wide artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.

Unlike traditional bolt-on PLM solutions with fragmented features, CONTACT Elements offers a full PLM platform built from the ground up to be easily integrated with a wide range of other enterprise solutions. The MES functionality was designed with integration in mind, allowing users to quickly take advantage of CONTACT Elements’ advanced features. Because it is built on a composable architecture, CONTACT Elements can be gradually expanded and reconfigured as a company’s needs grow, according to CONTACT Software.

As a cloud-based solution, CONTACT Elements also provides a much more attractive cost/benefit proposition. With a hosted deployment, implementation costs amount to just 20% of the investment, with the remaining 80% focused on modernizing processes and increasing efficiency. That is the inverse of a traditional PLM deployment, with the bulk of investment eaten up in costly implementation activities.

“North America is one of the most dynamic and innovation-driven regions in the world,” said Dimitri Baumtrok, Head of International Sales at CONTACT. “Together with Razorleaf, we bring our ‘top floor to shop floor’ vision to manufacturing companies across the region—making it easier for them to start small, scale fast, and realize the full value of PLM, MES, and IIoT.”

Razorleaf will provide implementation services for the CONTACT Elements PLM software platform. Image courtesy of CONTACT Software.

As part of the partnership, Razorleaf’s experts will support customers throughout their implementation process, from consulting and needs analysis to deployment, system configuration, data migration, training, and long-term support. Razorleaf’s OnPoint implementation methodology uses a six-step framework to seamlessly integrate CONTACT’s solutions into the client’s existing technology environment to accelerate deployment and improve results.

According to Razorleaf, the CONTACT Elements collaboration will help manufacturers:

• Automate critical processes like Engineering Change and New Product Introduction

• Consolidate data silos into a single source of truth with seamless interoperability

• Scale flexibly with modular, cloud-ready architecture and embedded AI capabilities

• Improve manufacturing efficiency through MES and reduce downtime with IoT-driven insights

“The combination of CONTACT Software’s modern composable PLM platform and Razorleaf’s deep domain knowledge and integrations expertise makes this an ideal partnership to launch CONTACT Software’s offerings to North American manufacturers,” said Peter Bilello, President and CEO of CIMdata, a PLM market research firm and consultancy.

You can learn more about CONTACT Elements and the Razorleaf partnership in this recent Razorleaf LinkedIn Podcast, read the From Top Floor to Shop Floor white paper, and find out more about the CONTACT Elements platform here.