Makeover PLM and Project Management

Dear Desktop Engineering Reader:

You can get so busy doing what it is you do that one day you look up, years have passed and your processes need fixing. Today’s Check it Out link takes you to a quick, interesting article about a company that recognized its processes decreased productivity. Unsure where to start such a major repair job, experts were called in. Good thing. What the company thought was the big problem was symptomatic of something bigger.

The “Behlen Building Systems Revamps its Approach to Project and Product Lifecycle Management with Autodesk PLM 360” case study from IMAGINiT Technologies, a provider of engineering enterprise solutions and the largest North American Autodesk Authorized Training Center partner, is long on title but runs just two pages. It packs many details in that space.

The penny tour is that Behlen, which delivers pre-engineered metal buildings, saw its project and product lifecycle management (PLM) data stored everywhere – in a document management system, on a networked drive and on paper in project folders. People e-mailed collaborators files or links to critical documents on the network drive. Revision control was suspect and finding things difficult.

Behlen had other concerns like specialized software running on older hardware and integrating with ERP (enterprise resource planning). But you get the idea. Its file management was counterproductive and needed an overhaul.

So, Behlen called in IMAGINiT for a business process analysis. Here’s where the paper gets really interesting. First, IMAGINiT lived with Behlen for a few days reviewing processes, identifying system connections and talking with people to learn about Behlen’s needs.

IMAGINiT then came back with some plans. One recommended implementing Autodesk PLM 360. An intriguing angle here is that the file management problems were indicators of larger problems with process control and process management that PLM 360 could address while also controlling and managing files.

Steel building solutions supplier Behlen Building Systems faced several challenges with its project and product lifecycle management processes. Behlen teamed up with IMAGINiT Technologies and Autodesk to implement the Autodesk PLM 360 product lifecycle management system and quickly solved its problems. Image courtesy of Behlen Building Systems and IMAGINiT Technologies.

The paper provides many details of the challenges Behlen faced, and it shows well how teams from Behlen, IMAGINiT and Autodesk collaborated to quickly implement Autodesk PLM 360. The section on the positive changes brought to Behlen’s processes provides a stark before and after contrast.

“Behlen Building Systems Revamps its Approach to Project and Product Lifecycle Management with Autodesk PLM 360” should get you thinking about your processes. It will show you what determined leadership combined with expert advice and service can mean for you. Hit today’s Check it Out link and download your complimentary copy.

Thanks, Pal. – Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood

Editor at Large, Desktop Engineering

Download “Behlen Building Systems Revamps its Approach to Project and Product Lifecycle Management with Autodesk PLM 360” here.