There is cross-company collaboration - and then there is cross-company collaboration. A machine and plant manufacturer who works with many small partners has different requirements of a collaboration (which is taken to stand for engineering collaboration in the following) from those of an automobile manufacturer who wants to work together closely with one of their large system suppliers. Large-scale corporations and joint ventures need different mechanisms to protect intellectual property from those required for communication between different company locations with heterogeneous IT landscapes.

Collaboration during the offer or aftermarket phases requires different information to be provided than in the product engineering process. Companies thus need collaboration tools that can be configured flexibly, and they need a partner who understands their process requirements and who can support them in implementing and integrating an appropriate solution.

The complexity of data communication is often underestimated. And anyone who believes that the IT department will somehow sort it out misunderstands the strategic dimension of collaboration within a company.

So how does one make cross-company collaboration more efficient and effective? That is what we will explore in this white paper.

In this white paper you will learn:

• Why an adaptable PLM solution is the best method for managing cross-company collaboration
• How company’s have used PLM to streamline their design processes
• How to simplify data logistics

This white paper is sponsored by Prostep Inc. To download, please complete the form on this page.