Plano, TX October 3, 2002 Information technology outsourcing giant EDS this week launched a new product lifecycle management (PLM) solution specifically targeting the high-tech industry.
EDS said its Teamcenter High Tech Electronics software package was designed to answer the demand for speed and quality-enhancing product development solutions by manufacturers in the technology and electronics industry.
According to EDS, Teamcenter High Tech Electronics offers an integrated, Web-enabled environment in which technology companies can manage all product lifecycle data created by their product development teams.
The solution provider said that companies can use the software to streamline repeatable business processes. The application aims to increase operational efficiency and lower product development costs by providing built-in templates to support workflow-driven collaboration, review, release, distribution and change processes.
The new Teamcenter solution also allows various participants in a company's supply chain to access the multiple elements of a product definition at any time, permitting suppliers and partners to join global development teams on the basis of user entitlements that match their roles and responsibilities. The system permits companies to establish product definitions using design and development information created with existing in-house or supplier parts classification, supplier management and document authorizing systems.
"There is extreme pressure to develop new products rapidly and at lower cost, and the processes to do that must be streamlined to stay ahead of competition," said Tony Affuso, president of EDS's PLM solutions unit. "Extended product teams must work collaboratively and the overall environment has to foster innovation." The new EDS solution, Affuso added, addresses those challenges.
The high-tech-targeted solution joins other industry-specific PLM solutions in EDS' lineup, including applications for automotive suppliers and the aerospace and defense industries.
EDS is not a newcomer to the high tech PLM market. In fact, a recent report from industry analyst firm Daratech on the manufacturing data management market shows that EDS' PLM Solutions division is one of the top providers of product data management (PDM) solutions in the high-tech/electronics segment.
That said, PLM has not been a highlight for the company of late. In announcing preliminary third quarter results for its third quarter in September, with revenues for the quarter falling 2 percent to 5 percent below year-ago levels, EDS noted that PLM Solutions' revenues would fall $80 million short of targets, according to a report on Daratech's Web site.
