Unleash Your CAD Data (Sinequa Blog Post Shoutout)

Designing and engineering a new part is costly. Doing so impacts downstream activities such as purchasing, sourcing, and inventory management. Errors and redundant work are often due to the inability to access the latest version of a CAD model.

These CAD models are self-contained databases that need to be easily accessible. There are hundreds of attribute tags and values (metadata) such as model name, author, and title. Yet finding CAD models based on this data can be impossible. How can an engineer find a part that has already been designed and developed? How does a shop-floor worker retrieve the latest version that specifies certain tooling? Or how can a purchasing agent understand the impact of replacing a part on other products? And even if the CAD model is found, how can it be viewed without licensed viewers or tools?

Finish Reading on Sinequa's Blog

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About Sinequa

Sinequa serves both large and complex organizations with the most complete enterprise search, ever. Customers employ our intelligent search platform to connect all content (both text and data), derive meaning, learn from user interactions, and present information in context. This solves content chaos and informs employees through a single, secure interface. They get the knowledge, expertise, and insights needed to make informed decisions and do more, faster. These organizations accelerate innovation, reduce rework, foster collaboration, ensure compliance, and increase productivity. Become Information-Driven™ with Sinequa. For more information visit www.sinequa.com.

About vdR Group

For 35 years, vdR Group has been at the cutting-edge of enterprise data management solutions for engineering, manufacturing, and owner/operator industries. Solutions include product lifecycle management (PLM), enterprise information management (EIM) and application integrations. CADnection is vdR Group’s flagship enablement technology for search-based applications. As a technology provider, vdR’s success is grounded in our partnerships with a select group of industry leading software solution providers. vdR technology has helped 100s of companies ranging from Global Fortune 500 manufactures to cutting-edge start-ups. Today, over 220,000 global users leverage vdR technology. For more information visit www.vdr.com.

Case Study - Innovation Through Connectivity in the Energy Industry

Company Background

Caltex Oil Tools is a product and services company with over 30 years of experience in the on-shore and offshore oil and gas industry. Recently, however, the company underwent an ownership and leadership change that led to a strategic shift toward a focus on highly specialized engineering capabilities and solutions—specifically on equipment used between the water line and mud line in the deep-water space. A typical engagement might involve oil well ‘production enhancement,’ where specialized equipment is used to make a well more productive. This involves developing machinery that gives the field team access to the well bore to deliver chemical packages that increase oil production.

Boosting Competitiveness Starts with Data Visibility

Automotive Insights Series

Join Lloyd Rogers, Automotive Practice Leader at the vdR Group in the Automotive Insights Series as he address many of the challenges facing the automotive and supplier spaces.

Integration Demo Between Upchain PLM and Microsoft Dynamics 365 via Nexus

Learn more about Nexus and other supported connectors and Integrations.

Busting Data Silos for Quote-to-Kickoff Efficiency

The Automotive Insights Series

Join Lloyd Rogers, Automotive Practice Leader at the vdR Group in the Automotive Insights Series as he address many of the challenges facing the automotive and supplier spaces.

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Video Transcript

This week, I examine how silos of data are created when transitioning from quote team, to launch team, and how we should be leveraging information from the quote process.

 First, I think we all agree that change management is a vital part of having a successful program launch.  I would also suggest… the initial quote files are not only for reference, but the starting point on a project.  Think about it …  every company discipline was involved in the quote phase… and these same people will potentially be part of the change process post release.  Once the project has been won, the launch team takes over the quote team files, and hopefully, they are not copying data.  You have to understand this point!  Last week I stated… disconnected silos are the bane of business!  You are adding risk to meet delivery schedules, keep timing in check, and achieve margins, let alone the difficulty with data traceability...  These silos are all direct hits to the bottom line.  For those of you running programs … you know exactly what I mean.  Think about this exchange…  if your launch team is setting up folders in SharePoint, copying data onto their hard drives…  this is the beginning of creating silo’s…  you have now broken the digital thread.  This does not resemble a repeatable process, and significantly impairs productive practices and generates poor collaboration within your own team.  Your team is now in search mode during the APQP process, versus having real time visible information for getting work done.

 I’ll give you an example:

The project engineer is working with the customer to change testing criteria on the Test Plan… the Program Manager timeline was created based on the original test plan.  If the engineer has the new approved Plan on his laptop, the PM will not have access to the new requirements. This is just one example of hundreds of conversations that go on by the launch team during the APQP process, and why information should not be kept on a laptop.

 The launch team should instead be verifying the quote versus the contractual agreement, in the same system as the quote team provided.  If the quote does not match the PO, then the change process is initiated.  Does your company have a consistent process to verify the quote matches the PO, and is there any team member accountable to verify what you actually won?  Because, if you miss a scope change or changes from quote to PO, then it is like a waterfall, the change can affect timing, piece cost, capital, and tooling. Your design may already be going in the wrong direction.  I think you get my point.

 It’s not only about information reuse, but also eliminating the creation of these team member generated silos.  Next week…  I will provide examples on how these silo’s cost your company money and potentially damage your brand image.

 Give me a call and we can discuss your challenges and share what we have done to help other suppliers. Contact me at … Lloyd@vdr.com or our website… vdR.com.

Reducing APQP Time-to-PPAP

Join Lloyd Rogers, Automotive Practice Leader at the vdR Group in the Automotive Insights Series as he address many of the challenges facing the automotive and supplier spaces.

Tackling Challenges In the APQP Process - Automotive Insights Series

Join Lloyd Rogers, Automotive Practice Leader at the vdR Group in the Automotive Insights Series as he address many of the challenges facing the automotive and supplier spaces.

Video Transcription

Hello, I am Lloyd Rogers and I help automotive companies like yours with unexpected costs taking place during the APQP process.  Over the past two years I have met with more than 50 automotive companies to discuss their many encounters while launching OEM products.  The greatest challenge is time to execute a consistent APQP process to PPAP… Once the customer provides a PO, the clock starts ticking to provide parts per the contractual agreement … and the PPAP delivery date does not change for most OEM programs.  Many suppliers lose time internally waiting for approvals from their own processes.  An example is budget approval to release funds for a project, such as ED&D, supplier tooling, or capital…  The APQP process includes many sub processes requiring signatures along with visible data for approval that may also take up significant time potentially delaying a program.  An example is quoting changes and managing the revised parts or assembly through all processes such as a drawing or tool release, along with data required to PPAP… Allow me to meet and discuss new solutions to reduce time and create an APQP health check, or project visibility for the executive team.  If your norm at launch is not meeting the financial goals based on the original quote on a program because of premium tooling, expedited shipments, reworks, multiple unpaid PPAP testing scenarios and others, then call me to discuss.  We have solutions to help reduce project timing, create a standard APQP dashboard, and offer project visibility to assist teams to be successful.  Over the next few weeks, I will be providing solutions geared to reduce time to market along with suggestions on how to create visibility for the entire team to ultimately achieve clearer decisions. The pandemic is now having program teams working from home and visibility of data is even more critical.  If your company still relies on spreadsheets, SharePoint to store data, and countless meetings to provide updates with manually created dashboards, we can help eliminate those time-consuming events that are only up to date during the meeting.  By eliminating one expedited shipment, yard hold, rework, or other unexpected charges, you could increase your brand image with your customer and potentially meet your profit metrics. If you are a CEO or executive contact me. I can provide a briefing and answer questions typically in less than an hour of your time. You can reach me simply at lloyd@vdr.com or you can go to our website at vdR.com. Thank You