Autodesk Services Implementation Tracker PLM 360 App

This week I'm covering a new app in the PLM 360 App Store, the Autodesk Services Implementation Tracker PLM 360 App. I met with Ian Hadden from Autodesk Services to discuss the app and tell us all about it.

Mike: Hi Ian, thanks for taking the time to speak to me, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you do for Autodesk?

Ian: I sure can Mike, I am a Solution Architect with Autodesk PLM Services. My role is to help Autodesk’s PLM customers get the most out of their PLM deployments. That means understanding what they are looking to do with PLM, helping them find the right configuration of the system to achieve their goals and assisting in the development of that configuration. 

Mike: Sounds like you’re a busy man! Can you tell me about Autodesk Services and what are the main services you offer our customers?

Ian: Autodesk PLM Services has a menu of offerings designed for a variety of customer needs from packaged workflow solutions all the way down to essential training. For the customer, the choice really on depends on how much of the work they are willing to take on themselves. For customers that aren’t sure where to start we can also perform an RPM (Roadmap and Priority Matrix), through this process we identify the various pain points that PLM can help address and help prioritize these based on implementation ease and business impact. It’s a great way for customers to thoughtfully establish a comprehensive PLM strategy to ensure long term success.

Mike: Cool ! thanks for putting together the Autodesk Services Implementation Tracker can you explain what this is, and how our customers will use it to help manage their PLM 360 implementations? 

Ian: I started building this app to help people organize their PLM deployment. During the deployment there are key pieces of information that need to be tracked and shared with everyone involved in the project. PLM 360 is a great place to share that information. It’s made up of five major functions:

AC Implementation Management
This Workspace is for top level project management and progress tracking. Here you build out your Project Phases and Sprints. The Project management Tab in this workspace lets you link the sprints to the Phases and build dependencies between the various sprints. From here you can create the various tasks that need to be performed to complete each Phase or Sprint.

AC Implementation Tasks
This is the workspace where the Tasks that were created from the AC Implementation Management workspace are located. These tasks are assigned to individuals who are responsible for the timely completion of the task. The progress on the task is tracked through workflow and with Milestones. The Tasks can also be linked to other project elements such as requests for Scripts or Change Requests. 

AC Configuration Change Request
As its name suggests this workspace is where requests to make changes to the current or planned configuration and be made. Once a request is submitted it is reviewed by the application Owner (see Below AC Applications) who decides if the request should progress. The Application owner also determines if this request needs to go to the Software vendor, in this case Autodesk as an enhancement or bug. For changes that can be made in house, workflow changes, adding additional fields etc. the Application owner assigns the Change request to someone to complete. The change requests can also be linked to an Implementation Task so it can be tracked in the overall project. 

AC Script Log
The AC Script Log came about as a way to keep track of all the different scripts that we needed to create or had created for a deployment. As the need for a script is identified it is captured in the AC Script log workspaces. Once the requirements for the script have been reviewed and the need confirmed the script goes forward to be developed. The Script Files tab is used to upload the different version of the script as it is developed so that they can be referred back to. It is almost like using PLM 360 to be the source control system for its own development. The Script history tab is used to capture any notes and or reasons why the script has been changed.

AC Applications

This workspace is used to allow the end users to also use the workspaces in this app to manage the deployment of other software. Just add you additional applications and their respective owner and you will be able to pick them in the applications pick list of the other workspaces. 

Mike: Excellent I think this will be a great asset to the PLM 360 App Store! Can you share some other ideas that you might have for future apps?

Ian: Certainly, in Autodesk PLM Services we are always looking for ways to make our deployments faster and less costly for customers. The app store gives us a great opportunity to build based on best practices we refine in the field. We’re currently working on some really exciting things that we hope will continue to bring valuable solutions to real world customer problems. 

Mike: Thanks Ian, I'll look forward to catching up soon and publishing your future apps to the PLM 360 App Store!

Thanks for reading.....Mike

Using The New CE Marking App In PLM 360

This week I'm covering a new app in the PLM 360 App Store, the CE Marking App. The purpose of this app is to manage the approval stages needed for the affixing of the CE marking on your products. With this app you can also create the EC Declaration Of Conformity and get an automatically generated document ready to print and sign for the official bodies to approve.

Background to CE Marking..

CE marking does not indicate that a product was made in the EEA, but merely states that the product is assessed before being placed on the market and thus satisfies the legislative requirements (e.g. a harmonised level of safety) to be sold there. It means that the manufacturer has verified that the product complies with all relevant essential requirements (e.g.safety, health, environmental protection requirements) of the applicable directive(s) – or, if stipulated in the directive(s), has had it examined by a notified conformity assessment body.

Using the CE Marking App

A visual indicator will tell you if you have completed all the sections and your product is approved

Stage 1: Identify the applicable Directive(s)

Stage 1: Identify the applicable Directive(s)

The first step is to identify whether the product needs to bear CE marking or not. Not all products are required to bear CE marking, only the products that fall within the scope of at least one of the sectoral directives requiring CE marking. There are more than 20 sectoral product directives requiring CE marking covering, but not limited to, products such as electrical equipment, machines, medical devices, toys, pressure equipment, PPE, wireless devices and construction products.

Stage 2: Identify the applicable requirements of the Directive(s)

Stage 2: Identify the applicable requirements of the Directive(s)

Each Directive has slightly different methods of demonstrating conformity depending on the classification of the product and its intended use. Every Directive has a number of ‘essential requirements’ that the product has to meet before being placed on the market.

Stage 3: Identify an appropriate route to conformity

Stage 3: Identify an appropriate route to conformity

Although the process is always a self-declaration process, there are various routes to conformity depending on the directive and classification of the product. Some products (such as invasive medical devices, or fire alarm and extinguisher systems) may, to some extent, have a mandatory requirement for the involvement of an authorised third party or "notified body".

Stage 4: Assessment of the product's conformity

Stage 4: Assessment of the product's conformity

When all of the requirements have been established, the conformity of the product to the essential requirements of the Directive(s)needs to be assessed. This usually involves assessment and/or testing, and may include an evaluation of the conformity of the product to the harmonised standard(s) identified in step 2.

Stage 5: Compile the technical documentation

Stage 5: Compile the technical documentation

Technical documentation, usually referred to as the technical file, relating to the product or range of products needs to be compiled. This information should cover every aspect relating to conformity and is likely to include details of the design, development and manufacture of the product.

Technical documentation will usually include:

• Technical description
• Drawings, circuit diagrams and photos
• Bill of materials
• Specification and, where applicable, Declarations of Conformity for the critical components and materials used
• Details of any design calculations
• Test reports and/or assessments
• Instructions
• EC Declaration of Conformity

Technical documentation can be made available in any format (i.e. paper or electronic) and must be held for a period of up to 10 years after the manufacture of the last unit, and in most cases reside in the European Economic Area (EEA). Using this App you have a permanent record to keep.

Stage 6: Make a Declaration and affix the CE marking

Stage 6: Make a Declaration and affix the CE marking

When the you are satisfied that your product conforms to the applicable Directives, an EC Declaration of Conformity must be completed.

Declaration of Incorporation.
The requirements for the Declaration vary slightly, but will at least include:

• Name and address of the manufacturer
• Details of the product (model, description and the serial number where applicable)
• List of applicable sectoral Directives and standards that have been applied
• A statement declaring that the product complies with all of the relevant requirements
• Signature, name and position of the responsible person
• The date that the Declaration was signed
• Details of the authorised representative within the EEA (where applicable)
• Additional Directive/standard specific requirements

Once completed you can approve the Declaration of Conformity using the workflow below:

Approval Proces for the Declaration of  Conformity

Using the Advanced Print views in PLM 360 your Declaration of Conformity will automatically be created for you

A PLM 360 Print view is automatically created 

The whole process is tracked using the CE approved 1 to 6 stage workflow process.

CE approved 1 to 6 stage workflow process.

Once a Declaration of Conformity has been completed, the final step is to affix the CE marking to the product. When this has been done, the CE marking requirements have been met.

I hope you find this CE Marking PLM 360 App useful,  I'd be interested to know what Innovative products have been managed  using this App!

Thanks for reading....Mike

Using the FMEA PLM 360 App

So as discussed in my last post, I'm gonna do a deep dive into the Apps in the PLM 360 App Store over the coming months to give you an overview of what they are all about.

First up is the FMEA App, the FMEA App or the Failure Mode Effect Analysis is used to record the results for each type for Functional, Design or Process analysis for components, assemblies, and subsystems.

The Wiki View of FMEA
Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) was one of the first systematic techniques for failure analysis. It was developed by reliability engineers in the 1950s to study problems that might arise from malfunctions of military systems. An FMEA is often the first step of a system reliability study. It involves reviewing as many components, assemblies, and subsystems as possible to identify failure modes, and their causes and effects. For each component, the failure modes and their resulting effects on the rest of the system are recorded in the App. An FMEA is mainly a qualitative analysis.[1] A few different types of FMEA analysis exist, like Functional, Design and Process FMEA.

Dilbert's view of FMEA!

BUT having used FMEA processes in many of my companies that I've worked for in the past, I can say that it IS effective! and with this PLM 360 App it makes the process a lot easier without you having to 'LIANCE' !

Let's cut to the chase and get on with the good stuff..

Install the App from the PLM 360 App Store, if your stuck have a look at my previous post. And don't forget to assign the right group to the Role brought over with the FMEA App.

Step 1.

Add you date, project, process type, image, customer etc to the FMEA details tab

Step 2.

Next step is to start to add the analysis for each item in your process or BOM, click in the 'FMEA Analysis Results' tab and complete a row for each process or product

Some help guides are below:

SEV - Severity
What is the Severity of the effect? 
– No harm = 1, Lethal = 10

OCC - Occurrence
What is the probability of Occurrence?
– not likely = 1, certainty = 10

DET - Detection
What is the likelihood that the failure will escape Detection before it causes effect?
– Always detected = 1, undetectable = 10


RPN  - Risk Priority Number - (Calculated Automatically)
RPN = Severity x Occurrence x Detection 
 - Ranges from 1 to 1000
 - Higher numbers have greater priority
 - Multiple failure modes exist in a system, which one is the most critical to address?
 - Risk management should consider regulatory issues

Risk Management and results
The main aim is to Reduce the RPN
- Re-design the product or Improve Processes in order to:
- Remove the failure mode, or
- Increase the detectability of the failure mode, or
- Reduce the severity by changing the effect


Step 3 

Manage the FMEA using the workflow and track using the Project Management App.

Design FMEA Benefits

 - Aids in the objective evaluation of design requirements and alternatives.

 - Increases the probability that potential failure modes and their effects on the system / product have been considered.

 - Aids in the planing of design test and development programs.

 - Aids in analyzing field concerns, design changes and in developing advanced designs.

 - Ranks potential failure modes according to their effect on the customer, thus prioritizing improvements and development testing.

 - Provides an open issue format for recommending and tracking risk reducing actions.

 - Can reduce product development timing, production startup problems, reduce costs and enhance product quality, reliability and safe

I hope you get some value from the FMEA PLM 360 App, subscribe to the blog for more in depth analysis of the Autodesk PLM 360 Apps.

Autodesk Launches the PLM 360 App Store

So I'm really excited to announce the launch of the 

Autodesk PLM 360 App Store !!

So as of today your administrators will have access to lots of apps to enhance the capabilities of your existing PLM 360 tenants. Octopart search engine, FMEA, CAE Management and Lean 5S audits. These are just a few of the apps that you will have access to. Because it’s powered by the cloud, new apps will be added all the time helping you find new uses for PLM 360 expanding its value, quickly and easily!  There is nothing like it in PLM!


Autodesk is fundamentally changing the way you apply new technology to your business. We made these PLM 360 apps to help you to get you up and running quickly using best-practice processes.  And since the apps are all available to you right there, it’s easy to explore new processes that could really improve the way you work – instantly!  So, go try out some new apps today, and make the most out of your PLM 360 tenant. 

Of course Rob Cohee had a few things to say about it, so I’m going to let him hijack my post here for a minute…Ahem, ahem… (In my best British accent) Think for a moment how dramatically different this approach to applying business process, engineering management, or quality improvement technologies as compared to how you have to do it today. Last year we introduced PLM 360 to the market and the contrast in the amount of time it takes to deploy PLM 360 compared to other PLM tools on the market is so incredibly stark, that it’s difficult to comprehend.

The PLM 360 App Store builds on that contrast even further. For example, with just a few mouse clicks, administrators can apply a new app to manage your FMEA process. With another few clicks, add groups to the roles and the app is ready to go straight away. I think that’s how you guys say it, right Mike?

You didn’t have to download anything, install anything on each of your user’s machines, you didn’t even have to be an expert at the process to start. Nope. Your new apps, ready to use (or configure) in minutes. Mike here will walk you through some of the details with many, many posts to follow that will dive deeper into some of the new Apps now available.

So lets get started! 
You administrators can install the apps in 3 simple steps

Step 1
Select the app you want by going into 
Administration - Set up - App Store

Step 2
Select the app you want to Install and click 
Install

Step 3
Add the app to a group, and your done!

The app is then ready for you to use, it's just the same as all your other workspaces, you can configure it to suite your needs, add edit or delete fields as needed.

Enjoy ! You can see a list of the apps we have for launch, watch this space as we add more.

Thanks for reading....Mike

Novenco underway with Autodesk PLM 360

The Novenco Offshore division is located in Oslo, Norway. It is responsible for worldwide projects involving offshore rules and regulations, including fixed and floating platforms, jack up rigs, F.P.S.Os and offshore barges.

A member of the Novenco Group, Novenco Marine and Offshore prides itself in offering comfort to operators and passengers of marine vessels from cruise ships and yachts to ferries and freighters plus offshore equipment like oil rigs and storage vessels. Novenco Marine and Offshore does this by providing high-performance and energy efficient heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and insulation systems that create a comfortable environment in all areas of passenger accommodation. The headquarters of product development, design and engineering is located in Naestved, Denmark where I spoke with Ole Jensen, Director of Group Contracting.

In 2011, Novenco received an order from the Chinese shipyard COSCO (Nantong) for supplying HVAC/R systems, including engineering, delivery of equipment and on-board testing of air conditioning and ventilation systems for accommodation and engine room are

Mike: Hi Ole. What got you interested in Autodesk PLM 360?

Ole: We have an initiative within our division to reduce warranty costs and to do that we really need to get all of that information inline and more well understood. We formed a global warranty department to assemble one version of the truth agreeable by everyone and with the understanding that access to and sharing that information should be easy. To accomplish this we also agreed to new processes that follow ISO and introduced new documents, in some cases. Only after we finalized our agreements about information and process did we talk about technology.

Mike: Ok, that makes sense. What were your main criteria for the solution?

Ole: As I mentioned, we needed the warranty information to be accessible to all of our office sites. Also, we need to have a great workflow solution. We have issues in warranty we want to fix and a better process flow would help this. Also, since our warranty process mimics our larger project execution process flow, we wanted technology that could grow to solve that process, too. Prior to Autodesk PLM 360, we’ve used mainly email to share files and we’ve built a structure of file directories in a shared folder but that’s way too restrictive. To get the access we need to all sites worldwide, the solution needs to be cloud-based.

The Novenco Merchant Ship division has offices around the world. The division has already provided solutions for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to over 10.000 ships. 

Mike: So how has your implementation progressed so far?

Ole: We started by implementing ISO standard documents in our agreed process flow. In Autodesk PLM 360, we’ll be able to see how project managers and contract managers will see projects. We’ll be able to let different segments of our business see across warranty department to see how many claims we have in total. We’ll see the current stage of each warranty process (we have five) immediately. The key performance indicators (KPIs) we’ve setup for each phase will tell us which tasks are moving and who has too much work to do. All of this is front of mind for us. We need to bring these warranty issues to closure and give our customers a better response more quickly. We hope to lower our costs to do this, too.

Mike: Wow! Do you anticipate any problems getting everyone to take part in PLM?

Ole: You know designing efficient, yet effective environmental systems for ships isn’t easy. You have to account for the direction and the intensity of the sunlight. The size and position of the windows matters a lot. You also have to know what type of environment will make a person comfortable under the present and expected conditions. So our company requires some pretty smart people to work here. We've worked here for 25 years and have been using AutoCAD for ever – from the very beginning – and the move to Autodesk PLM 360 reminds me a little of that. Back then the switch for the experienced draftsman was from the (drawing) board to AutoCAD. Some hated it and some embraced it. Age didn’t matter, it seemed. Some of the most experienced draftsman became the fastest with AutoCAD, too. I think the uptake of Autodesk PLM 360 will be the same.

As a leading global supplier of HVAC systems for more than 60 years, Novenco understands the importance of top-notch After Sales services. These are based at our company headquarters in Denmark.

Mike: Great insight, Ole. So what do you see in the future of Autodesk PLM 360 in your company?

Ole: Our next move would be to elevate Autodesk PLM 360 to manage larger projects outside of warranty and eventually into project management. Within the division we have three project phases:  1 - Sales that involves the customer, obviously, 2 - Project Execution that involves different suppliers and more up to customer signoff, and 3 - After-Sales which includes warranty, as we discussed. Within each phase we’re looking forward to growing Autodesk PLM 360 and investigating the values of the other apps available. But we’ll continue to take a practical approach because we absolutely need to keep our company running across all of our different sites all over the world. It gives me an idea, too. We have many ERP systems. Wouldn’t it be nice if they were cloud-based, too?

Mike: Thanks Ole, I'm really excited to work with you over the coming months to make sure you accomplish all of your goals for PLM 360!

Thanks for reading...Mike

For more info on Novenco see this video below

Suretank selects Autodesk PLM 360

Suretank Ltd. is a world leading manufacturer of CCU’s (Cargo Carrying Units) for the Offshore Oil Industry and now new users of Autodesk PLM 360.

Established 1995 in Ireland to supply the North Sea, the company is a global supplier with design and manufacturing facilities in Ireland, UK, Poland, Thailand and China as well as sales offices in USA, Norway and Brazil. Suretank’s product range includes Chemicaland Acid transport tanks, Helifuel tanks, offshore Containers, Baskets, Mudskips and Cryogenic tanks.

Suretank Horizontal Chemical Tanks

Suretank’s customer base includes most of the major service, rental, exploration and production companies in the offshore industry. Their units are found worldwide in places such as the North Sea, West Africa, Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Caspian, Sakhalin sea, India, Australia, Middle East and the Far East.

Manufacturing & Delivering Products Worldwide

Further from Thailand to The North Sea, from Poland to the People’s Republic of China, Suretank have designed, manufactured and installed specialist CCU tanks for some of the world’s leading oil producing companies.

No mean feat you might say, but what really sets them apart is the fact that they also have engineers working on the ground in all of the areas they supply. This ensures that they can provide the highest level of service and advice to their customers, whenever they need it and wherever they might be.

SC 2000 is a robust T75 tank used to transport bulk cryogenic liquids to offshore rigs

So this week I met up with David Keeley, Engineering Manager for Suretank to discuss Autodesk PLM 360 and how they are getting on.


Mike: Hi David, tell me about your experience with Autodesk PLM 360. So far, what are your thoughts, first impressions?

David: Hi Mike. Having used some other PLM solutions before I was probably a little bit cynical about some of the things that Autodesk was saying PLM 360 could do 'out of the box' with no customisation and minimal configuration. That cynicism was gone within about an hour of starting to use the system. There was a real 'wow' experience as the value opportunities for Suretank became immediately obvious. It was the same for all of the other people in the workshop I attended. Even though we were all from different industries with different needs and problems, within a few hours everyone started talking about how PLM 360 could be used to solve their own particular problems. It's a very powerful solution.

Mike: Thanks David! Really great to hear your comments. Can you tell me about some of the processes that you're going manage in Autodesk PLM 360?

David: Initially we're going to concentrate on the Engineering and Quality functions in the Dunleer (Ireland) facility. Over time we'll implement the system to perform other functions and at all the other global sites. It's important that we first tackle the areas where PLM 360 can provide the most value for Suretank. A good example is our 'Sales Handover' process. The 'Sales Handover' is the specification document that Sales issues to Engineering at the start of a new contract. The data in the document is used to create a more comprehensive and detailed 'Technical Specification'. At the moment, this part of the process involves significant manual data re-entry. PLM 360 will eliminate this. Additionally there will be a more robust change process around these items so that we're always dealing with the latest customer requirements. PLM 360 also allows us to create processes and 'forms' that exactly match how we're doing things now. Except that now in PLM 360 it will be controlled, more efficient, traceable and repeatable. This will make the transition much easier for internal stakeholders. 

Mike: How have you found the cloud based and configurable nature of Autodesk PLM 360?

David: We're already using some 'cloud' applications in Suretank. Eventually PLM 360 will replace most of them. There's little resistance to cloud-based applications now. There certainly hasn't been any within Suretank as everyone can see how a cloud based solution fits perfectly within our global organisation. As I said earlier, I have some experience with other PLM systems and I'm delighted not to have to deal with the pains that accompany hosting a large PLM system on a local server!! With respect to the 'configurable' nature of PLM 360 - I think I read somewhere that Autodesk has described the system as 'insanely configurable'? I think that's about right. It's very flexible while remaining intuitive and easy to use. There's still some things that I'd like to see added but the product development team have been very responsive to my requests.

Mike: Thanks David, looking at the No.1 image above I'm really excited to work with you over the coming months, and making sure that the 8th reason for you being on top is the use of Autodesk PLM 360! Look forward to catching up soon.

Thanks for reading...Mike

Autodesk 'Open Doors' Revolutionise your business

I'd like to introduce our Autodesk 'Open Doors' Product Lifecycle Management event. Please join us and our special guests for a day of strategic discussions and information sharing that aims to help you revolutionise your business and improve your processes. Perhaps you’re an expert in PLM but you are still trying to improve some key processes more flexibly and cost effectively, or maybe you suspect PLM could be good for your business but have always believed it’s too big, too complicated, and too expensive and maybe you just want to learn more. 

Whatever your situation, attending one of our PLM ‘Open Doors’ events will be time well spent. 


Germany: 
http://www.autodeskplm360.de/events/autodesk-plm-open-doors-event-serie/

UK & Nordics:          http://www.autodeskplm360.co.uk/events/autodesk-open-doors-product-lifecycle-management-event-series/

Event Date & Locations:

Dortmund, 31/10, with CIMData                              
Munich, 15/11
Stuttgart, 27/11

Gothenburg, 7/11, with CIMData
Aarhus, 21/11   

Oxford, 1 /11, with CIMData
Manchester, 21/11

Information about our independent key note speaker, CIMData, can be found here http://www.cimdata.com/about/company_profile.html

Where CIMData is not present, Autodesk will present highlights from their presentation

The German events will be held in German.  UK and Nordics events in English.


Session Times:
08:00 - 11:00 - Morning session (incl. breakfast)
11:00 - 13:00 - Morning 1:1 discussion slots
13:00 - 16:00 - Afternoon session (incl. lunch)
16:00 - 18:00 - Afternoon 1:1 discussion slots

Event Cost:
Free of Charge

Who should attend:
VP/Director Engineering
VP/Director Quality
VP/Director R&D
VP/Director Operations
Product/Project Management Leaders

Thanks for reading....Mike