Longview Advisors Zeros in on PDM Migration

Loveland, CO – Longview Advisors, organizers of the annual Collaboration & Interoperability Conference and Exhibition (CIC), today released a preview of the 2009 keynote address, presented by Glenn Gise, Director of Global Engineering Systems at Black and Decker. Gise helped lead the power-tool giant through a complete reassessment of its engineering systems and the deployment of a
new worldwide product data management (PDM) network.

In his presentation to the full assembly at CIC, “Large-Scale PDM Migration in a Global Enterprise,” Gise will explore the confluence of business factors which forced a reassessment of Black and Decker’s digital processes, including technological changes, expansion of design centers into Europe and the Far East, and the acquisition of a major company with completely different CAD and product lifecycle management (PLM) formats. Gise will show the reasoning behind the architecture his team selected, and the strategies used to gradually deploy the replacement system to engineering and production facilities across the globe.

“As we got into the project we faced many questions: How much cultural change was too much? How do we balance the desire for standard practices, but still support unique business processes? How do we prepare each site for the new PLM system in advance? How do we cope with different language needs?” Gise explains. “All these -- and many more questions -- need answers for a successful PLM migration. Hopefully some of our real-world experiences can make your PLM migration more successful.”

“Glenn’s presentation puts a real crescendo on the best agenda we’ve ever had at CIC,” says David Prawel, president of Longview Advisors and Conference Organizer. “Glenn speaks to one of the most challenging issues companies face today, and he’s clearly not alone in these struggles. His ‘been there, doing that’ perspective will add huge value to a conference lineup filled with straightforward ‘take home and do it’ information.”

The fifth annual CIC event brings together experts and executives from a broad range of discrete manufacturing industries, as well as representatives from the government and defense communities, to discuss the latest strategies and solutions in collaboration and interoperability. The only vendor-neutral conference in the world addressing these critical topics, the CIC provides a unique opportunity to interact, learn, and share experiences with thought leaders of the industry. The conference and exhibition takes place May 18-20 in Estes Park, Colorado.