Siemens PLM’s Chuck Grindstaff to Keynote at PLM Road Map™ 2009

Collaborative Product Development Associates (CPDA), a provider of critical analyses for PLM decisions, announces that Chuck Grindstaff, Executive Vice President, Products and Chief Technology Officer at Siemens PLM Software, will join Pendaran Inc.’s Dr. Hossein Nivi, General Motor’s John L. Givens Jr., IMVP’s Glenn Mercer, and Mentor Graphic’s Dr. Walden Rhines as a keynote speaker at its annual PLM Road Map™ conference, to be held at The Inn at St. John's, outside of Detroit, Michigan on September 22 and 23.

In his keynote address, An Operational Framework for Continuous Improvement, Chuck Grindstaff will discuss a Lean Operations Framework that comprehends the people, processes, and technology elements that underpin operational performance.

In today’s challenging business environment, the principles of lean operations could not be more important. Organizations face intense competition, cost pressures, and rapidly changing market dynamics. To cope with these challenges and turn them into actionable initiatives, an overall framework must define, prioritize, and track the progress of the enterprise.

At the foundation of the Lean Operations Framework, an accurate operating model encompasses the organization’s core value streams. Key business characteristics and domains are laid across this value stream operating model. An unbiased assessment of current maturity levels and corresponding performance measures are collected and categorized. The creation of a set of prioritized initiatives can then be identified for implementation. Through the proper usage of key technologies and systems such as Product Lifecycle Management, improvements to operational efficiencies and organizational innovation can be measured and fed back to create a closed loop. The result is a Lean Operational Framework that supports continuous improvement.

Now in its 16th year, PLM Road Map™ 2009 is a strategic conference focused on the critical tradeoffs that shape product development. PLM Road Map™ 2009 will enable attendees to explore first hand the progress, opportunities, and roadblocks leading-edge end-users are confronting.

Chuck Grindstaff is in charge of Siemens PLM Software’s strategic product direction as well as the company’s merger and acquisition strategy. The team he leads is responsible for all Siemens PLM Software products, including creation, improvement, competitiveness, and quality. Chuck began his association with UGS in 1978, when he joined the Unigraphics Solutions research and development team, holding various leadership positions. Unigraphics Solutions was engaged in the sales, service, and development of software technology to support the automation of product engineering and manufacturing engineering processes.

He left Unigraphics Solutions in 1988 to revolutionize the application of digital processes for film-making as president and CEO of Waveframe. There, he developed and manufactured digital signal processing systems for high-end motion picture applications.

Chuck returned to Unigraphics in 1994 in strategic planning, became director of the Unigraphics product business unit in 1997 and vice president of Unigraphics products and operations in 2000. In 2001, Unigraphics merged with Structural Dynamics Research Corporation (SDRC) to form the PLM line of business at EDS later known as UGS PLM Solutions, where he continued to serve as vice president of Products.

Collaborative Product Development Associates (CPDA) is a provider of critical analyses for PLM decisions. CPDA offers the latest in-depth, objective information for assessing technology and business goals. Coordinated by a group of experienced analysts, its cohesive suite of collaborative research programs leverages the efforts of top software designers and leading-edge users. CPDA's differentiation is its specific, deep, and pragmatic approach to the market, and a hands-on understanding of the technology required to drive successful implementations. CPDA’s collaborative research programs include Design Creation and Validation, Design/Simulation Council, PLM-Integration/Product Definition, and Product Value Management.