and Product Management, Autodesk Inc. (San Rafael, CA), developer of AutoCAD. The company, which has offered an on-premise PLM system called the Vault since 2003, in September announced a partnership with Jitterbit (Oakland, CA), a developer of flexible application and data integration software, to work on new integration tools to be used with Autodesk’s on-premise system and cloud-based PLM 360. “Our combined approach to PDM and PLM really answers some of the concerns that our customers had,” noted Cohee. “What I’ve found is that a lot of times we’re at the table with customers because we’re a cloud-based application. Through this, we’re able to offer it at a significantly lower up-front costs and a more attractive pric- ing model.” Many customers are intrigued by the PLM 360 pricing, both low initial costs and
monthly fees, as well as the system’s fast deployment capabilities, Cohee said. “There is an overall dissatisfaction with the PLM experience as the market matures,” he stated, “with the high up-front costs of ownership and lengthy deployments.” With PLM 360, new customers are set up with a login for the system within 24-48 hours, he added.
The system also includes Autodesk’s Simulation 360, Cohee pointed out, which is the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) acquired when Autodesk bought Algor two years ago. “It doesn’t have to take months to deploy your enterprise applica- tions,” Cohee said. “It’s capable of getting your team members involved much more quickly in the process. Directly out of the cloud they receive about 13 apps, and 36-40 actual workspaces where people capture data. There’s a Quality Manage- ment app that gets delivered to customers that gives them the data to do quality inspections immediately.”
Autodesk also recently added the Factory Floor Asset Management applica- tion that allows technicians to calibrate equipment and set maintenance tasks for machinery on the factory floor. The Autodesk cloud PLM is easily accessed by an iPad or any other tablet or handheld device, Cohee noted. “That’s one of the inher- ent aspects of PLM 360 that doesn’t receive its just due,” he states. “If you have a browser, you can access it.” ME