A recent report from AMR Research said consumer products companies must respond quickly to changing customer preferences and gain the ability to design packaging specific to the promotional requirements of global retailers. "Global competition is forcing manufacturers of all sizes to recognize that they must participate in a world market to survive," the report says. "Design Anywhere, Build Anywhere (DABA) strategies require manufacturers to have innovation centers and supply chain partners located in regions throughout the globe. [Consumer Goods Technology Magazine, Adapt and Respond: PLM Gains New Momentum]

And to address the innovation challenges of consumers in increasingly diverse and competitive markets, companies need to have effectively extended their value chains so they can tap into a world-wide web of inventors, technologists, suppliers, and partners who can help them anticipate customer demand and create the next generation of breakthrough products.

Again quoting from AMR Research, "No company is capable of stimulating and capitalizing innovation on its own. Each must close the gap between itself, its customers, and its partners, making every effort to collaborate effectively." [AMR Alert "Global Business Leaders Told to Mind the Innovation Group"]

PLM is the necessary infrastructure for A Global Innovation Network, and a Global Innovation Network has become the table stakes for survival in today's CP industry.

AG Lafley, Chairman and CEO of Procter & Gamble has called upon his organization to generate half of its news products by incorporating technology that was NOT developed at Procter & Gamble. Other companies are following suit. These companies are buying into to the Siemens PLM Software Global Vision:

Siemens PLM Software's vision is to enable a world where organizations and their partners collaborate through global innovation networks to deliver world-class products and services, allowing them to deal swiftly with emerging risks and opportunities.