PLM is a necessity for companies that want to compete based on innovation in the global business environment. A key aspect of delivering innovative products and processes is connecting your own systems and the systems of suppliers to encourage collaboration and data exchange in a secure and scalable environment. In order to create these connections, companies now require their suppliers and their own IT departments to provide open solutions.

”We support the "Codex of PLM Openness" without reservation and we're working closely together with its initiators.”

Chuck Grindstaff
President and CEO
Siemens PLM Software

“Companies that implement PLM systems need the ability to share and reuse knowledge among commercial, legacy and proprietary systems. They have to deploy technology with a shared infrastructure and a consistent architecture. Open strategies allow them to be innovative within their extended enterprise and realize savings through common processes.”

Mike Zink
Open evangelist
Siemens PLM Software

Tenants of Open PLM

PLM solutions require both open business practices and open technology.

Open Culture

Openness has to be ingrained in a company’s culture. Siemens PLM Software has maintained openness as a core value throughout its history. Open companies are approachable and engage with customer and partners as a standard way of doing business. They have an open business model as the foundation of an open strategy. But even open technology is not effective if it is locked behind restrictive legal agreements and business practices. A company must be approachable and engaging with customers and competitors. One example of the Siemens PLM Software commitment to an open culture and open business model is the PLM Components family of products. These products include some of the industry's most widely used component software and development toolkits, as well as industry initiatives that support and promote these open solutions.

Open Data

Siemens PLM Software believes companies must own and control their data. This is in stark contrast to other PLM vendors who do not publish, and often encrypt, the data their customers put in their systems. This inhibits access, re-use and long-term archiving. An open data model enables system interoperability, resulting in enterprise and value chain connectivity. Siemens PLM Software open data models include:

• JT: This widely-adopted 3D data format is the de facto standard and used throughout the global manufacturing industry for product visualization, collaboration and data sharing.
• PLM XML: This is a comprehensive definition of PLM data that can be used for transporting high-content product data. These XML schemas are extensible and flexible mechanisms which facilitate product lifecycle interoperability using PLM XML. It is freely available and based on the standard W3C XML schema architecture.

Open Products

Siemens PLM Software provides products that are open in architecture, application, components and infrastructure. Open architecture enables integration with other enterprise and legacy systems. Examples include integrating Siemens PLM Software products with customer-specific business systems or industry-specific applications.

Siemens PLM Software’s open applications can be customized with user-friendly programming and customization tools to help companies extend and tailor solution capabilities to their specific needs. Examples include:

• Customers using Siemens PLM Software's APIs to add functionality, optimize work flows and integrate with in-house and legacy systems.
• Customers creating high level, process specific wizards and automation to boost productivity.
• Customers optimizing user interfaces to implement in-house design standards and best practices.

A significant number of the world's CAD, CAM, CAE and PLM developers - including many of Siemens PLM Software’s competitors - rely on one or more of the PLM Components to enable their applications' functionality. These open components include Parasolid, D-Cubed, Geolus Serach, PLM Vis, Rulestream and others.

Open Communities

Consistent with our customer-focused model, Siemens PLM Software is involved in or leads Open Communities to drive innovation. Examples include:

• Customers coming together with Siemens PLM Software to discuss and address vertical and horizontal challenges, such as Automotive Steering Group, AIAG, JAMA, JT Open .
• Siemens PLM Software supporting and leading the adoption of standards to the benefit of customers. (See: Siemens PLM Software's JT Documentation is World's First ISO Specification for 3D Visualization in PLM Domain)
• The Siemens PLM Software partner ecosystem.

Building the PLM system on these tenants creates a best-in-class environment that promotes seamless interoperability and data sharing. Accelerate business growth and innovation with Siemens PLM Software’s Open PLM technology and take advantage of the investments in technology, people, processes and infrastructure that are already providing competitive advantage. Openness is the key to allowing companies to choose the best application to meet their needs and compete in the global business environment.