The PLM User Initiative is a user-driven, PLMIG-led industry initiative that will combine the best skills and experience from all parts of the PLM spectrum to generate the tools, metrics and standards that real implementations need.

The Initiative will provide companies with a managed framework to interact and collaborate with each other throughout 2012.  It will enable participants to combine their experience and best practice, and to generate specific solutions to their own most important PLM problems.

User Initiative Overview

• Background
• Features
• Deliverables
• Structure and Funding

How Does My Company Benefit?

Every company that participates will do so because some or more of the User Initiative deliverables are of direct use to their own implementation.  The PLMIG manages the knowledge and material so that it is always directly relevant to the companies involved, and can be applied to their ongoing projects as soon as it is developed.

This will make a definite and measurable improvement to the outcome of their implementations at the end of the year.  As an additional benefit, the ongoing exchange of information between participants will generate new ideas and permeate best practice throughout the group.

Industry Benefits

The benefits go far beyond the generation of metrics and standards.  As it runs through 2012 the User Initiative will become a headline programme whose progress is followed by all of the manufacturing and product development industries.

Success stories and case histories will raise the profile of PLM.  Mobilisation of internal PLM projects spawned from the Initiative will overcome implementation roadblocks in participating companies.  A neutral, collective body of PLM knowledge will form a reference point to answer many of today's unresolved questions.  National user groups and industry bodies can share information, giving a boost to user cooperation. Standards bodies can become involved as the PLM material takes shape, giving extra rigour to its formalisation.  And improving the structure of vendor sponsorship of universities will create a research platform that means the most eminent professors in centres of excellence around the world will apply their expertise to PLM.

User Pre-Registration

There is a Pre-Registration process for user companies so that everyone who feels that they might like to participate can see and talk to each other before making any commitment.

Pre-Registration is open to any company that is actively implementing PLM, and carries no obligation to take part.  The process gives a rare chance to compare an overview of your own PLM environment with those of several other leading implementors.

Respondent Visits

As part of the dissemination process, the PLMIG is offering a number of on-site briefing visits for user companies, to explain how the material can be used to establish metrics and implementation goals.

These one-day visits are free of charge, and participating companies receive a complimentary copy of the PLM Self-Assessment Toolkit to use within their organisation after the visit.

Vendor Involvement

Discussions are in progress with vendors, consultancies and systems integrators about the best way to support the initiative.  If you would like to know more, follow the links below.

Find Out More

To find out more about the PLM User Initiative, and how to join the Pre-Registration process, email userinitiative@plmig.com.