• Using multiple disconnected systems which could include CAD, PLM, MES, ERP or other homegrown resources across various geographies, teams or organizational subsidiaries

• Relying on inefficient product or process lifecycle management due to high system complexity keeping you from securely share data across functions, partners, customers and suppliers

Download the EAC Product Development Information Services Brochure

Many businesses rely on one or two technical writers to collect all required technical and digital information needed to create technical and marketing publications.

Most of this effort is manual, using the tried and true method of emailing, calling, and walking down the hall to bug technical resources for information or a screen grab; over and over.

Then the information is created using a one-and-done single-instance authoring software like Adobe FrameMaker, Adobe InDesign, or (please say it isn’t so!!!!) Microsoft Word.

This is a problem because a tremendous amount of risk is introduced when technical information is primarily collected via direct communication, emails, and other manual methods. There is significant room for error and it’s difficult to keep all related data and downstream documents up-to-date in the case of product changes.

Out of date information seems to trickle down to many different publishing channels. Even if tech writers are hardworking and very diligent, there is a natural opportunity to miss updates driven by upstream changes.

Just think of everywhere incorrect information could live if an update is missed. Web sites, user manual libraries, manufacturing instructions, service instructions, printed manuals, marketing literature, and the list goes on. This can increase the risk of providing out-of-date or inaccurate information to customers, manufacturing personnel, and service technicians.

There are a few different technologies available to help companies leverage existing engineering and design data for technical publications. If product data is housed in a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) tool like PTC Windchill, it can be used to insure all needed technical digital data and information required by technical publications are managed by a single change process.

This pushes the responsibility for accurate information to the people that actually own it. It helps insure people throughout the organization are updating content as part of every change and new product release.

Once data is in one place it becomes easier to create integrations between tools like Windchill and tools like PTC’s Service Information Manager (SIM) and Arbortext.

An integration like this lets companies automatically, and dynamically, populate key information directly to technical publications. It also allows for the creation of integrations to push data to hosted catalogs and reseller sites.

Making the move from manual technical publications to what we just described allows tech writers to focus on optimization of publishing methods rather than data collection and integration. It helps insure overall accuracy of product data throughout the company and in the marketplace.

ROI for this shift is typically measured by the elimination of manual efforts and more importantly the reduction of customer dissatisfaction and lost business.

Stop absorbing unnecessary risk and costs related to out-of-date technical documentation being used by internal and external customers. Consider a dynamic publishing solution like Arbortext or PTC Service Information Manager.

Let content responsibility lie with the content creators. And delight customers with accurate product information no matter when, or how they access content.

We can help you map the optimal product data management and dynamic publishing solution for your business. Contact us to start the conversation. No pressure. Just answers.

Stephen Covey’s landmark book ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ lists the 7^th critical habit as “Sharpen the saw.” It references a parable of a lumberjack and a stranger. The woodsman is very busy cutting down trees. As he completes more and more work his effort increases and his productivity goes down because his saw dulls over time. The lumberjack, exhausted and cursing the labor, is approached by the stranger. “What’s the problem?” asks the stranger. “My saw is dull and won’t cut well” responds the lumberjack. “Why don’t you sharpen it?” asks the stranger. The lumberjack responds “What kind of question is that? Because I would have to stop sawing, and I’m very busy.”  The stranger responds “But, if you sharpened your saw you could cut more efficiently than before. You could get even more work done.”
It’s important to sharpen our saw. We need to keep working to improve our knowledge base, approach, and overall situation. This may involve attending a training class, reading a book, mentoring and being mentored, or joining a peer group. I understand this can be difficult in the world of product development / engineering / design / manufacturing / and service. There is always pressure to get to market, get to the trade show, meet customer demands, etc.

Efficient engineering, design, manufacturing, and service requires efficient use of the supporting technologies for each role. Our training group consistently proves a return on our customer’s investment in training and development. That’s because technology keeps getting better. If you don’t know how to take advantage of the full functionality of your tools like PTC Creo, PTC Windchill, PTC Arbortext, and PTC Mathcad…you’re cutting with a dull saw.

We consistently schedule key PTC certified training classes and training courses that help people throughout organizations make the most of their technology. We deliver everything from Windchill Administrator courses to training classes for specific PTC Creo tools and functionality.

Do me a favor. Take time to sharpen your saw. A few days in a training course could save you hundreds of hours down the line. Take a look at the EAC Training Calendar. Maybe you’ll find the perfect PTC training course to put a new edge on your saw. Contact our training group to learn more about our training and mentoring delivery options (Like EACLive!) and full course catalogue. And check out this blog to learn more about how to select a PTC Training Course and Training Class provider.

We are an Authorized Training Partner of PTC. Our training and mentoring group delivers and sells PTC University Training solutions. This helps ensure you not only get the technology you need to dramatically improve the way you design, manufacture, and service your products and enterprise, but the knowledge to fully take advantage of your software investment.
EAC was one of the first authorized training partners. Why should you care? We have more experience mapping organization’s needs to the perfect PTC Training Course. We have more experienced instructors ready to deliver PTC Training Class content and customized training to create additional value for students and organizations. It also means we know a lot about what people want from a training experience, and what they should ask of their provider.

Many people see professional development, or continuing education, to somehow be exempt from the due diligence one would apply to…say, selecting a college. The truth is, it is important to carefully choose the company and people your organization uses to deliver a comprehensive PTC training course schedule or a single PTC training class.

Here are some questions you should ask a potential training provider:

• Do they have real-world experience using the products?
• Do they understand how various solutions work together?
• Do they offer training on multiple PTC training course segments (PLM, PDM, CAD, AR, IoT, etc.)?
• What delivery methods to they offer? (in center, onsite, remote (EACLive!)
• Do they offer extended access to Instructors for questions after a course ends?
• Do they offer the ability to audit a PTC training class for a year, in case a student needs a refresher?
• What is their cancellation policy? (Things come up, sometime a plan doesn’t work out. Here’s ours)
• Do they offer volume pricing discounts?
• Are there any current promotions?

We are here to help you know all the picks, clicks, and technology tricks to make sure everyone on your team is a power user. You need to complete projects as fast as possible – good training makes that possible. Here is our current training calendar. It displays all of the currently scheduled Creo training, Windchill training, and Arbortext training. Please contact us if you don’t see a specific training course. We may be able to add it to the existing calendar or deliver the training class specifically to your organization.

Here’s why engineering processes affect services and why streamlining information could solve the whole problem. 

The Problem: Lack of Communication

Let’s be honest, engineering and manufacturing departments do not always communicate product changes to service. This is just the start of how your engineering processes affect services. 

The Result: High Costs

When technicians reference outdated product information and arrive with incorrect parts, this leads to longer service visits, extraneous costs, longer downtime, and lowered customer satisfaction.

The Solution: Streamlining Information

Streamline the way you service teams access and use product information. The best way to accomplish this involves accurately transforming eBOMs (engineering bill of materials) to sBOMs (service bill of materials) and maintaining the fidelity of that information after engineering changes.

It’s time to stop letting your engineering processes affect services.

Take full advantage of the product data your organization has already created.

Structure service manuals and part information based on how a specific product is configured and serviced. Reuse engineering and manufacturing data in the service environment. Provide configuration-specific information to service technicians. Create a single point of access for your service content. Avoid text – use and repurpose graphics, animations, and CAD information when possible. And link service information to engineering information so changes propagate.

Next: Identify Your Service Needs 

Identify what should go in your sBOM to ensure your sBOMs meet the needs of the service department. Examples might include what is serviceable versus what is replaceable, the status of a part, the components, models, grouped items, and more.

The Goal: Transforming Your Services

Remember: the ultimate goal is to make your customers happy. As a result of combining best practices with the right technology to support service and parts information management and publication you will see a higher customer satisfaction, improved technician effectiveness, improved brand reputation, higher profitability (due to lower revenue and service cost), time savings, and higher revenue (from repeat business and customer loyalty).

We have a team of technical communications specialists that would love to talk with you about your current state and current initiatives…