posted on 8/23/2011 3:22:35 PM
Aras will integrate its Innovator software with Autodesk CAD, digital prototyping, and data management applications to provide global manufactures with an enterprise PLM solution.
Seeking to fulfill the needs of global manufacturers in search of new ways to manage design and engineering processes across the enterprise, Aras, a provider of product lifecycle management software, has announced it has joined the Autodesk Partner Program.
Teaming up with the maker of 3D design software, Aras intends to deliver a PLM platform that can streamline complex processes spanning distributed design and manufacturing centers.
Aras has already built connectors that integrate its product, Aras Innovator, with Autodesk Inventor, a digital prototyping tool, and AutoCAD 2D and 3D design tools. Now, as part of the partnership program, Aras is said to be working on integrating more Autodesk products, including Vault, a data management application, and Publisher, Autodesk’s technical documentation software.
According to Aras, its Innovator software is based on an open source Web architecture that can be delivered to a customer as a framework to build a customized PLM solution, or as an out-of-the-box PLM product. It is also available on-premises or via the cloud, providing a flexible, secure enterprise PLM platform for managing distributed engineering, design, and manufacturing centers, the company said.
Companies that use Autodesk software for product innovation currently have product data management (PDM) capabilities as part of the Vault application. However, they lack an enterprise PLM offering, like Aras Innovator, that can handle complex configuration management and enterprise change management, as well as track outsourced manufacturing, supply chain partners, and quality compliance, Aras officials said.
“Companies are increasingly operating in a global environment, and they need to be able to collaborate around the world with different design centers, manufacturing [centers], and of course suppliers,” said Marc Lind, Aras’ senior vice president of global marketing, in an interview with Managing Automation. “And it is not just about the data, but the business processes that surround the data…We think there is powerful potential here for helping companies with complex processes that use the Autodesk products.”
Lind noted that the partnership is not exclusive. Aras has entered similar integration partnerships with Dassault Systèmes, Siemens, PTC, and others.