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News Release from: MatrixOne | Subject: MatrixOne PLM platform
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 19 January 2006
PLM platform reduces 'time to market'
The automotive division of the 3M Group has deployed a PLM platform to shorten time to market, and has already reduced 3M's customer program lead times by 50%.
MatrixOne, a leading provider of collaborative Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions for the value chain, has announced that the European Automotive Division of the 3M Group has deployed the MatrixOne PLM platform to optimise its new program management (NPM) process, from the customer inquiry right through to the release of the order Multiple customer inquiries can now be processed simultaneously and reliably without the need for complex and costly project management
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 6 May 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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3M Automotive develops and manufactures adhesives, adhesive tapes, cabin filters, emblems, foils and matmount material for catalytic converters.
3M Automotive's customer-specific programs ensure that every product is manufactured according to the requirements of each automobile.
To achieve this, the sales department records the customer requirements on site and passes the technical, logistical and delivery information to business and factory management in order to check the feasibility of each order.
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In the past, information on a customer inquiry was mostly communicated by email, not documented systematically.
This not only delayed the processing of the customer programs, but also led to the possibility of some projects being incorrectly assessed due to incomplete information.
To address this issue, 3M Automotive has developed a new program management (NPM) solution, based on MatrixOne's software, which records all documentation regarding a customer inquiry and then sends it as an electronic workflow instruction directly to the sites concerned.
"3M Automotive has chosen MatrixOne for important strategic reasons," said Dr Timo Fuermann, European Quality manager, 3M Automotive.
"The MatrixOne PLM platform is extremely versatile and features flexible and adaptable workflow functions.
The electronic workflow has bridged the gap between defining customer requirements and establishing their technical and economic feasibility." Customer inquiry processing can be a relatively complex procedure, with up to nine stages that at times need to be dealt with simultaneously.
Sales staff can log onto the MatrixOne platform from any location and can enter their data online to start the release process.
In addition, this allows them to check the current status of their programs at any time, keeping fully abreast of each customer order throughout the process.
"MatrixOne's platform ensures that we do not make our customers any promises that we later cannot keep," continued Fuermann.
"Thanks to the MatrixOne-based NPM solution, lead times of customer programs have been reduced by up to 50%.
We can now process several smaller programs simultaneously, without the need for our employees to run from one project meeting to the next.
Further, all European locations now work using a uniform process, which helps automobile manufacturers meet industry requirements in terms of quality management." * About 3M - the 3M Group is headquartered in St Paul, Minnesota, USA, and has offices in more than 60 countries around the globe.
In 2004, 3M employed around 67,000 people and achieved revenue of US $20 billion.
In Europe, 3M employs 16,250 people across 29 countries.
Customers of 3M's Automotive Division include practically all well-known automobile manufacturers and several large system suppliers.
In Europe, the company has a development centre and four manufacturing plants.
* About MatrixOne - MatrixOne (NASDAQ: MONE), a leading global provider of collaborative product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services, enables companies to accelerate product innovation to achieve top line revenue growth and improve bottom line profitability.
With world-class PLM solutions and a commitment to customer success, MatrixOne is focused on helping companies across the automotive, aerospace and defense, consumer, machinery, medical device, semiconductor and high-tech industries solve their most challenging new product development and introduction problems.
More than 800 companies use MatrixOne's solutions to drive business value and gain a competitive advantage, including industry leaders such as BAE Systems, Bosch, Comau, General Electric, Honda, Johnson Controls, Linde AG, NCR, Nokia, Philips, Porsche, Procter and Gamble, Sony Ericsson, STMicroelectronics and Toshiba.
MatrixOne is headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts, USA, with locations throughout North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
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