Time Collaboration: When to Do What?
Sanjeev Gupta, CEO, Speed to Market

We all know that in the "design anywhere manufacture anywhere" world of virtual teams and distributed decision making, collaboration is everything. However, what we see more often is conflict and chaos, rather than collaboration. Why? Current solutions focus on content collaboration, but ignore the more fundamental issue -time collaboration. Unless all parties are synchronized, when to do what despite constant flux, promise of collaboration will remain only a promise. Sanjeev Gupta will discuss a breakthrough approach to achieve time collaboration using industry examples.

Implementing Product Lifecycle Management: A Case Study - Presenter TBA

A Fortune 500 Electronics company executive will be a feature presenter describing the business reasons and benefits behind implementing the Ceimis Magik!TM Product Lifecycle Solution. You will learn how to approach a large-scale project and the expected benefits derived. The presenter will take you through his definition of Product Lifecycle Management. This will include Quality Deployment, PDM, CAD, and after-market support.

Long Distance Collaboration Over the Internet - Steve Wolfe, Publisher, The CAD Report

Join a discussion with Steve Wolfe, Publisher of The CAD Report and Rapid Prototyping Report, about the various tools and approaches for prdouct development collaboration over the web.

Wednesday - October 18

A market research survey was conducted to assess the business readiness of North American manufacturers for adoption of sophisticated supply chain integration tools and new types of e-commerce mechanisms. This effort, sponsored by the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences and Global Commerce Systems, Inc., focused on smaller manufacturers. The survey produced notable insight about the readiness for online commerce, and customer resistance to current B2B exchange approaches. These insights were used by NCMS and GCS to develop an alternative business approach. Find out how NCMS plans to integrate and optimize inter-enterprise trading activities across multiple enterprises.

"No ‘e’ Required?" - Mark Strom, Partner, PRTM

eBusiness (especially B2B) is all the rage—the hype continues at a furious pace. In the product development world, the buzz is around "collaborative development" and similar phrases. The Web is the key I.T. enabler of this vision. But there are a few complications. First, the product development I.T. space is not at all a mature market, and actual capabilities are well behind the vision. More importantly, it’s far too easy to get caught up in the "e" and to forget the organization, processes, and practices required to achieve deep collaboration across a development chain. This discussion explores the future of collaborative development and what can be done now, "e" or not, to realize competitive advantage from a distributed development model.

Keeping Your Dispersed Team Working as a Team - Preston Smith, New Product Dynamics and co-author of Developing Products in Half the Time: New Rules, New Tools

Fueled by corporate fragmentation, outsourcing opportunities, and offshore manufacturing options, product development teams are increasingly likely to be spread around the globe. This 21st-century reality can destroy team performance. In this breakout/presentation, Preston Smith will clarify the essentials of keeping your team pulling together and illustrate the pros and cons of various tools for improving team communication, trust, and decision-making speed.

The Past, The Present and The Future for Integrated Product Realization - Richard Neal, Executive Director, Integrated Manufacturing Technology Initiative (IMTI)

This session will lead the participants through a progression of major national programs and engage the group in a discussion of lessons learned on the path to achieving the vision of integrated product realization – the answer for design anywhere, make anywhere.

Programs and tools to be discussed include the Technologies Enabling Agile Manufacturing (TEAM), Web Integration Manager (an Internet-based project management tool), Next-Generation Manufacturing (NGM), a "strategic framework" for manufacturing enterprises, Manufacturing Technology Roadmapping (IMTR) project, The Integrated Manufacturing Technology Initiative (IMTI), a not-for-profit organization formed to facilitate implementation of the IMTR road maps and the National Design Testbed.

Find out what cutting-edge tools and road maps are available for you to take advantage of.