SofTech, Inc. News
SofTech and John Stark Associates Answer Call For More Executive Education on PLM
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) at Top of Strategic Initiatives for Global Manufacturers; Free Downloadable White Paper Identifies 10 Key PLM Facts Companies Need to KnowTEWKSBURY, Mass. — July 24, 2006 — SofTech, Inc. (OTCBB: SOFT), a proven provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions, and leading PLM consulting firm, John Stark Associates, announce the availability of a new executive briefing on PLM authored by John Stark, entitled 10 Critical PLM Facts Every Executive Should Know.
This executive briefing was developed out of a need uncovered at the SofTech/John Stark Associates PLM Webinar Series held this past winter, entitled PLM: Understanding, Justifying and Realizing. This Webinar drew attendees from over 500 companies from around the globe, highlighting the level of interest in this topic. From live polls conducted during the series, attendees indicated that PLM is a key corporate strategic initiative for their companies. Many, if not starting a brand new PLM initiative very soon, were in the process of extending their PLM implementations.
“Although the value of PLM was recognized, attendees responded in live polling that the three biggest barriers to adoption of a PLM technology in their companies were: lack of understanding at the executive level, lack of appropriate people to work on the project, and lack of a PLM champion,” states John Stark, President of John Stark Associates.
“It is very interesting to me that most of the attendees reported that PLM was recognized within their organizations as critically important, but that they were uncertain as to whether or not the key decision makers in their organizations fully appreciated the business value that can be realized from a successful PLM implementation. This white paper details those benefits and provides guidance on how to overcome typical issues like these in a PLM implementation,” he added.
This paper follows on the heels of another well-read SofTech/John Stark PLM white paper, Top 10 PLM Pitfalls to Avoid, which has been downloaded by thousands of companies and featured in a number of industry publications and ezines.
For a complete copy of this new executive briefing paper and others, including the Top 10 PLM Pitfalls paper, visit http://www.softech.com/whitepapers for a complimentary download.
About Dr. John Stark
Dr. John Stark, president of John Stark Associates (www.johnstark.com), is an internationally recognized thought-leader and writer on the topic of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). In 2004, he published Product Lifecycle Management: Paradigm for 21st Century Product Realisation. This book is first to describe a new ‘cradle to grave’ holistic paradigm of PLM, with the primary objective being to increase product revenues and the value of the product portfolio. Previous thinking had been departmental, atomistic and unconnected, with efforts to develop new products and to increase innovation even being seen in some companies as waste, a profit-reducing cost to be cut or eliminated. In this new PLM paradigm described by John Stark, PLM is seen as an essential value-adding investment. Without it, there would soon be no products to offer customers, and no products for which to provide services.
John Stark is an independent management and technology consultant. Prior to launching John Stark Associates in 1991, he worked with developers and providers of systems and consulting services for product development, engineering management, CAD, PDM, process definition, JIT and process control. In his consulting career, he has worked with many companies including ABB, BMW, Braun, Coca-Cola, Eaton, Ford Motor Company, HP, IBM, Kodak, Legrand, Nestle, PSA, Renault, Saab, Schindler, Sikorsky, Valeo and Xerox. He currently works with manufacturing companies on the practical implementation of the PLM paradigm and its further development.
About SofTech, Inc.
SofTech, Inc. (OTCBB: SOFT) is a proven provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions with its flagship ProductCenter™ PLM solution, and its computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) products, including CADRA™ and Prospector™.
SofTech's solutions accelerate products and profitability by fostering innovation, extended enterprise collaboration, product quality improvements, and compressed time-to-market cycles. SofTech excels in its sensible approach to delivering enterprise PLM solutions, with comprehensive out-of-the-box capabilities, to meet the needs of manufacturers of all sizes quickly and cost-effectively.
Over 100,000 users benefit from SofTech solutions, including General Electric Company, Goodrich, Honeywell, Siemens, Sikorsky Aircraft, U.S. Army, and Whirlpool Corporation. Headquartered in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, SofTech (www.softech.com) has locations and distribution partners throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.
SofTech, CADRA, ProductCenter and Prospector are trademarks of SofTech, Inc. All other products or company references are the property of their respective holders.
SOFTECH COMPANY CONTACT:
Crissy Bardani
Director of Marketing
SofTech, Inc.
cbardani@softech.com
(978) 513-2700 Ext. 265
