In the press release around Schaefflers Windchill+ move it is noted that the relationship between the companies is expected to expand further. Partly in light of the successful merger of Schaeffler and Vitesco Technologies in October 2024, partly related to the collaboration required to develop AI-driven product development initiatives.
Not least the AI pieces look very interesting. In the press material states that the development of artificial intelligence-driven initiatives in product development is expected to be a cornerstone. This is done, for example, by utilizing product data managed across PTC’s product development portfolio, which, it is said, ”enables Schaeffler to further accelerate its related processes.”
Rainer Eidloth adds in a PTC case video that as the market has changed dramatically in a short period of time, the choice to move to the cloud model to keep up is logical. “The external challenge today is the move from combustion to electric engines, while hydrogen is a possible future solution. This brings significant changes to the table,” he said underlining that this also means new opportunities to the company to innovate.
An Important Step That Hones Schaeffler’s competitiveness
A general observation is that the cloud bet Schaeffler is doing comes in times when the necessity to do so is and to an even larger extent will be required in many places. Not only because the automotive player is sharpening its own development apparatus, but also because global collaborations with Schaeffler’s many large customers and partners in product development in this industry segment also is moving in this direction. In short, to optimize collaboration, platforms in the cloud, access to advanced digital tools, and a continuously developed infrastructure will be required as basic prerequisites.
A backdrop is that Windchill serves as the core tool for integrating mechanical, electronic, and software elements across product development at Schaeffler. It centralizes all data, forming a one source of truth hub, helping to overcome big challenges like breaks in the digital value chain. Moreover, according to a casestory published on PTC’s site, “Windchill forms the home base for collaboration, ensuring seamless flow across different systems which creates the foundation for a product-driven digital thread.” The platform also, “extends self-service access to traceable product data for non-experts, minimizing over-customization and complexity. This integration empowers Schaeffler to maintain continuity in its digital processes and provide the necessary data to users across various systems, supporting both internal and external collaboration.”
Structure and Tracebility in the Value Chain
As things stand PTC solutions are utilized to define the hard and software requirements for Shaeffler’s products with application lifecycle management (ALM) tools, Creo CAD to design its products, Windchill to manage product configurations in PLM, and to expand the use of this data as a basis for the manufacturing process with PLM solutions such as Windchill Navigate.
A main point today is the central role played by PTC’s PLM suit Windchill. With a foundation of capabilities centered around PLM, Schaeffler has brought structure and traceability to the digital value chain.
Here are some examples of what they have developed from PTC’s casebook:
- Model-Based Definition (MBD)/MBE are crucial elements for Schaeffler to ensure continuity from model design and associated data to all downstream processes. By relying on digital models as a single source of truth, Schaeffler eliminates missing or misinterpreted information, promoting clarity and reducing errors. The use of 3D models enhances traceability throughout the product lifecycle, enables better change management and decision-making.
- Digital Thread: Schaeffler leverages a PLM-based digital thread to enable consistency, collaboration, and alignment across the enterprise by providing a continuous flow of accurate product data.
- Enterprise Collaboration: By using PLM as the centralized data source, Schaeffler is able to leverage the power of a digital thread to centralize data, making it available to all relevant stakeholders.
- Requirements and Change Management: For Schaeffler, effective requirements and validation practices are more than just an integral part of developing and engineering complex products and systems. Change management plays a crucial role in the support process helping to control the configuration management.
- CREO (CAD) Generative and Multibody: With a network of Creo users, generative and multibody design brings speed, agility, and consistency to Schaeffler’s product design. Generative is leveraged to optimize designs early in the concept phase to meet requirements and reduce weight and overall cost.
PTC tools at the forefront of the PLM industry
As mentioned, moving forward based on PTC tools also makes both technical and business sense. Why? After around ten years in PTC-based development environments, much of the basic knowledge of their PLM tools is already present in the organization. In parallel PTC has developed positively in domains that are of great importance in a market where electrification, electronics and software tools are taking an increasingly greater place as a share in the total development chain and which become essential in the products that have already been developed or are under development. With the organic development or acquisitions and integrations of solutions such as Codebeamer, such as Windchill Navigate, or such as ThingWorx and Vuforia, PTC has developed positions at leading levels in critical domains:
• Codebeamer is a complete software solution for lifecycle management – ALM, Application Lifecycle Management – with all-in-one requirements, risk and test management capabilities. With smart digital workflows, you can holistically connect people, roles and processes along the software delivery lifecycle, including project, task, requirements, test, change, configuration, build, knowledge and document management. Used, for example, within the VW Group.
• Windchill Navigate enables stakeholders throughout the organization to easily access the rich data stored within the organization’s enterprise system – no training required. With out-of-the-box (OOTB) role and task-based apps that provide contextualized information as well as the ability to easily customize apps to meet organizational needs, Windchill Navigate helps users spend less time searching for data and more time collaborating to: develop, manufacture, sell, and support world class products. Used e.g. in BMW.
• ThingWorx and Vuforia: ThingWorx is PTC’s solution for industrial IoT. Often cited as a pain point, ThingWorx is designed to reduce these barriers. Key features include rapidly integrating existing business systems with IoT applications using pre-built and reusable touchpoints. It also provides a foundation for developing solutions that require data from multiple systems. Allows for rapid integration development. While Vuforia is the company’s extensive “artificial reality” (AR) portfolio for, for example, capturing and sharing expert knowledge around work instructions based on retrieved existing product data from the CAD side. For example, you can also build AI-enhanced visual inspection controls and help frontline workers with remote assistance in real time. Used by Volvo Trucks, for example.
In parallel, a number of Windchill modules and capabilities have been developed within PDM, MBSE (Model-Based System Engineering), BOM management (Bill of Material), ECM Engineering Change Management (change management), PCM product configuration (Product Configuration Management), MPM management of manufacturing processes (Manufacturing Process Management), QM quality management (Quality Management), supply chain management (Supply Chain Management), to name some of the most important.
Cloud and SaaS a Winner Despite the impact of the Tariff Crisis
Getting ther users onto the cloud, investing in SaaS and AI has been an absolute priority among PLM developers for some time. PTC, Siemens, Dassault Systemes, Autodesk, SAP, Aras and all the others among the so-called Mindshare Leaders identified by the PLM analyst, CIMdata, have this focus.
This is now increasingly starting to have an impact on the user level among companies. The reasons are weighty, such as access to all conceivable software in one place, the exponentially growing performance of the cloud to process the growing amounts of data that come with the digitalization of product development processes and the emergence of AI, its scalability, automatically integrated upgrades, the globally connected collaboration platforms via AWS or Microsoft’s Azure, etc., everything points to the unbeatable capacity, simplicity and value for money of this combination.
Then we will see where the Trump administration’s troublesome choice of path regarding tariffs leads. The concern about this makes companies feel uncertain about basic trade conditions, which risks having a major impact on their business and, as a consequence, they hold tighter to their investment budgets. But sooner or later, the cloud, AI and SaaS path forward is a winner.
For example analyst IDC forecasts a surge in adoption of SaaS PLM over the next few years driven by its unique ability to digitally transform product development and manufacturing processes. Businesses are relying on SaaS to redefine the customer experience and accelerate the creation of innovative products with a more agile, secure way of working. In an InfoBrief the analyst writes:
”SaaS PLM is the key to product development in a disrupted, global economy—it simplifies collaboration and streamlines information to improve design, manufacturing, and support processes.” In light of this development, Schaeffler’s investment looks like a wise move.
