
How Has Collaboration in Product Development Evolved? A Panel Discussion with Nathan Hartman and Jim Zwica
The manufacturing landscape is experiencing major growing pains. Over the last few decades, our industry has juggled the explosion of digital concepts, growth of global supply chains, and increasing demand from consumers. Perhaps the biggest change for manufacturers—and the most challenging to manage—is adapting to rapidly changing collaboration requirements. If a company can manage and optimize collaboration across the supply chain, it will have an edge against the competition.
At Vertex Software, I’ve had the opportunity to some of the most knowledgeable individuals in understanding both the importance of and best practices in collaboration within the manufacturing and product lifecycle management (PLM) space. My colleague Jim Zwica brings decades of experience in developing PLM tools and helping companies leverage their strategy. Professor Nathan Hartman at Purdue University has spent 15 years studying PLM and model-based approaches. This interesting cross between the research and practicing sides of the industry gives fascinating insight into how collaboration has changed and best practices for today.
I’ve invited Jim and Nathan to bring their two perspectives together for an interview about the evolution of collaboration and communication in product development. During this 60-minute panel discussion, I will ask Jim and Nathan to explore:
- The differences between collaboration twenty years ago versus today
- The impact of today’s digital concepts—like the digital twin and digital thread—on collaboration during product development
- The rivalry between 2D and 3D
If you are feeling the growing pains of Industry 4.0 and are looking for ways to embrace today’s collaboration capabilities in product development, I invite you to attend this virtual panel discussion.