The Auto ID and Sensing Expo, held at MIT and produced by the Cambridge Enterprise Forum, offered a preview of what's ahead for auto-ID and related sensor-based technologies. In years past, this event was focused on UHF-RFID.  This year's event was expanded to include technologies ranging from automotive telematics to specialized RFID-data-acquisition systems designed for vertical industries.  It reasons that the driving force behind RFID-related technologies has moved from  third-party commercial-and-federal mandate to need-based functionality defined along vertical-market requirements. 

The pace and complexity of change the automotive industry is facing is staggering.  If we look ahead 10 or 20 years, how many times will the product need to change?  Joe Barkai and I have taken a look at just a few of the high profile announcements we've seen over the last couple months - from recent auto shows, investments in new technologies, and even the relationship between the industry's products and regulations, voluntary or involuntary.   A common theme runs through many of these announcements - sustainability.

For the auto industry, sustainability isn't just about one issue or one product.  It's about addressing a combination of environmental, social, and economic issues, such as customer expectations, government regulations, and financial pressures, all at the same time;  knowing the risks and opportunities across every aspect of the business and across the lifecycle of every product is crucial.

Last week I received an email  from one of the top PLM vendors with this question: "could PLM have prevented the recent recall of Toyota cars?"  Earlier today, I was interviewed by a top-tier business magazine, and, perhaps not surprisingly, one of the questions was: "why wasn’t simulation able to predict the increased friction in the accelerator pedal mechanism and prevent the failure?"

My response to both was that no, I did not think that PLM could have prevented the failure altogether.  It is my opinion, however, that when used effectively, PLM can reduce the likelihood of failures, expedite root-cause analysis, and the formulation of remedial steps.  In the case of a recall,  PLM, combined with other tools, can reduce the number of recalled cars, thereby reducing costs and damage to the brand image.

Before I discuss the rational behind my responses, I am interested to hear your opinions whether PLM could have / should have prevented this or similar product failures.   

See more on this recall here http://idc-insights-community.com/posts/073f490f43  

We just published our report on supply network optimization – "Best Practices: Supply Network Optimization in Asset-Oriented Value Chains (AOVC)" (MI220746).  Our research was geared toward asset-oriented manufacturers (those with significant asset investments, primarily chemicals, metals, and pulp and paper), because we believe complexity in this segment's greater supply chain, including production, can be well served by supply network optimization (SNO).  Optimization tools will play a significant role in 2010 as global economies slowly recover and companies look to survive and to position themselves for the inevitable recovery.  Most of the use cases for SNO tools among the AOVC also apply to many types of manufacturers.