Microsoft Builds Bridges To PLM

Expect UGS Corp.'s product lifecycle management (PLM) software to integrate with 2007 when Microsoft Corp. begins shipping the product in the fall, the Redmond, Wash.-based developer said.

PLM software tools, historically used by industrial manufacturing companies, such as automotive and electronics, to and support the complete life cycle of products, has gained acceptance in recent years from industries, such as textile and consumer goods.

UGS already supports SharePoint services and interfaces and integration into Office and Outlook. They also run the software on top of Sequel 2005. This takes UGS to the next step, with a version of the enterprise software running on top of the infrastructure. "UGS plans to more tightly integrate with Office 2007, take advantage of features in Vista and also start looking at BizTalk and other technologies," said Bill Gerould, Microsoft's industry director worldwide discrete manufacturing. "It will move UGS down a synergetic path with Microsoft."

The companies promise about eight functions to start. They include the ability to check-in or check-out items between Office and Teamcenter, create and map Teamcenter to Office documents, view Teamcenter from the task pane, synchronize tasks between Teamcenter workflow and Outlook, create document templates and change requests or engineering orders, assign and respond to assignments, and manage product requirements. Microsoft expects to deliver Office 2007 to businesses by October 2006, with the public beta 2 in spring. Windows Vista, however, will hit retail store shelves and the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) channel in January 2007.

Microsoft wants to become the technology infrastructure that supports enterprise resource planning (ERP), supply chain, customer relationship management (CRM) and PLM applications, Gerould said.

And events this week make that strategy perfectly clear. Although an informal relationship between Microsoft and UGS dates back 10 years, formalizing the partnership cements Microsoft as the enabler delivering the goods. Earlier this week, Microsoft and AG said they would deliver new software called Duet, co-named Mendocino, on June 28. Duet gives mySAP users access to enterprise information through Microsoft Office.

Companies will need licenses for mySAP 2004, Microsoft Office 2003 Professional Edition or higher, Windows Server, and Exchange for each Duet user. Add-on software schedule for release later this year will let companies run Duet future mySAP and Office releases.

Similar to the agreement between Microsoft and SAP, businesses will need to purchase licenses from both software companies. TeamCenter has a one-time $300 per-user fee, with 20 percent maintenance costs annually. A separate license for Office 2007 is required.

yahoo.com/