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Going Native—Finding Qualified Pro/ENGINEER Partners
By Greg Saisselin, ProeSuppliers.com
Everyone understands the benefits of associativity and the value of maintaining a single native file format through the entire product development process. That’s why thousands of companies made significant investments in Pro/ENGINEER over the past decade. However, many suppliers may or may not use different CAD systems such as CATIA®, Unigraphics® and others too numerous to mention. So when outsourcing product development services, should a Pro/ENGINEER-based organization sacrifice their investment and the valued benefits of Pro/ENGINEER ?
Baby STEPs
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Despite the best intentions and efforts of talented software engineers, the goal of seamless data exchange between heterogeneous CAD systems remains elusive. Nearly a quarter century has passed since the inception of a vendor-neutral means for transferring design geometry, the Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES).
Yet IGES, along with its successor STEP (ISO 10303), have failed to produce a stable environment for sharing design information within product development teams.
A survey conducted by Tenlinks.com and Proficiency, Inc. revealed no companies among the respondents accepted product designs from their suppliers in either of these exchange protocols. Two-thirds instead required 2D electronic drawings and nearly half also demanded 3D models in their native CAD formats. Thus, while IGES and STEP may be useful for some applications, they do not solve the issue of interoperability for supplier interactions.
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The answer is they don't have to. ProeSuppliers.com solves the daunting challenge of identifying qualified resources that can help your company maintain and extend the benefits of owning Pro/ENGINEER. Our focus is in the networking of companies so they can benefit from a seamless environment from concept to production.
How It Works
ProeSuppliers.com acts as a centralized database for outsourcing companies to identify industry-distinct resources with Pro/E capabilities. Our proprietary application lets you search by such variables as industry expertise, service description, geographic location, and key words that relate to any possible service, material, capability, and so forth.
Proesuppliers.com delivers results in a "best match" format based upon the selected search criteria. These criteria can be as specific or as broad as you want. The search system also takes into consideration that most suppliers offer various services that are not covered under one descriptive name, and often cater to multiple industries. We call this "sequential search capabilities," identifying every possible supplier that can satisfy the required service based upon the selected criteria.
At ProeSuppliers.com, you can use the search capabilities to locate the service provider that you need.
Benefits to Suppliers and Industry Partners
Each search performed in ProeSuppliers.com generates data that drives detailed graphical results in the suppliers’ member page. From this information, companies can tailor their listings to meet and communicate currently valued services and requirements. And this real-time communication can happen on even the most modest of marketing budgets. With an annual listing fee of $595.00, any supplier—not just the “rich and famous”—can benefit from this service.
Seeing the huge potential benefits for members and partners alike, PTC/USER is forming a strategic alliance with ProeSuppliers.com. According to Kevin Johnson, Executive Director for PTC/USER and head of new business development efforts, “the launch of the partnership with ProeSuppliers.com leverages the unique capabilities of each organization. Both are leaders in their respective areas and together, we will make available a dynamic and desperately-needed resource that surpasses those offered by any other user network in the world.”
Under its strategic alliance agreement, ProeSuppliers.com will provide Industry Partners new, effective ways to connect directly with the user community. For example, partners can take advantage of such benefits as resource identification services, supplier listing services, marketing and advertising programs, national and international employment opportunities, supply chain management services, and PTC software packages.
If you are in need of Pro/ENGINEER-related services, please check out ProeSuppliers.com today. You'll be glad you did! 
Greg Saisselin is president of ProeSuppliers.com in Avon, Connecticut. He can be reached via e-mail at greg@proesuppliers.com.
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