Windchill 11 is here

3 HTi is excited about the improvements and changes this major release will bring our PLM customers.

The new release features all kinds of great new features:

  • New Creo management tools
  • New search capabilities
  • Improved role-based UI
  • Robust BoM management
  • Cloud deployments
  • New licensing terms for greater flexibility and lower costs

Single Source of Product Information

There is currently a big gap in Windchill use after a product leaves the factory. Windchill is mainly used as a design and manufacturing tool.

Windchill 11 changes that by making Windchill accessible to everyone in your organization, from the engineering team to the sales floor.

Kevin Wrenn, PTC PLM Divisional GM, demoed at the release party how companies can utilize the new feature set in Windchill 11 to make their product data accessible across their organizations.

In other words, Windchill 11 transforms Windchill from a product development tool to a product lifecycle tool.

Role-based UI Makes Windchill Accessible

A new and improved role-based UI makes Windchill much more accessible for occasional and part-time users. Windchill 11 software gives users only the information they need in a customized interface.

Extraneous and confidential information is hidden so that users are able to easily and quickly get the information they need — and get back to work.

As an example, depending on who is looking at a given product, the default Build of Materials (BoM) view might show:

  • For product designers — — Engineering BoM
  • For assembly and logistics — — Manufacturing BoM
  • For support teams — — Service BoM

As another example, Creo designs automatically display with the most useful perspective, depending on the user’s role. All without even needing Creo to be installed on that machine.

More Easily Connected

It’s also now easier than ever to hook in outside information systems and data to create a single pane of information showing design to manufacture… all the way to end use.

For instance, Lifetime Products representatives talked at the launch event about how Windchill 11 has replaced 23 separate data systems for their organization. Everything is now integrated into Windchill.

Licensing Changes Make Big Difference Too

We’re also really excited by the changes in product licensing that allow for role-based licenses (like “manufacturing floor” or “sales associates,” as opposed to named licenses for every individual user).

This licensing change makes Windchill much more affordable to roll out to your entire organization as a single source of product information.

Don’t Try This in Production

Windchill 11 is a big new release with a variety of benefits, but remember… don’t try rolling it into production as soon as it becomes generally available.

Wait for a release or two for increased stability before deploying Windchill 11 in a production environment. In the meantime, we’ll be playing with it in the lab to fully understand the feature set, benefits and potential bugs.

What’s Windchill 11 Mean to Your Company?

The bottom line: You will be able to centralize more and more of your data in a single place and in a single tool, saving money and decreasing complexity.

We’ll provide a full Windchill 11 review after we spend more time with the final released product.

Questions? Give Us a Call

Let us know if you’d like to discuss whether Windchill 11 (or Windchill Cloud) might be a game changer for your company. 3 HTi does extensive consulting and process assessments on design and manufacturing processes. Windchill isn’t for every organization, but it can be revolutionary for many. Let’s talk and see what your company might be able to do to increase efficiencies.

We’re available at (866) 624-3HTi, and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.

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