Bose sounds out product lifecycle management

US-based hi-fi sound system manufacturer Bose is set to standardise on PLM (product lifecycle management) technology from CAD/CAM/PDM software vendor PTC Solutions, following evaluation of several solutions at its Framingham, Massachusetts HQ. The company is buying into PTC’s Windchill PLM system to support its drive to collaborative product development and management. It intends to use the system company-wide and expects to improve everything from core product data management, to engineering change orders, including automation. It will also provide the foundation for Bose’s move into collaborative engineering both within Bose’s own sites and with external suppliers and partners. Says Robert Ramrath, Bose’s chief information officer: “To improve our existing product development environment, we need a technology to enable automation and new approaches to design processes. We believe [this] provides us the functionality and broad process integration capabilities we require.”