Steve Dertien is the chief technology officer and managing director of the Office of the Chief Technology Officer at PTC. In this role, Steve champions corporate technology strategy across PTC’s products including augmented and virtual reality, the industrial internet of things, software architecture, computer-aided design, and product lifecycle management. Steve also leads the innovation research lab and advanced technology development groups, where he evangelizes state-of-the-art advancements with PTC technology and the business advantages it can provide to PTC’s customers and global partner network.
A Community defining the future of engineering
The PTC/USER Global Summit has always held a unique place in our ecosystem, not because it is a PTC event, but precisely because it isn’t. There’s something special about an event that’s conceived, owned and run entirely by the user community who live and breathe the technology every day. That independence is its strength. It creates a forum where customers speak candidly, challenge openly and collaborate without filters. It’s also what makes it my favorite event of the year.
Being invited into this environment is a privilege. It’s an opportunity to listen, learn and understand what truly matters to the people who rely on our products to deliver real‑world outcomes for their own customers. This year’s Summit in Las Vegas was a powerful reminder of the depth, maturity and momentum of this community.
What stood out most to me this year was the sense of urgency. Across industries, customers are navigating unprecedented pressure from compressed timelines and supply chain volatility to regulatory complexity, and of course, the rapid rise of AI-driven expectations. Despite the sense of urgency, the tone in Las Vegas wasn’t anxious, it was focused.
Attendees came ready to understand what’s next, how to move faster and how to unlock more value from the tools they already rely on. That mindset shaped pretty much every conversation I had.
If you couldn’t attend this year, you not only missed some great insights, but also the chance to engage with a community of peers that are aligned, energized and collaborative. But more importantly, you missed the collective momentum in the room. This community is shaping the future of engineering, not reacting to it.
For my part, my keynote centered on the three priorities that define where PTC is heading and how we’re supporting our customers’ next chapter:
- Simplifying how customers engage with PTC – We’re aligning our product roadmaps, modernizing naming conventions, and improving compatibility clarity. Moving to model-year naming nomenclature, including Creo 2027, Windchill 2027 and Codebeamer 2027, is one example of how we’re making our portfolio easier to navigate.
- Deep investment in Creo, Windchill and AI - We previewed Creo 13, which is releasing imminently, outlined the significant Windchill UX and capability enhancements, debuted Project Echo, our new collaboration offering launching later this year, and showcased embedded AI capabilities designed to amplify engineering productivity. These are not just abstract concepts, but rather practical, high‑value capabilities shaped directly by customer input.
- Celebrating customer achievement - This year’s customer stories were exceptional. From NASA’s Artemis mission, where much of the rocket, module and space suits were engineered in PTC software, to NVIDIA, Lamborghini, Rona Medical and Dormakaba, who each added their own powerful examples of what’s possible when world‑class teams pair ambition with the right tools.
AI: Embedded, practical and built for real work
A significant part of our discussions centered on AI, and specifically how it can remove friction for engineers rather than add complexity. We demonstrated AI‑assisted interrogation and automation inside Creo, computer‑vision‑driven part consolidation in Windchill, as well as new ways to unlock value from existing product data.
Each of these capabilities are designed to streamline workflows and accelerate how teams get work done. These practical AI advances are not about replacing engineers. They’re all about empowering them.
Engineering at scale (without the gloss) and tackling the ‘Messy Middle’
I had the privilege of moderating the panel session with UKBIC and Cummins, which offered a grounded, real‑world view of engineering challenges in the energy sector from battery innovation to hydrogen power systems. Their respective stories resonated because they reflect the realities many companies across industries all face: scaling fast, managing complexity and navigating industry transformation. It was engineering speaking to engineering and was both candid and pragmatic.
As most of us know or have already experienced firsthand, the most persistent barrier to progress is not technology, but rather organizational change management. Aligning engineering, manufacturing and supply chain, managing competing priorities across stakeholders, integrating acquired teams and tools, as well as driving user adoption at scale is the ‘messy middle’ part of any transformation.
At PTC, we are investing heavily in helping our customers navigate these challenges from business value consulting to user‑level onboarding and adoption support. Transformation succeeds only when people, process and technology move together.
Every year, the PTC/USER Global Summit reinforces and reminds me of a simple truth: that our customers are our greatest source of insight, innovation and inspiration. Your challenges shape our roadmap. Your feedback sharpens our strategy. Your achievements remind us why this work matters.
To everyone who joined us in Las Vegas, thank you for your candor, your curiosity and your partnership. I’m already looking forward to next year’s Summit in Anaheim, CA, which will no doubt build on the progress and energy of this year’s event. I hope to see many of you there. It’s a gathering no one in this community should miss.
Finally, I want to extend my sincere thanks to Brian York and the entire PTC/USER organization for creating a forum where honest dialogue, shared learning and real community thrive, and for their continued stewardship of this remarkable community.
Steve Dertien is EVP, Customer and Technology Partnerships, PTC Inc.