Using the Digital Thread to Support Sustainability

00:00 Hello, I'm Christoph Braeuchle, VP of Product Innovation Management within PTC's PLM Group. It's my job to look for companies that are pushing the limits of their software tools and processes, and to deliver PLM innovations through Windchill that help them achieve their aspirational goals. Today, no goal is more aspirational, no more challenging than sustainability. Sustainability is a top priority in the

00:30 product lifecycle. From product definition and development through production and to recycling. Sustainability is not just important for brand reputation. It is essential for economic success and discrete manufacturing companies need a sustainability strategy in multiple areas. They need a strategy to develop, produce, and sell sustainable products with ecofriendly materials,

01:00 low energy consumption, and circularity for maximum recyclability and effective waste reduction. They need a strategy in production to lower carbon footprint in factories, logistics, and supply chains. And to also reduce quality issues to minimize waste and rework. They need a strategy to reduce indirect carbon footprint by optimizing energy and resource consumption in offices and plants.

01:31 And this even includes things like event or travel logistics. Well, as I said, these are aspirational goals. And because of that, complete lifecycle management and a seamless digital thread are essential prerequisites for sustainable products and production. You see, one of the biggest challenges with sustainability is that the impacts of decisions are often felt elsewhere. In some cases within other organizations of the same

02:04 company. But just as often outside the walls of your business. Take carbon footprint, for example. A product's true carbon footprint is a sum across the stages of its life cycle. Starting from raw material production and preprocessing, to production, distribution, usage, and disposal. To evaluate how a decision, for example, a material change would affect carbon footprint

02:36 requires information from each stage of the product lifecycle and to gather this information efficiently, that requires a digital thread. A digital thread based sustainability strategy connects engineering with other processes like procurement and supply chain collaboration and logistics. It feeds the relevant information into service management and manufacturing execution systems, for example,

03:06 in order to optimize sustainability across the entire product lifecycle. The digital thread connects processes, systems, and data, including requirements definition, system architecture, and product design and development, product validation, production planning and manufacturing, sales and distribution, product operation and service, all the way to decommissioning and recycling.

03:37 The digital thread enables insights on resource consumption and emissions in every stage of this lifecycle. It not only gives companies a clear picture of status, but it also helps with identifying and implementing required improvements. PTC's digital threat solutions with CAD, ALM, PLM, and IoT systems drive sustainability initiatives. Here's just a snapshot of how our customers are addressing sustainability

04:08 using PTC technology. With Creo, PTC's CAD for digital thread, customers are using generative design and design for additive manufacturing to significantly reduce material waste in the production process. They are also using these capabilities for lightweighting to reduce emissions when products like cars or airplanes are operated. With our application lifecycle management systems, our customers

04:39 manage sustainability requirements that are deeply connected to their software. They validate the actual product performance against those requirements to comply with global and country specific regulations. With Windchill, PTC's PLM for a digital thread, customers are implementing circular economy principles such as material substitution that helps them to consolidate product components and maximize recyclability

05:10 or upcycling or even remanufacturing. In other cases, Windchill based manufacturing process management and planning is used for seamless downstream connection of product definition to production. So they optimize the use of production resources. Last but certainly not least, our ThingWorx Iot solutions orchestrate this data. They pull up to date information from products in the field and processes

05:42 in the factory to calculate carbon footprint, cost and waste. And with ThingWorx based digital performance management, our customers are optimizing production processes. They are identifying bottlenecks and reducing rework. Let's shift our focus now and talk about the business value of sustainability. Industry leaders no longer look at sustainability as just a burden enforced by regulation, but really as a tremendous opportunity to

06:14 deliver greater value to customers and investors. Sustainability is the mark of a business that understands its value chain, starting with component and material sourcing, to operations within their organization, to the life of the product once it's left the factory. Design and engineering data from PLM is combined with real data coming from the physical world via IoT for a digital thread along the entire value chain.

06:46 Armed with this information, sustainable organizations can drive material and energy efficiencies that cut costs and improve the bottom line while also improving their environmental impact. They can identify opportunities for recycling and reuse, maximizing the value they deliver while minimizing waste. As long as the company is equipped with the necessary information and tools,

07:16 nearly every measure of sustainability can be used to drive more traditional business metrics in a new, transformative way. And so the return on investment for sustainability projects comes in many forms beyond the social and environmental good. Enterprise benefits include improved brand reputation and goodwill, improved company culture and employee engagement, reduction of materials and energy consumption, and increased top and bottom line through recycling and reuse

07:50 programs. And of course, the ability to compete in markets with increasingly comprehensive and strict environment, health, and safety regulations. With Windchill and our other digital thread offerings, PTC gives you the power to create a digital thread and drive sustainability for your enterprise.