Making a state-of-the-art PLM system requires some daring actions—like letting go.
The security situation in Europe has been covered extensively in the news since the beginning of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in 2022, and the consequent joint application for NATO membership from Sweden and Finland. The war in Ukraine has led to multiple repercussions across Europe and around the world; rampant energy prices, an incipient recession and major investments in building up defenses are some of the most significant.
As explored in my previous article, the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) plays a key role when it comes to supporting the Swedish Armed Forces. They purchase pretty much all the materiel that the Swedish Armed Forces require, from advanced fighter aircraft to radar installations and air defense systems. In total, presently more than $2 billion is spent annually on materiel, a figure that will be doubled by 2026.
It’s easy to see that a PLM system is one of the most important factors for achieving success in such a complicated endeavor, and in 2019 FMV made the decision to invest $50 million in Siemens Teamcenter to replace their old system, which consisted of 30-year-old proprietary solutions.
In today’s article you will meet FMV’s Peter Gabrielsson, change manager; Sofia Söderström, project manager at FMV; Konrad Lindblad, FMV head of system architecture; Tommy Pulkkinen, Services Director at Siemens; and Jan Ericsson, program manager at FMV.
As mentioned in my previous article, you don’t typically encounter situations such as FMV’s case, with 30-year-old, outdated, manually-demanding and partially-connected systems. In a world where IT and cyber technology have become decisive success factors, the platforms being used at all levels must meet the key requirements: it must be fast, it must be right, everything must be traceable and the systems must be competent and seamlessly connected.
This is the backdrop to FMV’s decision to phase out the old systems and bet on Siemens Digital Industries Software’s PLM suite, Teamcenter. The project is called NORMA, and the installation process and implementation of the system within the organization is in full swing.
But what are the important experiences and lessons learned from FMV’s quest?
A Positive Experience with Challenges: Dare to Let Go of the Boards
Notable in regard to the NORMA PLM project is that in all my reporting on major PLM implementations, rarely have I come across a bank of such uniformly positive experiences as we’ve seen with FMV. But, of course, there have still been some challenges.
“Change is never straightforward,” says Lindblad. “Consider that we worked with 30-year-old systems. It is clear that there are many who, within the framework of the new, want to keep the old. But it is important to dare to let go of the boards, which can be a tougher journey than you think.”
Siemens’ Tommy Pulkkinen agrees, but notes that “some hold on to the old, others find it extremely stimulating to enter the new, and a good system definitely makes people more interested.”
“But it is not only among system users in general that there is resistance,” Lindblad adds. “The introduction was also seen by the armed forces as a risky project.”
“Exactly,” says Eriksson. “There was a fear of this after the not fully satisfactory implementation following the investment in the PRIO system.”
The system, called PRIO, is part of the Armed Forces’ total IT platform. PRIO is based on SAP’s industry solution for defense forces and public security (DFPS), which is adapted for more than 20,000 users and is one of the larger SAP installations in Europe within the defense area.
Eriksson continued in reference to PRIO, “But there has clearly been a revival here. However, one must remember that it is often easier to say ‘no’ than to take the time to deeply immerse yourself in and understand the new thing. It is important to see the possibilities and objectively fight down the counterarguments, which I think we have succeeded in doing. Unfortunately, it often happens during evaluations that you focus on what didn’t work. You never get elements like that in big projects like this. But here, the positives clearly outweigh these, especially in light of the fact that we kept the budget and, despite the pandemic, actually managed the schedule with delivery according to the requirements for a total of four platforms.”
Repeated The Migration Phase Three Times
The other platforms referred to above have been within domains such as ERP.
“FMV rolled out the business system (from Unit4) before Teamcenter PLM. My experience with this was that there were far more questions on the ERP side than on the PLM system, which was actually very painless overall,” says Gabrielsson.
“Here I think that the solid preparation work that was done regarding solution verification and migration to the new system contributed to it going so well,” says Pulkkinen. “The preparations were very thorough. For example, we rehearsed the complete migration process three times before running it.”
“In this, we benefited from the challenges in connection with the PRIO implementation,” adds Eriksson.
Sofie Söderström agrees, and also points out that the cooperation within FMV’s PLM team worked extremely well.
“Yes, that’s how it is,” she says. “The team has been very close-knit, which I believe has been a decisive success factor alongside the capabilities of the software and a structured work methodology. The same applies to the iterative approach we had during the implementation. It has been necessary to gradually advance forward in parallel with secured processes. There are more units involved that have to function well when it comes to communication in a project this extensive, and I think, for example, that Siemens impressed in this with a great commitment.”
“Spot on,” says Eriksson. “It is not unusual for change processes to create tough external and internal tensions, but since I joined the job there have been no problems.”
“But in this case, there are many who think that this has actually been one of the most enjoyable projects they have been involved in. The important thing is that those who will use the systems understand why, what needs lie behind them and how the new will be able to facilitate the work. Here, Siemens’ efforts as a sounding board have functioned well,” counters Lindblad.
“It’s good to hear,” says Pulkkinen. “I believe that our so-called Agile Advantage methodology, which we used during the implementation, was very valuable. It clearly outlined everything that needed to be done and who would be responsible for what.”
“A question you always ask yourself here is how fast you can be in establishing this type of solution. But, as I said, with qualified preliminary work, big time gains can be made when it comes to establishing the system in the large organization. Then, of course, we look at what else we can do. The cloud is one such aspect, but here it is important to proceed cautiously in relation to security aspects linked to the cloud. What I mean is that you as an authority become more locked in than what generally applies on the company side. What is happening in Ukraine will be able to provide important lessons,” adds Gabrielsson.
The Future Plans in FMV’s NORMA PLM Project
Having said this, we enter a future we weren’t searching for. It’s important to remember that the system pieces that have now been established are only the beginning. But the future looks exciting, and the plans are ambitious.
This is what FMV’s road map looks like:
2023:
- Maintenance Planning/Service Planning
- Change Management
- Upgrade to the latest version of Teamcenter
- Improved handling of export-controlled products and information
2024:
- MBSE, Model-based Systems Engineering
- Product Architecture and System Modeling
- Program Management
- Product Configurator/Variability Management
2025:
- ECLASS Standardization
- Substance Compliance (REACH & RoHS)
- Logistical Support Analysis Record (LSAR)
“There is a lot on the program, yes. We have really only scratched the surface with the first implementations,” says Lindblad. “Things like maintenance planning, regulations for export control, case management for JAS Gripen and Helikopter 14 are specific areas that are challenging but exciting to get started with. The business must work on this now until the summer.”
Eriksson states that all these pieces are of the utmost importance. “There is so much more functionality in the system than what we have handled so far. At the same time, as I said, it is important to move forward with accuracy, not least when related to the handling of the confidentiality bits.”
“All of these are extremely interesting areas, which will provide an exciting digitization journey, also and perhaps above all for the business,” added Eriksson.
My Take: A Good Start, But Tough Challenges Remain
The next steps in FMV’s PLM and digitization journey contain a series of tough challenges to deal with, but so far it has undoubtedly exceeded expectations.
It is equally clear that their chosen cPDm system, Teamcenter, is one of the strongest on the market. Commercially, Teamcenter is generally one of the market’s most successful, and FMV is in good, well-known company with this choice of system.
As recently as the beginning of the year, engineering.com was able to share that the world’s largest manufacturer of trucks, Daimler Trucks, has decided to phase out its old database platform SMARAGD to replace it with a new one called PLATON, which is built on Siemens Teamcenter v.14. There are other significant examples in recent years, such as the military aviation giant Lockheed Martin Aeronautics choosing to bet on the Siemens platform. Everything lands on the last line in a solution that has proven to be well adapted to handling product data.
There are more aspects to this, but overall, the solution includes modules for things such as requirements management, system development, configuration management, variant management, test and validation. Of course, the system also has support for the “must haves” such as support for document and change management, as well as technical project management and other things.
In terms of IT and PLM support, you can’t ask for much more at the moment. The rest is up to the organization and FMV’s PLM dream team.
