It has been very encouraging over the past few years to witness so many Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) professionals become active in the sustainability transition as it becomes increasingly important to our global economy.
In this our next series of posts from the PLM Green Global Alliance we will feature and interview those PLM professionals from around the world whom we consider leaders in driving our profession to create a more sustainable, low carbon, circular economy. There is much innovation in R&D and NPD to be led by these professionals as time is running out to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the end of this decade, which climate scientists warn us is critical.
Our first recognized “Leader in PLM and Sustainability” is Mark Reisig who is an Executive Consultant and the Sustainability & Green Energy Practice Director at the global PLM market consultancy CIMdata. Mark also volunteers his time and expertise to PLM Green as a moderator of the Sustainability and Green Energy topical research themes.
Mark joined CIMdata after an extensive career in PLM with Aras, GE, Federation, Oracle, Auto-trol Technology, Kraft-Heinz, Catalytic, and Day & Zimmermann. He has worked with all the major PLM solution providers from both an industrial perspective responsible for large global deployments as well as deploying those technologies from a solution provider and consulting perspective. His experience spans engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and operations across industries that include energy, aerospace, defense, automotive, industrial, high-tech electronics, and food & beverage, where he led the delivery of PLM solutions and digital transformation initiatives. He is an author, blogger, and frequent speaker on the intersection of PLM and sustainability.
In our initial interview we asked Mark a rather simple question to understand what drove him to becoming involved with the application of PLM to sustainability:
“What personally motivates you the most about the opportunities and challenges in using PLM to create a more sustainable, low-carbon, circular economy?”
Mark responded:
“What motivates me is a belief that we should leave something better off than how we found it—a lesson instilled in me as a child.
As background, I saw the Keeling Curve in high school, which clearly proved we were adding CO2 to the atmosphere (~334 ppm) greater than in the pre-industrial era. I also knew the ocean absorbed more CO2 than land, which would cause the polar caps to melt having several negative impacts, but one was more vapor in the atmosphere thus causing a greater greenhouse effect and more global warming. Today, we are at ~426 ppm and growing.
Carbon is ubiquitous—all living things are made of carbon. All the products we design, manufacture and use are made of carbon. We have a finite planet. It’s been blatantly obvious that we must use carbon as well as water and other elements, chemicals, and nature in a more sustainable way, which we can through innovation.
Being in PLM, I know this can be done and is being done. In the past we designed for time, cost, quality, sometimes innovation, now sustainability and in some cases even circularity (cradle-to-cradle). You can manage what is known as a CO2e and design for sustainability, by making products that last longer, reduce their environmental impact, are repairable, can be reused, refurbished, and ultimately recycled to minimize the waste to landfill.
And climate change—the result of global warming just keeps getting worse, so if you want your grandkids to inherit an earth that’s more habitable like I do, you may want to do a little homework.
History clearly demonstrates that we humans are extremely innovative, but I don’t think we’ve proven we govern especially well, and this is a problem that impacts us all. So my ask is simply to do some homework as I do and be open to alternatives as we’re all in the boat together.
The primary challenge facing companies today lies in the fact that while the greatest environmental impact occurs early in the conceptual design phase, most of a product’s embedded carbon is found within the supply chain, which designers typically do not have access to in real time. Creating a more sustainable product is impossible if we continue to rely on outdated processes rooted in the traditional “take, make, waste” model, which is no longer viable.
To achieve true sustainability, companies must embed transparency and environmental considerations into their PLM strategy. This means ensuring that product design and related functions have clear visibility into the entire supply chain, including logistics and manufacturing alternatives, to design, produce, and sustain products as we transition into a more circular economy.
By evolving PLM strategies to be more comprehensive and transparent across the extended supply chain, including logistics, businesses can unlock opportunities to become more resilient, delivering higher quality and lower costs throughout the product lifecycle, while creating more sustainable, cost-effective products that support both business and environmental goals.
So, in summary and to be candid, my motivation has nothing to do with professional gain, but one I feel compelled to pursue as a matter of personal ethics and societal responsibility to leaving behind a better world. I am thankful I have enjoyed a career in PLM with the support of my employers and colleagues, like those at CIMdata and PLM Green, that allows me to champion this cause.”
Thank you Mark for your contributions to both PLM and Sustainability!
To read more about Mark’s passion for PLM and Sustainability, I recommend this comprehensive thought leadership paper he authored and is available from CIMdata HERE. You can also follow Mark on LinkedIn along with CIMdata’s announcements of his publications and speaking events.
The PLM Green Global Alliance welcomes hearing from others on who they think is leading our profession forward in PLM and sustainability. Send your nomination to our co-founder Richard McFall at richard@plmgreenalliance.com.
Until then, be sure to subscribe to our PLM Green news feed on LinkedIn and receive updates by email from our website.