PLM mindshare leader PTChas published a new profile on how the European wind energy giant Vestas employs enterprise PLM to manage the digital thread across the product lifecycle.
PTC writes “To meet the unique needs of each customer and accelerate deployment, Vestas embraced digital transformation as they design, manufacture, install, and service onshore and offshore wind turbines across the globe….Vestas has taken a digital-first approach to manufacturing that encompasses all activities from defining products to planning for how parts will be produced (at their own factories with OEM manufacturing partners or on-site).”
A new post from Siemens published in LinkedIn Technology & Innovation News profiles how experts from bremenports and Siemens have developed a digital twin to help envision the international port of Bremerhaven achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. As one of the world’s most ambitious port decarbonization projects, the findings highlight that renewable energy and smart energy management are critical to its success.
Read on HERE to learn how this is to be possible by actually cutting carbon emissions, not through certificates and emissions trading.
(Header feature image courtesy and copyright of bremenports GmbH.)
PLM Green contributor Mark Reisig from CIMdata has authored a new commentary on “Embedding Product Sustainability within PLM.”
In the paper Mark features the work of CONTACT Software to aggregate and manage product data across the lifecycle to provide a complete Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) solution. Key takeaways include:
Embedding sustainability in PLM enables the integration of environmental factors into lifecycle activities, including Product Carbon Footprint (PCF), along with sustainability-related material and supplier data, supporting informed decision-making and ensuring regulatory compliance.
CONTACT Software enables the aggregation of CO₂-equivalent (CO₂eq) emissions using PLM data across development phases while supporting variant management and PCF calculations. It integrates sustainability-related materials data to provide a transparent view of cost and environmental impact.
CONTACT Software enables strategic procurement, resulting in better decision-making by seamlessly integrating supplier data with environmental declarations via PCF data.
CONTACT Software provides a comprehensive energy management solution that helps reduce environmental impact and improve efficiency by monitoring and optimizing energy consumption throughout production processes.
A new article from PTC Arena Solutions profiles an example of how PLM software helps global battery companies navigate growth and challenges. The author Joseph Prock writes:
“Product lifecycle management is playing a pivotal role in supporting the battery industry. PLM systems provide a centralized location to manage all product-related information, ensuring that information is consistent, current, and accessible to all stakeholders. This centralized product record facilitates better collaboration among teams, from research and development to manufacturing and quality assurance, leading to more efficient and streamlined processes.
PLM is significantly transforming the battery industry by helping streamline product development processes, enhance innovation, sustain compliance with industry regulations, and helping the industry to meet the growing demand for efficient, high-quality, and sustainable battery solutions.”
Learn more about the the importance of PLM in battery development by reading the entire article HERE.
(Feature image courtesy of and credit of PTC Arena Solutions.)
(The following is extracted from an Aras press release on Feb. 11, 2025.)
“Aras, a leader in product lifecycle management (PLM) and digital thread solutions, announced today that Tokamak Energy, a pioneering fusion energy company, has chosen Aras Innovator® SaaS as its enterprise PLM solution. Following an extensive evaluation, the company selected Aras for its flexible architecture, cost-effective licensing model, and comprehensive functionality available from day one.
The selection marks Tokamak Energy’s first enterprise-wide PLM implementation beyond computer-aided design (CAD) data management and will be delivered under a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) agreement. “We are proud to partner with Tokamak Energy in their groundbreaking work,” said Roque Martin, CEO of Aras. “Our flexible platform and unique business model eliminate the traditional barriers to PLM adoption, empowering innovative companies like Tokamak Energy to focus on their core mission – developing commercial fusion energy solutions.”
Learn why Aras was selected and what PLM functions will be implemented by reading the full press release from Aras HERE.
Learn more about the development of green fusion energy at Tokamak Energy HERE.
A European Green PLM Conference to be held in Berlin, Germany, on 14 November, 2024, has been announced by InMediasP GmbH.
The Green PLM Conference will focus on developers of a wide range of products who are increasingly facing the complex demands of ESG regulations. These include the Green Claim, the CSRD, the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act and the Circular Economy Action Plan. These regulations require in-depth information and decision-making across the entire product lifecycle, from the earliest stages of development.
Green PLM solutions can help meet these challenges. These are methods, processes and IT solutions that enable comprehensive data management and continuous data analysis for a sustainable product lifecycle.
The European SUSTAINair initiative is to provide the aviation sector with a transition runway to a low-carbon circular economy while tackling the increase in resource consumption, waste, and emissions along the entire aviation component value chain.
The recent project report deliverable “New Recyclate Materials with LifeCycle Impact Assessment” defines Life Cycle Assessment and Circular Economy, and then explores a LCA-CE model for the aviation industry to bring the principles together for assessing the environmental impact of new materials.
In this article from Patrice Quencez, Director Consultant of CIMPA PLM Services and PLM Green Circular Economy (CE) contributor, discusses the deployment, completion, and reinforcement of PLM capabilities to meet sustainability stakes of complex systems with long lifecycles, such as those found in aviation and aerospace. Patrice writes:
“Even if today more and more companies are integrating sustainability in their strategy, some business sectors already run practices and capabilities which can be extrapolated, adapted for circular economy (see article PLM for CE). These sectors deal with large complex systems with long cycle as examples: Nuclear Plants, Transportation systems, Buildings and Civil Work Infrastructures, Aircraft, Naval ships, submarines…”
Image courtesy of CIMPA PLM Services
“The complexity, the size of these systems, the duration and the costs of their development encourage their exploitation the longest time possible with maintenance, improvement, adaptation of their performances. Numerous of these products have also sensitive impacts (or risks) on the environment and people health (ex.: aeronautic, nuclear, building, Spatial vehicles…)”
Learn more by continue to read this timely LinkedIn Newsletter from Patrice HERE
PLM & Sustainability with Circular Economy: How PLM sustains Sustainability & Circular Economy
This article published as a LinkedIn Newsletter by PLM Green Circular Economy moderator Patrice Quencez from CIMPA PLM Services introduces a reading grid using a systemic approach to scope PLM levers to tackle Sustainability-Circular Economy and frame concrete actions forward.
In the article, Patrice discusses:
The different systems, players involved in the sustainability.
The areas of the PLM contributions through development / operations value chains and their digital enablers.
The positions, roles of Circular Economy within these value chains and again which PLM levers are specifically addressed.
Learn why PLM digital platforms are the key enablers to develop sustainability thru a Circular Economy by reading the complete article here.
This month we are pleased to feature a guest blog submitted by PLM Green Global Alliance follower Roger L. Franz. who shares a few things he has learned as a Principal in Engineering Information Technology when beginning to explore the state of PLM tools to Design for Sustainability.
Design for Sustainability is now a mainstream requirement from governments, regulators, and customers. In this brief we summarize some current trends in the area of PLM tools to support rapid engineering assessment of environmental footprint among the many engineering choices. Engineering and science-based tools to quickly guide hardware engineers toward material selection and product configuration choices with reduced environmental footprint are critical to our future.
“Siemens Digital Industries Software today announced that Daimler Truck has adopted Siemens’ Simcenter™ STAR-CCM+™ software to develop next-generation, CO2-neutral vehicles. Simcenter, part of Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio, will provide Daimler Truck with the leading-edge computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solution it needs to transform its CAE development process to a full digital twin-driven multiphysics environment.
Image courtesy of Siemens Digital Industries Software and Daimler Truck
Daimler Truck plans to use Simcenter to improve aerodynamic performance, as well as explore and optimize innovative e-mobility propulsion and energy management systems including battery cooling and hydrogen technology. The software will also help support legacy combustion engine and exhaust system design and associated CO2 reduction.”
Learn more by reading the complete press release HERE.
“Akselos – leader in physics-based Digital Twins – today announces a $16.5 million funding round, with participation from AT Capital Group, Future Energy Ventures, Japan Energy Fund and Shell Ventures.
With the latest investment round, Akselos will acquire an investor base to support the company’s ongoing global growth, enabling it to scale both its team and solutions to optimise the energy industry’s existing infrastructure and accelerate large scale deployment of renewable energy. This is a crucial step toward the company’s aim of providing technology to enable the energy transition in line with Akselos’ commitment to the IEA Net Zero 2050 roadmap.
Image Credit of Digital Twin Modelling from Akselos
Akselos’ solution – which is 1,000x faster and 10x more accurate than the industry standard when modelling large scale assets – simulates exact virtual replicas, or predictive and accurate Digital Twins, of energy assets such as offshore wind turbine and their foundations.”
Learn more by reading the full Akselos press release HERE.
“ZeroAvia is a leader in zero-emission aviation, focused on hydrogen-electric aviation solutions to address a variety of markets, initially targeting 500-mile range in 10–20 seat aircraft used for commercial passenger transport, cargo, agriculture, and more. Based in the UK and USA, ZeroAvia has already secured experimental certificates for its two prototype aircraft from the CAA and FAA, passed significant flight test milestones, and is on track for commercial operations in 2024. The company’s expanding UK operations are supported by grants from UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute and Innovate UK, and ZeroAvia is part of the UK Government’s Jet Zero Council.” from https://www.zeroavia.com/about-us.
“As the company moves closer to commercialization of its hydrogen-electric technology, ZeroAvia has secured a new raise of $35 million to help develop its 2–5MW zero-emission powertrain system for regional aviation. As announced today, United Airlines has invested in ZeroAvia through this round, and our agreement with United anticipates an order for 50 ZA2000-RJ engines, with an option for 50 more. United joins an already announced new investor, Alaska Air Group, in this round, alongside existing investors Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, AP Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Horizons Ventures, Summa Equity, and Shell Ventures. This brings the company’s total investment to date up to $115 million.” from https://www.zeroavia.com/united-airlines.
In this Digital Engineering commentary, PLM Green Global Alliance contributor and climate change theme moderator Klaus Brettschneider examines the role of PLM in tracking the carbon footprint of products and processes.
This timely post from Configit explores the role of Configuration Lifecycle Management solutions in creating a more sustainable future where customers will have the product data necessary to make low-carbon choices. The authors write:
“In a Configuration Lifecycle Management (CLM) solution, the software parameters are set as the customer makes selections in the configuration process, ensuring the software configuration matches the customer requirements. Configuration Lifecycle Management is about ensuring all functions in an organization have an aligned view on the product variants that can be sold and manufactured. In a CLM solution, the technical features of a product are linked with the commercial features using rules. Traditionally, this means that sales and marketing will introduce parameters that represent the customer requirements and link them to the technical capabilities of the product….Carbon footprint can be added as an additional commercial feature that needs to be linked to technical information on the carbon footprint impact of each component used in the product.”
The Addnode Group of European companies has keen focus on the use of PLM-enabling technologies, like Digital Twins, to address the challenge of sustainability. They reference numerous examples in a new report that explores the role of Digital Twins in sustainability.
In the report, the authors write:
“Digital Twins are gaining recognition and popularity as a solution for digitally representing a product, building or even a human being. This is enabling new
opportunities to improve performance, operations, productivity, or quality of life.
Digital Twin strategy to drive sustainability programs can be profoundly effective. Digital Twins offer significant benefits when planning, implementing, and realizing:
Reduced energy consumption
Reduced material consumption and the switch to more sustainable materials
Workforce activity optimization – travel, server usage, etc.
Automation and robotization of hazardous and/ or repetitive tasks to improve working conditions and health.
Furthermore, Digital Twins provide several advantages in the recycling of a product based on a comprehensive and digital description, allowing for strong traceability and the efficient and controlled dismantling and recycling of material.”
Learn more about their pioneering work HEREwhere you may download their Digital Twins Report
This green aviation example from Aviation Week describes how “proponents of hydrogen-electric propulsion are pushing deeper into short-haul air transportation with deals that could see the conversion of large turboprops and regional jets and the first zero-emissions commercial passenger flights with smaller aircraft as soon as 2024.”
The article goes on to report that “Startup ZeroAvia has announced an agreement with Alaska Air Group to develop a hydrogen-electric powertrain for the 76-seat De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400. Another with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ RJ Aviation (MHIRJ) division will evaluate conversion of the Bombardier-built CRJ regional jet family.”
ZeroAvia CEO Val Miftakhov is quoted saying “We believe that in the future almost every aircraft in the world will be powered by hydrogen-electric engines, simply because it is the most viable and scalable method for eliminating carbon and also to cut other harmful emissions from the aviation sector.”
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) drives ambitious climate action in the private sector by enabling companies to set science-based emissions reduction. Science-based targets provide companies with a clearly-defined path to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement goals.
The PLM Green Global Alliance recommends the SBTi website at https://sciencebasedtargets.org/ as an excellent resource for companies that wish to demonstrate leadership in their industry by moving toward a net-zero carbon emissions economy. We celebrate the more than 1,000 businesses around the world that have already done so.
A new generation of orbiting satellites is producing remote sensing data to help visualize and identify sources of Greenhouse Emissions emissions, like those from methane. This example image from a recent BBC article is produced byGHGSat’s Pulse interactive mapping solution
Methane is a more powerful GHG, compared to carbon dioxide, whose composition in the atmosphere is also growing at an alarming rate.
