opentext eim enables the information-driven connected enterprise

By ARC Advisory Group

ARC WHITE PAPER

APRIL 2016

OpenText EIM Solutions Help Enable the Information-Driven, Connected

Manufacturing Enterprise

Executive Overview ...................................................................... 2

Connected Manufacturers Need a Separate EIM Platform ................... 3

Product Design and Engineering ..................................................... 5

Information Exchange Across the Supply Chain ................................ 7

Asset Lifecycle Management .......................................................... 8

Retailer and Distributor Support ................................................... 10

Aftermarket Products and Services ............................................... 11

OpenText EIM Enables Connected Manufacturing............................ 13

VISION, EXPERIENCE, ANSWERS FOR INDUSTRY

OpenText EIM Solutions Help Enable the Information-Driven, Connected Manufacturing Enterprise

2 • Copyright 2016 © ARC Advisory Group • ARCweb.com

Information management is the key

enabler of modern, information-

driven, connected manufacturing

enterprises.

This paper establishes the required

information management capabilities

through an analysis of five critical

product lifecycle stages.

It concludes with a review of

OpenText’s Enterprise Information

Management (EIM) solutions with

respect to these needs.

Executive Overview

Manufacturing has changed dramatically over the last decade. Develop-

ments in IT and the internet have enabled companies to transform from

regional manufacturers into global, connected enterprises that provide bet-

ter products at lower costs. These products are designed and engineered

by collaborative teams in design centers around the world to take ad-

vantage of unique talent pools. Materials are sourced from global suppliers

and contract manufacturers in countries with labor and logistics

advantages. Products are configured, sold, and ser-

viced in global markets by a complex network of

dealers, distributors, and logistics providers.

Transforming a company into a connected manufac-

turing enterprise requires new processes, new skills,

and investments in new technology. Most im-

portantly, the organization needs to establish an

information management platform to ensure that

every entity in the manufacturing ecosystem has the

information needed to complete work on-time and

on-spec. Like traditional manufacturing, success

of a connected enterprise depends upon smooth

coordination across all process steps, from design through aftermarket

products and services. But, the distributed nature of global, connected en-

terprises amplifies the impact and cost of every misstep.

Information drives the connected manufacturing enterprise ecosystem.

Every partner requires timely access to complete, accurate, and consistent

information to meet the stringent performance expectations of global cus-

tomers. The enterprise also relies upon the availability of trustworthy

information to evaluate and improve ecosystem performance.

This paper discusses the information requirements for an effective infor-

mation-driven, connected manufacturing enterprise. Five critical lifecycle

phases are reviewed: product design and engineering; supply chain; manu-

facturing; retailers and distributors; and, aftermarket products and services.

It concludes with an analysis of OpenText’s Enterprise Information Man-

agement (EIM) solutions in light of these requirements.


Copyright 2016 © ARC Advisory Group • ARCweb.com • 3

Connected Manufacturers Need a

Separate EIM Platform

Manufacturing is complex, involving an array of design, engineering, pro-

duction, distribution, and service activities. Companies have learned that

comprehensive, end-to-end processes are essential for operational efficiency

and product quality and this has led to extensive investments in business

process reengineering programs and software applications like enterprise

resource planning (ERP), product lifecycle management (PLM), and supply

chain management (SCM). While this has generated many benefits, it has

also reduced organizational agility, which is vital for success in today’s

global economy. Survival demands that companies find ways to overcome

these limitations while preserving the benefits.

The Information-Driven, Connected Enterprise

End-to-end business processes drive higher efficiency with task automation

and seamless information flow across all business activities. Manufacturing

applications support this through tight integration of related processes and

shared information stores. In most cases, this approach implicitly assumes

static business processes and fixed work groups, which limit the company’s

ability to take advantage of opportunities to improve performance. Every



change necessitates software modifications that increase costs and delay

benefits, so such organizations struggle to keep pace with new competitors.

To compete in today’s global economy and respond rapidly to competitive

threats and new opportunities, connected manufacturing enterprises need

end-to-end business processes and applications that assume a dynamic, ful-

ly-connected network of global partners. New partners have to be

onboarded quickly and easily and those partners have to be able to use

their own best practices.

Separation of information management and business process software is

fundamental for an effective, connected manufacturing enterprise. Every

partner needs trustworthy information, but access methods have to be flex-

ible to enable a broad base of partners. Partners also have to be able to

share information easily with other entities in the connected manufacturing

enterprise. Yet every exchange must be tracked and stored for overall con-

trol, governance, and regulatory compliance. Smart manufacturers will

also anticipate the need to support new information technology like weara-

ble devices, 3D printers, and the Internet of Things.

EIM Impacts Every Manufacturing Process

A connected manufacturing enterprise information management solution

has to support activities throughout the complete life cycle of manufactured

products and the facilities used for production and distribution. While

lifecycle activities vary by industry, the following figure shows some of the

common activities that are involved with product design, manufacture,

sales, and support services.

Information is critical for every lifecycle activity. The following sections

discuss some of the key information needs of five different lifecycle activi-

ties (highlighted in green in figure): Product Design & Engineering, Supply

Chain Enablement, Plant Maintenance & Asset Management, Retailer /

Distributor Engagement, and Aftermarket Service & Support. These infor-

mation requirements vary significantly and demonstrate why manufactures

need an information management platform with comprehensive, broad-

based capabilities.



Typical Product Manufacturing Lifecycle

Product Design and Engineering

The lifecycle of a manufactured product begins with information created in

the design and engineering phase. Design departments rely on product

lifecycle management (PLM) solutions to build complete digital representa-

tions of their products and this 3D digital information is used by many

different departments in the manufacturing enterprise. Providing a central-

ized digital information ‘hub’, a platform that is available on a 24x7 basis

and accessible by any type of device enables convenient access by partners

on a worldwide basis.

Modern PLM solutions support information sharing with production

groups and the products they use to program machining centers. Some al-

so support the development of prototype models utilizing the latest 3D

printing technologies. But today’s need for design information has ex-

panded far beyond these traditional production activities. For example,

marketing departments are using high-quality 3D rendered images or 3D



animations as part of advanced promotional campaigns for new products.

Aftermarket service and support departments also need links to design

information to populate online support sites and develop videos that show

how to repair and maintain products.

Successful new product introductions increasingly depend up-

on design information that is easily accessible from anywhere

in the world at any time. This allows everyone within the con-

nected manufacturing enterprise -- whether internal to the

company, outside suppliers, or third-party contract designers

and manufacturers -- to have information they can trust. Fur-

thermore, this information has to be securely archived to

support the growing need for full traceability of every compo-

nent in every product. As recent events have shown, products

that fail or cause harm to a user can create incredibly expensive

recall situations for manufacturers. This requires trustworthy

access to design information for an extended period, typically

ten to twenty years. A centralized archiving process for all de-

sign-related information can help companies resolve recall issues quickly

and maintain consumer confidence. Governance, risk, and compliance ini-

tiatives introduced by governments around the world also require secure

archiving.

Enterprise information management systems that meet the needs of prod-

uct design and engineering will:

Provide a single version of truth for all product design and engi-

neering information

Offer extensive archive and version control capabilities, irrespective

of file type

Automate review and approval processes for all product design re-

lated information

Enable sharing, collaboration, and mark-up of design information

from leading PLM solutions and other business applications

Offer a secure platform for exchanging design information between

internal and external users



Allow other departments such as marketing to leverage design re-

lated information

Information Exchange Across the Supply

Chain

Efficient supply chains are essential for an effective connected manufactur-

ing strategy. Digital information and electronic business transactions have

to flow seamlessly throughout the supply chain. Electronic data inter-

change (EDI) has been used for many years and remains key to the

smooth operation of today’s supply chains. Whether supporting

just-in-time production operations in the automotive industry or a

high-tech reverse logistics process, access to a single, common B2B

platform is critical.

Supply chains also have to be resilient and manufacturers need to

ensure that their information management system supports this

need. Integration of new partners, mergers and acquisitions, and

changes in governmental regulations have to be addressed quickly

and smoothly without disrupting ongoing operations. Changing

demand patterns and disruptions due to natural disasters and po-

litical instability require similar agility.

To ensure efficiency and resiliency, companies have to make sure

that their enterprise information management platform supports

rapid onboarding of new partners, varying B2B communication protocols,

and unique B2B document standards. Addressing the multitude of regional

compliance regulations put in place by governments around the world is

also essential. This includes requirements like adhering to electronic in-

voicing regulations across the 28 member countries of the European Union

and supporting required assessments to ensure that supply chains are ‘free’

from conflict minerals. Manufacturers will also need to think about how

they integrate their B2B platform to back end ERP, transportation manage-

ment systems (TMS), and warehouse management systems (WMS).

Significant operational and cost benefits are available when B2B transac-

tions flow seamlessly between back end enterprise systems and external

trading partners, such as suppliers, financial institutions, contract manufac-

turers and third-party logistics providers.



Ensuring that every trading partner, irrespective of size, location or tech-

nical capability, can exchange appropriate business information and

transactions electronically is another critical issue. In this regard, manufac-

turers may want to consider a cloud-based enterprise information

management strategy to simplify the management of the B2B environment

and gain the flexibility and scalability to support changes in the market and

business strategies.

To support all these supply chain requirements, connected manufacturers

need an enterprise information management solution that will:

Simplify how the manufacturer connects to and engages with global

trading partners

Help mediate between various forms of B2B documents and com-

munications protocols

B2B-enable any size of company, irrespective of technical capabili-

ties or IT infrastructure

Provide seamless integration to back end enterprise systems such as

SAP and Oracle

Support regional compliance initiatives such as electronic invoicing

and conflict minerals

Offer trading partner analytics capabilities for improved visibility

across the supply chain

Asset Lifecycle Management

Maintaining high availability of production assets has never been more im-

portant to manufacturers. Facility costs have skyrocketed and

manufacturers need to maximize the use of every production line to

achieve return on investment (ROI) goals. The shift to customized products

and new manufacturing strategies like Lean and Just-in-Time drastically

reduce inventories and increase the importance of predictable production

schedules. The impact of any disruption can ripple through supply chains

and undermine customer confidence.



Studies by ARC Advisory Group and other researchers show a direct rela-

tionship between asset availability and the quality and accessibility of asset

information. Studies have shown that the cost of poor asset information

management can exceed 1.5 percent of a plant’s revenues in some indus-

tries and this doesn’t even consider the impact that poor maintenance can

have on safety and environmental compliance.

To ensure safe and reliable assets, maintenance teams need access to a wide

range of digital information associated with the machinery and all support-

ing systems. They also need to be able to share information, like

drawings, documents, pictures, and videos with onsite contrac-

tors and spare parts suppliers. Furthermore, the organization has

to ensure the availability of this information using a variety of

devices like tablets, smartphones, and wearable devices, on a 24x7

basis, regardless of where a person may be located in the plant.

The need for an organized information management strategy will

expand in the future as manufacturers adopt new Industrial In-

ternet of Things (IIoT) strategies for equipment maintenance.

This will increase the number of sensors on production equip-

ment and enable organizations to implement more predictive

maintenance strategies that identify problems before they occur.

Big data and analytics are central to this approach and will lead to

people requiring access to additional data, analysis tools, and alerts.

An effective enterprise information management solution for asset lifecycle

management will:

Provide a complete 360-degree view of asset, process, and perfor-

mance data

Improve quality and consistency of asset information and work in-

structions

Provide remote, mobile access to any plant-related asset infor-

mation

Enable higher asset uptime and reliability through extensive analy-

sis of equipment data

Help enable predictive maintenance procedures to improve equip-

ment availability



Enable companies to minimize health, safety, and environmental

incidents and archive information to satisfy compliance require-

ments

Retailer and Distributor Support

Today’s connected consumer is driving many omni-channel retail strate-

gies. Ensuring that consumers have a consistent digital experience is

essential for manufacturers and their retailer and distributor partners.

There are two key areas in which a centralized approach to man-

aging digital information can help consumers engage with a

company.

Firstly, consumers are looking for an engaging and consistent web

experience, both pre-sale to research new product information,

and post-sale, where customer service portals need to be simple to

use and enable consumers to rapidly find the information they

need.

Secondly, when making purchases in a “brick-and-mortar” retail

store environment, consumers need access to product videos, an-

imations, and high-resolution images of the product.

Manufacturers need a seamless way to make this digital infor-

mation available to a retail or distribution network. This can be particularly

challenging for manufacturers selling into multiple markets around the

world and engaging with a globally dispersed retail or distribution net-

work.

Relative to websites, the customer experience needs to be consistent across

all platforms, from PCs to tablets and smartphones. Developing an engag-

ing website that utilizes the latest web development tools can make or

break a consumer’s decision to purchase goods. To support their retail

networks, manufacturers need to provide a fast and secure method for re-

tailers to access and download all digital information related to a product.

For example, a consumer electronics retailer may need to download the lat-

est product video for use at a major retailer point of sale booth. A retailer

may also need PDF brochures, training manuals, or even high-resolution

graphical images for screen printing on display boards. Cataloging and ar-



chiving all this information in a digital asset management (DAM) environ-

ment can help streamline the way a manufacturer works with a retail

channel.

A centralized approach to managing all digital assets ensures that all value

chain participants, including advertising agencies, video production and

graphics companies can engage collaboratively with the digital assets asso-

ciated with a product.

To meet the needs of dealers and distributors, manufacturers need an en-

terprise information management platform that will:

Ensure all product information is held within a digital asset man-

agement environment

Provide a common, process-based platform to integrate information

with back end business systems

Offer a secure, cloud-based environment for exchanging large files,

like videos and animations

Enable online information assets to be created and managed

through a common web platform

Allow customers to engage with the business in a consistent man-

ner

Support multi-format viewing tools that allow any type of digital

file to be viewed on any device

Aftermarket Products and Services

Manufacturers of products, whether aircraft, vehicles or consumer electron-

ics devices need a service and support infrastructure with broad capabilities

and high availability. Excellent product service and support helps compa-

nies maintain and improve customer satisfaction levels. In many cases, like

jet engine sales, a manufacturer can make more money through mainte-

nance over the lifetime of the engine than on the original sale.



Regardless of where a field service engineer is working, he or she needs

immediate access to product information. In today’s world, this

can include product and spare part information in a variety of

formats including document files, photos, and videos. Being able

to offer access to this kind of information is no longer an option, it

is a condition of doing business. In addition, being able to archive

all service records and test or compliance certificates is critically

important for traceability, especially in a major recall situation.

Being able to remotely access a web-based spare parts ordering

portal is likewise becoming critically important in almost all in-

dustries. Field service engineers need to be able to order spare

parts and have them shipped directly to the place they are needed.

New technologies like the Industrial Internet of Things will re-

quire similar capabilities. As the concepts of remote maintenance

advance, sensors with WiFi connectivity will automatically diag-

nose problems, alert service centers, and issue orders for needed parts so

that they are on-site before the service person arrives. These kinds of ad-

vanced developments will drastically increase asset availability and reduce

the costs of service calls.

To enable first-class service, manufacturers need an enterprise information

management solution that:

Allows any type of digital file, including 2D/3D drawings, to be

viewed and marked up remotely

Allows service records to be archived to ensure full traceability of

service history and ensure regulatory compliance initiatives are met

Provides predictive analytics tools to optimize maintenance proce-

dures and reduce downtime

Provides B2B web portal tools to simplify and streamline replace-

ment parts ordering processes

Improves customer satisfaction levels through improved access to

digital information

Provides process management tools to manage product lifecycle

support activities



OpenText EIM Enables Connected

Manufacturing

Applications like ERP, PLM, and SCM help manufacturers optimize indi-

vidual business processes within finance, production, design, and

distribution. But this is not enough for a successful, connected manufactur-

ing enterprise. Today, manufacturing organizations are driven as much by

information as they are by workflow. They need information access and

sharing unencumbered by departmental boundaries and static business

process assumptions. Implementing manufacturing applications on a

common, enterprise-wide information management platform is essential to

support the requirements identified in this report.

OpenText EIM Meets the Needs of Manufacturers

OpenText, a leader in information management, has an integrated portfolio

of enterprise information management products that addresses the complex

needs of today’s connected manufacturing enterprise. This includes Con-

tent, Process, Business Network, Experience, and Analytics solutions.

OpenText Enterprise Information Management Solutions

Content – this suite includes content management, records management,

and archiving. It allows companies to manage all unstructured information

regardless of where it originates, while simultaneously enabling companies

to satisfy all compliance requirements and ensure that information is avail-

able regardless of age and location.

Process – the core of this suite is the OpenText Cordys BPM engine, which

enables organizations to address complex process automation and case

management needs that arise across the partner ecosystem. This is aug-

mented with a variety of products that enable companies to manage master

data, integrate applications, and interact with information resources

through tablets and mobile devices anytime and anywhere.



Business Network – enables companies to connect and exchange electronic

documents with trading partners around the world. At the core is the GXS

B2B platform, Trading Grid, that OpenText acquired in 2014. Trading Grid

is the world’s largest cloud-based B2B integration platform. OpenText

complements Trading Grid with solutions for secure mail, secure MFT, and

FAX-to-email that can be used to integrate even the smallest manufacturing

partner.

Experience – this suite includes tools to manage the content used to create

websites for product sales, aftermarket portals, etc. The suite also provides

digital asset management tools to ensure that all types of multi-media files

can be archived in a central repository.

Analytics – these tools enable companies to recognize and understand

trends in the information flowing across the enterprise, such as consump-

tion patterns, production rates, etc. This can increase the agility of the

manufacturing enterprise and help it optimize performance of business ex-

changes among ecosystem partners.

OpenText EIM is an Appropriate Solution for Information-

driven, Connected Manufacturing Enterprises

Based on our ongoing discussions with OpenText executives, ARC believes

that OpenText EIM provides an appropriate information management solu-

tion for modern, connected manufacturing enterprises. It is designed as a

standalone information management platform that can be implemented as

a cloud-based solution. This positions it well for use as a global infor-

mation hub. As many manufacturing organizations already use OpenText

EIM in conjunction with SAP and Oracle solutions, integration with exist-

ing manufacturing applications should not be an issue. At the same time,

users can interact with critical business information independently of un-

derlying manufacturing applications. This should provide the flexibility to

rapidly adjust business partners and processes as new threats and opportu-

nities arise.

For further information on OpenText’s EIM solutions for manufacturers,

please visit www.opentext.com/manufacturing.

http://www.opentext.com/manufacturing



Analyst: Sid Snitkin

Editor: Paul Miller

Acronym Reference: For a complete list of industry acronyms, please refer

to www.arcweb.com/research/pages/industry-terms-and-abbreviations.aspx

API Application Program Interface

B2B Business-to-Business

BPM Business Process Management

CPG Consumer Packaged Goods

CRM Customer Relationship

Management

DAM Digital Asset Management

EAM Enterprise Asset Management

EIM Enterprise Information

Management

ERP Enterprise Resource Planning

IT Information Technology

PLM Product Lifecycle Management

RFID Radio Frequency Identification

ROA Return on Assets

SCM Supply Chain Management

TMS Transportation Management

System

WMS Warehouse Management System

Founded in 1986, ARC Advisory Group is the leading research and advisory

firm for industry. Our coverage of technology from business systems to prod-

uct and asset lifecycle management, supply chain management, operations

management, and automation systems makes us the go-to firm for business

and IT executives around the world. For the complex business issues facing

organizations today, our analysts have the industry knowledge and first-hand

experience to help our clients find the best answers.

All information in this report is proprietary to and copyrighted by ARC. No part

of it may be reproduced without prior permission from ARC. This research has

been sponsored in part by OpenText. However, the opinions expressed by

ARC in this paper are based on ARC's independent analysis.

You can take advantage of ARC's extensive ongoing research plus experience

of our staff members through our Advisory Services. ARC’s Advisory Services

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opentext eim enables the information-driven connected enterprise

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