PTC [NASDAQ: PTC]
Turning Industry 4.0 Possibility Into Reality

Industry 4.0 has completely transformed the manufacturing industry. Industry 4.0 is all about digitization, where Internet of Things (IoT) and cyber-physical systems are enabling manufacturers to collect, analyze and act on large piles of data like never before, and then allow them to set goals in motion with highly efficient and automated robotics. A major proponent of Industry 4.0 is PTC [NASDAQ: PTC], which helps companies to capitalize on this promise of physical-digital convergence today and drive the future of innovation. The company stands at the frontier of a new age of innovation, where the industrial revolution is colliding head-on with the digital revolution. “With over three decades of experience in understanding things in their digital form, and bringing that information back into the physical world, PTC has a unique view of how the IoT can advance businesses today,” says James Heppelmann, President and CEO of PTC. The company empowers manufacturers to design, manufacture, operate, and service products for a smart, connected world. PTC focuses on developing tools and solutions that empower its customers to capitalize on IoT.

PTC’s gravitas is credited to its stimulus, James Heppelmann, who is a thought leader in industrial innovation and has co-authored three highly influential articles regarding the transformational impact of IoT on business. Under his leadership, PTC has assembled the industry’s leading industrial innovation platform and field-proven solutions and services.

"Our new Reality Lab will apply human-centered design and human-computer interaction to new technology, empowering people with more intuitive and practical computer user interfaces for managing the next generation of networked computer systems"

PTC empowers manufacturers to unlock the value of the converged digital and physical worlds through its ThingWorx platform, an industry-leading industrial innovation platform designed to rapidly deliver IIoT applications and augmented reality (AR) experiences. ThingWorx allows clients to develop feature-rich industrial IoT applications with a model-driven architecture that provides the extensibility to tailor to customers’ needs. Clients can effectively manage and extract meaningful insights from IoT in real time using ThingWorx’s sophisticated artificial intelligence and machine learning technology. Additionally, manufacturers can easily manage connected products, empowering business users to better monitor, manage, and optimize devices, systems, and processes built on the ThingWorx platform. “With a library of 150+ drivers and plug-ins, ThingWorx allows users to easily connect, manage, monitor and control disparate devices and applications across the business,” points Heppelmann.

A compelling use case is that of Sysmex, a medical device manufacturer that demanded a higher level of customer service and internal operational efficiency. The manufacturer’s existing technology infrastructure was unable to turn its connected product data into meaningful business value and deliver the value-added services that it needed to stay ahead in the market. Using the ThingWorx platform, Sysmex is now able to achieve next-generation service and connected product capabilities. Sysmex’s equipment uptime has now improved as it is able to achieve faster decision response time, and also expects to see improved labor utilization through collaborative information exchange. ThingWorx is touching every aspect of Sysmex. “It is transforming the way our business works,” says Steve Postma, Director of Technical Service Systems at Sysmex.

Bringing the Power of AR with Smart Manufacturing

With well over 250 partners aligning their hardware and software product with ThingWorx as well as PTC’s other platforms, PTC enables technology and solution providers to innovate and collaborate with partners and customers and capitalize on the IoT market opportunity. To further support growth, PTC recently launched its redesigned partner program, PTC Partner Network, making it even easier for partners to add new technologies and expertise to their businesses.

In addition, Heppelmann is building on PTC’s proven history in helping customers optimize their manufacturing to bring the power of AR technology with the ability to visualize, instruct, guide, and improve interactions with physical things. In light of this, the company has recently launched Reality Lab, a test center that will be run by researchers who will create applications that leverage augmented, virtual, mixed, and physical realities to improve people’s interactions with their physical environments. “Our new Reality Lab will apply human-centered design and human-computer interaction to new technology, empowering people with more intuitive and practical computer user interfaces for managing the next generation of networked computer systems,” says Heppelmann. The new lab will also enable enterprises to advance the way they serve customers, train employees, design and create products, manage their value chains, and how they compete.

Moreover, PTC is also strengthening its strategies for Industry 4.0 by partnering with McKinsey & Company, leading management consulting firm, to create a global network of Industry 4.0 Digital Capability Centers (DCCs). Using PTC’s solution, the DCCs are designed to support companies at every stage of their digital transformation journey. The DCCs will include a realistic production environment, digital showcases with demonstrations of Industry 4.0 technology, as well as experiential capability-building workshops to promote skills training and awareness of Industry 4.0. Heppelmann concludes that it feels great to be a trusted solution provider for companies that are fundamentally transforming their businesses.