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PROSTEP passes CPO audit with flying colors

By Udo Hering

PROSTEP is one of the first companies that can pride itself on having been awarded a CPO certificate for PLM openness. A few days ago, we passed the CPO audit conducted by TÜV Informationstechnik (TÜVit) and Fraunhofer IAO with flying colors. As the accredited certification body, TÜVit confirms that we not only meet the requirements of the Code of PLM Openness (CPO) but actually exceed them..

With the CPO, the prostep ivip Association has created an initiative that is aimed at establishing open PLM solutions and is unique worldwide. It is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). Approximately 80 enterprises around the world have now committed themselves to PLM openness. The accredited certification program is intended to ensure the long-term sustainability of the initiative. External auditors use a sophisticated evaluation concept to check how seriously PLM vendors take their commitment.

The evaluation concept identifies a total of seven levers for implementing the requirements in the CPO and defines the parameters that make it possible to measure compliance. On the one hand, it examines whether the self-imposed commitment to openness is anchored in the corporate strategy, the quality management system and in the minds of the employees and, on the other hand, whether it is reflected in the marketing documents, technical documentation or participation in standardization measures. To obtain certification, a company must be rated at least 100 percent on all seven levers.

PROSTEP actually exceeded all the CPO requirements, achieving a rating of over 100 percent on all counts, as Dr. Stefan Spitz from TÜVit attests. This is not surprising in light of the fact that our products and solutions have always required system openness and supported standards. It nevertheless took a good deal of work to compile the information needed for the audit and prepare it in such a way that it answered all the auditors' questions. Thanks to good teamwork, the support of management, software development, marketing, representatives of the standardization committees, product management, and last but not least thanks to the experience of our head of technology, Dr. Rainer Bugow, with DIN/ISO 9001 and 27001 certification, we were well prepared.

The actually issuing of the CPO certificate is merely a formality and will happen within the next two weeks. This means that, together with Conweaver, HCL, PTC and Siemens PLM Software, we will be able to present ourselves at the CPO stand at this year's prostep ivip Symposium in Munich as one of the first companies to obtain CPO certification. In the spirit of PLM openness, however, we hope to soon be facing more "competition".

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