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TC Alliance: Three times one makes four

an interview with Martin Holland

PROSTEP has joined forces  with ecs Engineering Consulting & Solutions GmbH and InMediasP Ges. für innovative Produktentwicklung und Informationstechnik mbH to create the TC Alliance, which offers products and services for the PDM system Teamcenter. Dr. Martin Holland, Head of Business Development at PROSTEP AG, explains the motivation and background behind this move in an interview.

Question: Why do three companies that have the same competencies in at least some areas join together to form an alliance?

Holland: The rollout of a PLM system is a very complex task. It's not just about installing a system, but also about exploiting the potential that our customers expect from the system rollout. We have to take into account aspects such as the definition of the PLM strategy, the optimization of processes and applications, the migration of legacy data and the best ways to involve employees in the project. This calls for a great deal of experience and know-how that none of the three companies have in the required depth in all areas. Although there are certain competencies that all the partners share, the overlaps are not that big. That is why combining our strengths allows us to offer customers true added value – in line with our motto 3×1 = 4. 

Question: Which products and services will PROSTEP be contributing to the alliance and which the two other partners?

Holland: PROSTEP has extensive know-how in strategy consulting. We will also bring our expertise in the migration and integration of PLM systems as well as our solutions for managed file transfer with suppliers and partners to the partnership. Ecs is a specialist for the implementation and customizing of Teamcenter and offers frontend solutions that facilitate working with  different PLM systems. InMediasP specializes in the optimization of PLM processes, variant and configuration management, and human change management.

Question: All three companies are partners to Siemens. Will the partnership be enhanced by the TC Alliance?

Holland: We spoke to Siemens  before creating the alliance, and the response to our idea was positive because our combined expertise and our 100 Teamcenter experts also allow us to successfully execute larger-scale PLM projects. Teamcenter, with its many modules, is an extremely comprehensive product family that offers far more than just the classic PLM functions. Siemens expects the TC Alliance to sell  additional licenses and will therefore provide us with greater support in the future. In other words, it's a win-win situation for both parties.

Question: What can Teamcenter customers expect? What added value will the alliance offer them?

Holland: The greatest value added is certainly the fact that we can offer them PLM process consulting, system rollout, PLM migration and integration and also the optimization of existing Teamcenter installations, from a single source. The customer has one point of contact, who provides them with access to the alliance's entire range of products and services. The projects are carried out by one of the partners, who assumes the role of general contractor and integrates the other partners as subcontractors.

Question: Which customers will you be approaching first? New or existing customers, and will Siemens help you do this?

Holland: We will of course approach all our existing customers, but we also want to gain new customers, for example companies that are switching to Teamcenter. This is where PROSTEP can take advantage of its migration know-how. We have already talked to Siemens about joint activities, such as stepping up sales and marketing for the Machinery Catalyst, a special Teamcenter configuration for the machine engineering industry.

Question: Do customer projects already exist that can be used to demonstrate how the TC Alliance works? Who takes the lead in this respect?

Holland: To date, we have established initial contact with customers, but there are not yet any concrete projects since the TC Alliance is still new. Who takes the lead will depend on the customers’ situation and their preferences.

Question: In addition to collaborating on projects, will there also be joint activities at trade fairs and other events? Where for example?

Holland: There will of course be joint activities. Shortly after the alliance was officially announced, we made an appearance at Siemens PLM Connection in Seeheim and, by the way, received a very positive response from our customers. We also want to exhibit at Siemens PLM Europe, which is being held from 17 to 19 October in Berlin. In addition, we are thinking about a joint roadshow and will of course take advantage of all the options that modern marketing has to offer. You might like to visit our website at www.TC-Alliance.de.

Mr Holland, thank you very much for this interview. (The interview was conducted by Michael Wendenburg)
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