Manufacturing today is so complex that companies need a variety of enterprise applications to operate effectively. ERP, CRM, SCM, PLM, CAD, MES, AI—the list of requirements can seem endless. And to make matters worse, maintaining the integrations among all these applications can be complex and expensive. With multiple data models, disparate technologies, and varying release cycles, integration can be a never-ending job. PTC is putting an end to the chaos by ensuring Creo Windchill compatibility with other PTC applications and with applications from other suppliers.

The Basics: Creo and Windchill Compatibility

As part of its Atlas project, PTC has rearchitected Windchill to provide a completely modular application. The heart of the new architecture is the Windchill PLM platform, built using the technology obtained when the company acquired OnShape in 2019. Not only does this new technology help PTC improve Creo and Windchill compatibility across the board, but it also provides a big boost to making PLM a SaaS application.

Compatibility Between Creo and Windchill

PTC solutions have always integrated with each other, even though the applications are on different release cycles. Customers on different upgrade cycles for each product had to be careful to ensure that the new versions they wanted to work together were compatible. This new architecture will soon make that worry a thing of the past.

The new architecture means Creo and Windchill, as well as other PTC products, will work together even more seamlessly – regardless of the release version.

The Creo Windchill Product Roadmap

PTC recommends that customers upgrade to Windchill 12.0.2 for the broadest range of compatibility with Creo. Windchill 12.0.2 will be released in June 2021 and is compatible with Creo 4.0, and Creo 7.0.1, and Creo 8.0, as well as future Creo releases.

For the best integration experience, customers should upgrade to Windchill 12.0.2 when released in June 2021.

Creo and Windchill and OSLC

Most software applications use APIs (Application Program Interfaces) to connect and pass data back and forth as needed. With the Atlas project release of Creo and Windchill PLM, PTC has taken a giant leap forward by focusing on cross-portfolio cohesion, additional APIs, and a new integration method using OSLC.

Starting with the June 2021 Atlas release, PTC Windchill, and other applications will integrate with each other and third-party applications using OSLC.

OSLC stands for Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration. It’s a set of specs that enable applications to work together by defining how they share data. PTC is using OSLC not only to integrate its own product portfolio but also to provide integrations to other third-party applications.

An effective PLM strategy makes other applications like ERP and CRM into users of crucial product data rather than data repositories. But making PLM the primary data repository means your company needs a bulletproof integration methodology, and that’s what PTC has provided with its modular approach and the use of OSLC as its primary integration tool. (Don’t worry. If you’re using existing APIs, they’re still there.)

PLM becomes your company’s primary data repository. ERP, CRM, SCM all become data consumers.

PLM: The Foundation of the Digital Thread

Many companies have embraced the Digital Thread as the foundation of modern manufacturing. PLM is at the core of the digital thread, making Creo-Windchill integration key to the foundation.

PLM is the foundation of the digital thread.

The digital thread:

  • Enables tracking and tracing for regulated industries
  • Improves quality by pinpointing issues early
  • Reduces cost by providing insight into potential method improvements.

No other enterprise application touches all three areas the way PLM does.

Windchill now includes more than 50 out-of-the-box integrations to other applications, and more are added regularly. Regardless of the ERP, CRM, or SCM solution you use, Windchill either already has an integration or will soon. Creo and Windchill’s compatibility with each other and with other apps is a major focus for PTC’s ongoing development.

Creo and Windchill Compatibility: What It Means for Your Company

If you’re struggling to keep your business systems integrated or you’re moving toward industry 4.0 and creating a digital thread for your products, then you owe it to yourself to investigate Creo / Windchill and their compatibility with each other and your other business applications. Whether you already use them or you’d be new to the products, the top-shelf functional capabilities coupled with the ease of integration with your other business systems is a real game-changer.

To find out more about Creo and Windchill compatibility, their latest functionality, and how OSLC and the Atlas platform can improve your business operations and simplify your integration problems, contact NxRev today.