Centric Software levels up SOLIDWORKS connector to break down engineering silos and accelerate time to market for consumer goods companies

Centric Software, the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) market leader, is pleased to announce the launch of SOLIDWORKS PDM Connect 1.0, an enhanced PLM connector for SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS PDM users. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to plan, design, develop, source, buy, make, price, allocate, sell and replenish products such as fashion, outdoor, luxury, multi-category retail, grocery, food & beverage, cosmetics & personal care and consumer electronics to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.

SOLIDWORKS is one of the 3D CAD design solutions most used and preferred by hard goods engineers, especially among consumer goods brands and manufacturers. More than 3 million product designers and engineers worldwide, representing 240,000+ organizations, use SOLIDWORKS to bring their designs to life.

Centric launched a SOLIDWORKS connector in 2021 as part of their 3D agnostic strategy, extending native, end-to-end 3D product design, development and product review with integration between leading 3D design packages and Centric PLMTM. The original connector enables 3D designers and product teams to access Centric PLM from SOLIDWORKS and vice versa in order to integrate CAD functions, automate certain tasks, deploy revisions and improve communication between design, engineering and suppliers.

The new SOLIDWORKS PDM Connect 1.0 connector links files from SOLIDWORKS PDM (Product Data Management) to Centric PLM and automates the export of native 3D (and 2D) files directly to Centric PLM without having to leave the PDM environment. Engineers can also visualize and edit data from Centric PLM in the SOLIDWORKS PDM Windows File Explorer interface.

"In the past, engineers could have set up a macro with hard-coded instructions to export 3D files," explains Ron Watson, EVP Products and Chief Security Officer at Centric Software. "But then those files still would need to be transferred by those engineers to the correct location. This involved waiting for each file to generate and then make the manual transfer only when the generation is done. With the enhanced connector, a process that would take an entire day can now be completed in minutes utilizing PDM's own workflows in conjunction with the SOLIDWORKS PDM connector."

Centric PLM can automatically generate 3D viewables directly from the SOLIDWORKS file, or create a PDF from a 2D drawing associated with the file. These files are viewable directly in PLM by users across departments such as production, sourcing or merchandising, enabling them to review designs in development or build tech packs, for example.

Ron Watson, EVP of Products and CSO at Centric Software notes, "The enhanced SOLIDWORKS connector enables a seamless workflow from SOLIDWORKS to Centric PLM, turning manual processes into hands-off automated operations with significant associated time savings. Engineers free up time to focus on creating great designs and other teams gain accurate insights into designs in progress at an earlier stage, driving faster time to market for consumer goods brands and manufacturers."

"We are delighted to announce that we have enhanced our SOLIDWORKS connector to bring increased efficiencies to our customers in consumer goods," says Chris Groves, CEO of Centric Software. "As part of Centric's 3D strategy, we innovate with customers and solicit their feedback to constantly improve integration between Centric solutions and the 3D tools that teams use every day, building a tighter software ecosystem that works seamlessly to deliver benefits such as greater speed, improved collaboration and cost savings."