Solid Edge University 2012 - Is it Worth the Trip?

If you are an Edger wondering if it is worth the trip to Nashville for Solid Edge University in June, here is a perspective from someone traveling a lot further than you. I mentioned in an earlier blog that Rick Mason traveled from Australia to attend the first Solid Edge user group in Chicago 1997.  I have seen Rick at several events since then. Rick is the Director at Masco Design Services in New South Wales, Australia.  I asked Rick last week why he invests his own time and money to come half way around the world to attend Solid Edge University.

Here is his response:

I have been earning my living using Solid Edge for 16 years, during which time I have attended several Summit conferences, Beta testing sessions etc. in the US. There is simply NOTHING like getting together with other dedicated Solid Edge users and meeting with planners, developers and support engineers 'up close & personal' to show them what you are doing with their software, learning how to use it better and putting your point across with regard to improvements which will help you do your job better.

The quality of work I produce today is the best I have ever achieved, largely due to the improvements in Solid Edge that I and other Users have helped to instigate, test & refine. If we sit on our butts and just complain that: a) we don't understand properly how the software works, or b) something is buggy & doesn't work right, or c) the features we really need are missing ... not much will ever improve.

If Siemens are willing to host an event to help improve our knowledge & skills and also gather feedback about how we use their product & what needs improving – just try to keep me away!!

Rick will probably spend as much time on a plane to get to Solid Edge University as you will spend at the conference.   If it is worth Rick’s level of investment, it is worth yours as well.

While you are at the conference, make sure you attend Rick’s session:

105-Succeeding with Ordered and Synchronous Features 

Rick Mason, Director, Masco Design Services

Designs don’t have to be Synchronous OR Ordered: You can have the best of both worlds! Designers with any skill level with ordered features, or just starting to explore synchronous technology in will benefit from attending this session. Attendees will gain confidence in leveraging their existing skills, work-flows and ordered designs, and better understand the options open to them for combining Ordered workflows with powerful Synchronous tools. Users will benefit in seeing what’s available inSolid Edge, especially when deciding when and how to get started with synchronous modeling and when to use ordered methods. Most of the presentation will be live, using real-world examples from current or recently-completed MASCO projects.

We did a survey of Ally PLM customers who attended last year’s conference to ask them if the event was worth the trip – 100% of those who attended said it was worth the time and money to attend.  If it is worth Rick’s time and money as well as 100% of last year’s attendees, it will be worth yours. 

Register here today.

I look forward to seeing you in Nashville.

Kim Corbridge
Ally PLM Solutions

Q&A with Solid Edge User Matt Johnson - Solid Edge University 2012

Gina Yeagley, Susan Cinadr and I caught up with “Edger” Matt Johnson (@JohnsonBigMatt) at the Silver Springhouse  to discuss Solid Edge University 2012.

Matt has been using Solid Edge since version 9 – over 10 years.  He has worked at companies with 1 seat of Solid Edge and companies with over 100 seats.   He is an advanced user but always interested in furthering his professional skills by expanding his Solid Edge knowledge especially in the area of Synchronous Technology.

He supports both new product development and sustaining engineering at his current employer.  His primary day-to-day tasks are creating, editing and managing 3D CAD data in Solid Edge and Teamcenter.   This includes the creation and maintenance of top level Master Models; creating kinematic relations and verifying overall Form, Fit, Function.

Matt attended the Solid Edge Global Summit in Huntsville in 2011.  His employer, based on the value they received from Matt’s attendance in 2011, is sending 15 people to Solid Edge University 2012.

Here is a quick interview with Matt on his experience.

We also asked Matt about being involved in the Solid Edge Beta testing program for ST5. Matt just returned from a week-long trip to Huntsville where he was able to test, evaluate and “break” the software, all in preparation to make a stable release for Edgers like you.  Although he could not share details without violating his non-disclosure agreement, he provide his overall impression. 

Q: You recently made a trip to Huntsville, Alabama for Solid Edge Beta.   I believe this is your 2nd year as a participant. What was different about this year now that you’ve been through the Beta process before?

A: Wow… Being a beta user is quite an experience.  Once exposed to the process you quickly find out that the personal/professional benefits of being in Huntsville and having direct contact with the heart, soul and brain mass of SE has less to do with software and more to do with bigger picture things.  Things like: understanding SE from an “under the hood” POV, building relationships with product planners, developers, code writers, testers and support staff, sharing vision for future releases and really being exposed to folks on the SE Team in HSV that bleed SE, they really do.   Digressing back to Beta as a process though… Being involved in Beta has been a great opportunity for me to test, verify and have input into features and functionality that are important to my day to day work flow and that I can benefit from the most.  … It’s really that simple.

Q: Without giving away secrets what’s the one area of ST5 that you are most excited about: Assembly, Simulation, Synchronous, etc.

A: Without doubt; Assembly.  I won’t say anything more because it would be easy for me to get excited and spill the beans.  In general, I spend a lot of time in the Assembly environment and I’m excited to have the new functionality coming with ST5.  I’m not taking anything away from Part, Draft and other areas of SE in choosing Assembly though.  From keeping a pulse on the community at large I know some folks are going to be very, very happy with ST5’s new functions and features.

Thanks Matt for your time and we look forward to seeing you and all the Edgers at this year’s event!

Kim Corbridge

Ally PLM Solutions

Five Cool Moments from the 2011 Solid Edge Global Summit

As we plan for Solid Edge University 2012, here are some highlights from the 2011 Solid Edge Global Summit in Huntsville, AL:

1. Tony Affuso, Chairman of Siemens PLM Software, shared the business growth for Solid Edge over the past 18 months.  Solid Edge sales grew 50% during calendar year 2010 and continued to see this growth rate in the first half of 2011.
2. Brad Jaeger, talked about Safety considerations in the Edison2 project with a picture of his Daytona car engulfed in flames on the screen.  Their understanding of safety was punctuated by the fact that he was the driver in the flaming crash we were looking at. 
3. Karsten mentioned that members of the GTAC staff (the Siemens folks who answer the customer support line) were in attendance -- the audience broke into applause. 
4. Karsten asked those in attendance their opinion of the conference – their response was a standing ovation.
5. During the award session -- enthusiastic applause when John Devitry from Utah State University and Space Dynamics Lab won the award for design work using Synchronous Technology.  John’s contagious enthusiasm, fueled by equally infectious use of Synchronous Technology had become an icon of the excitement that was evident in everyone in the room.

I look forward to another outstanding session in Nashville June 11-13^th.  Hope to see you there. For info on the Conference -- click here

Kim Corbridge

Ally PLM Solutions