PTC offers free collaboration to 30,000 Pro/Engineer users

Pro/Engineer MCAD users – engineers and anyone else in the design chain – will be able to collaborate on product designs over the Internet free of charge if they are maintenance-paying PTC customers. PTC has announced that its Net-native Pro/Collaborate service will be launched next month. The service, which allows users to create virtual web-based project workspaces and invite anyone in the world to work collaboratively with them, will be accessible at www.procollaborate.com The system enables design engineers to collaborate across firewalls with suppliers, manufacturing partners and customers, and the idea is to get wide-ranging and full input into the design process as early as possible – true collaboration. PTC says it expects the service to help shrink design timescales, improve product quality and reduce overhead costs. “This capability is critical for manufacturers working to gain time-to-market advantage and boost product quality while controlling design, production and engineering-change costs,” says Bruce Jenkins, executive vice president of analyst Daratech. “PTC is the first company we know of to offer a free Internet collaboration service to its installed base of CAD users,”