Case Studies Delivering Game-Changing Hybrid Power Products

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	Delivering Game-Changing Hybrid Power Products

Delivering Game-Changing Hybrid Power Products

Technology Category	Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration Functional Applications - Product Lifecycle Management Systems (PLM) Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Computing
Applicable Industries	Oil & Gas Utilities
Applicable Functions	Business Operation Product Research & Development
Services	Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services System Integration Training
Challenge	As FlexGen began scaling their product pipeline, it became clear that they needed a more transparent way to keep engineers, suppliers, and customers on the same page for all their product designs and discussions. As experienced engineers and industry veterans, the FlexGen team knew they needed a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution. However, they were concerned about the extensive deployment, custom development, and IT support typically required by many PLM systems. Read More
About Customer	FlexGen® (www.FlexGen.com) makes some of the world’s most advanced software and power electronics for hybrid power systems. Their products are used in power grids, oil and gas operations, and any other place where battlefield-proven reliability is a must. FlexGen works closely with their customers to ensure that their hybrid power systems are tailored for their customers’ exact needs. The company has recently moved from a project-based approach, where each product was custom built, to a platform-based strategy, which allows them to scale more easily. Instead of developing a handful of custom solutions each year, the FlexGen team expects that a platform-based approach will help them deliver more than a hundred power storage units per year. Read More
Solution	FlexGen runs much of their business with cloud applications like Amazon Web Services and Slack, so they wanted a PLM system built on a modern cloud platform as well. The company decided to use Propel because it provides a robust set of PLM capabilities, plus it is built on the Salesforce.com platform, recognized by analysts as the leading enterprise cloud platform. FlexGen is using Propel to ensure that all employees can see the latest updates for their customer projects. Their engineers can now define standard platform components, engage in threaded design discussions, and reuse parts across all their customer projects. FlexGen will also be rolling out Propel to their contract manufacturers, so they have direct access to the latest product information. One of the main reasons why FlexGen selected Propel is the easy user experience. Unlike traditional systems, which are primarily designed for engineers, Propel made it easy for everyone to get on board. With just a short 2-hour training session, the FlexGen team was up and running creating items, quotes, and product releases. It took less than 3 weeks to get Propel deployed at FlexGen. And because Propel is built on the Salesforce platform, it was easy for the team to set up fields and values, configure layouts, and set up reports and dashboards. Unlike other PLM systems the team used before FlexGen, ongoing updates do not require any dedicated IT staff. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration

Functional Applications - Product Lifecycle Management Systems (PLM)

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Computing

Applicable Industries

Oil & Gas

Utilities

Applicable Functions

Business Operation

Product Research & Development

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services

System Integration

Training

Challenge

As FlexGen began scaling their product pipeline, it became clear that they needed a more transparent way to keep engineers, suppliers, and customers on the same page for all their product designs and discussions. As experienced engineers and industry veterans, the FlexGen team knew they needed a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution. However, they were concerned about the extensive deployment, custom development, and IT support typically required by many PLM systems.

About Customer

FlexGen® (www.FlexGen.com) makes some of the world’s most advanced software and power electronics for hybrid power systems. Their products are used in power grids, oil and gas operations, and any other place where battlefield-proven reliability is a must. FlexGen works closely with their customers to ensure that their hybrid power systems are tailored for their customers’ exact needs. The company has recently moved from a project-based approach, where each product was custom built, to a platform-based strategy, which allows them to scale more easily. Instead of developing a handful of custom solutions each year, the FlexGen team expects that a platform-based approach will help them deliver more than a hundred power storage units per year.

Solution

FlexGen runs much of their business with cloud applications like Amazon Web Services and Slack, so they wanted a PLM system built on a modern cloud platform as well. The company decided to use Propel because it provides a robust set of PLM capabilities, plus it is built on the Salesforce.com platform, recognized by analysts as the leading enterprise cloud platform. FlexGen is using Propel to ensure that all employees can see the latest updates for their customer projects. Their engineers can now define standard platform components, engage in threaded design discussions, and reuse parts across all their customer projects. FlexGen will also be rolling out Propel to their contract manufacturers, so they have direct access to the latest product information. One of the main reasons why FlexGen selected Propel is the easy user experience. Unlike traditional systems, which are primarily designed for engineers, Propel made it easy for everyone to get on board. With just a short 2-hour training session, the FlexGen team was up and running creating items, quotes, and product releases. It took less than 3 weeks to get Propel deployed at FlexGen. And because Propel is built on the Salesforce platform, it was easy for the team to set up fields and values, configure layouts, and set up reports and dashboards. Unlike other PLM systems the team used before FlexGen, ongoing updates do not require any dedicated IT staff.

Impact #1	Higher engineering productivity: FlexGen's engineers can now define standard platform components, engage in threaded design discussions, and reuse parts across all their customer projects.
Impact #2	Increased user adoption: Propel's easy user experience allowed the FlexGen team to get up and running quickly, with just a short 2-hour training session.
Impact #3	Faster time to launch products: The platform-based approach and the use of Propel have enabled FlexGen to scale their product pipeline more efficiently.

Impact #1

Higher engineering productivity: FlexGen's engineers can now define standard platform components, engage in threaded design discussions, and reuse parts across all their customer projects.

Impact #2

Increased user adoption: Propel's easy user experience allowed the FlexGen team to get up and running quickly, with just a short 2-hour training session.

Impact #3

Faster time to launch products: The platform-based approach and the use of Propel have enabled FlexGen to scale their product pipeline more efficiently.

Benefit #1	FlexGen expects to deliver more than a hundred power storage units per year, compared to a handful of custom solutions previously.
Benefit #2	It took less than 3 weeks to get Propel deployed at FlexGen.
Benefit #3	The FlexGen team was up and running with Propel after just a short 2-hour training session.

Benefit #1

FlexGen expects to deliver more than a hundred power storage units per year, compared to a handful of custom solutions previously.

Benefit #2

It took less than 3 weeks to get Propel deployed at FlexGen.

Benefit #3

The FlexGen team was up and running with Propel after just a short 2-hour training session.

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Overview

Delivering Game-Changing Hybrid Power Products

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit