What can you expect from a company that actually uses their own products and shares what they learn with others? According to this episode of the Digital Enterprise Society podcast, only good things. In today’s episode, Thom Singer and Craig Brown are joined by Siemens technical account manager Dave Chan.  As a technical sales specialist, Dave supports Aerospace and Defense Federal and Marine with digitalization solutions, or in other words, all things PLM. Siemens is a company who actually uses their own tools, and delivers what they learn about them to other companies that are trying to use them as well.  The result is well-informed employees, happier customers, and a company that has earned the trust of the industry.  Listen in as Dave highlights his aims as a liaison, how Siemens works to overcome some unique challenges, and the career benefits that Dave enjoys as he volunteers his time to share his passion with others.    On today’s podcast, you will learn: Dealing with conflicting voices As a liaison, Dave works to increase understanding on both sides of the discussion.  The entire industry benefits by a better understanding of requirements.  The voice of the customer has to be heard in every product.  Collaborations can be humorous- just listen to Dave’s experience at Niagara Falls.    Unique upcoming challenges  AWB’s focus in the upcoming year will include MBD- model-based definition, not design. Companies need to focus on the tools and solutions that are available to them right now.  Defining the end use case of how customers are going to be using data is key.  MBSE- model based system engineering- defines up front what a system is going to do in the end.  Efficiently defining a system starts with acknowledging the purpose of that system.    Additional focus points There are many additional solutions within the PLM space.  Planning and manufacturing under these new systems must be just as sustainable.  More groups are expanding within the AWG to increase use cases.  Additive manufacturing is a subgroup that will always be at the tip of the spear.  Upfront certification would benefit the entire process and eliminate validation cycles that are independent of the development cycle.    Looking to the future of AWG Companies need to ask, “what else does Siemens offer,” over CAD or PLM?  Automation is one key characteristic that differentiates Siemens from the competition.  Manufacturing discussions need to continue to evolve to include more of the full lifecycle of what Siemens can offer.    Career advice from a company liaison What does anyone stand to gain from volunteer work with DES?  The benefits of the collaboration and networking with experts in the industry are key to any career.  By learning more about your passions, you can share your knowledge with others.  Industry association provides increased opportunities with customers and companies as well.  The company that supports volunteer time ends up with more satisfied customers.    Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.   Digital Download: Virtual Round-Table Series