OPERATING IN CHINA? OR HAVE U.S. OR EUROPEAN INVOLVEMENT with electronics, consumer packaged goods or life sciences?

Those are the target markets for an enhanced PLM alliance between PTC and IBM. "The idea is to go to market selling the best of both worlds-PTC software and IBM services and infrastructure," explains PTC's Steve Horan, senior vice president and CIO, Needham, Mass. "The goal is to offer enterprise PLM-WindChill running on the WebSphere technology stack for companies requiring global product development solutions." He emphasizes easy integration with other enterprise applications such as ERP, SCM and CRM. In addition the PTC/IBM collaboration facilitates managing diverse CAD systems as well as other heterogeneous software challenges, says Mark Lefebvre, director of marketing, IBM Global Product Lifecycle Management, Hampton, N.H.

The alliance complements PTC's existing relationship with the IBM Application On Demand Group within IBM Global Services, the IBM Software Group and the IBM Systems and Technology Group.

Analysts such as IDC's Framingham, Mass.-based Gisela D. Wilson see the cooperative marceting agreement with win-win qualities.

Customers get the advantage of two vendors sharpening their capability to deliver competitive solutions. For PTC the alliance should accelerate the company's revenue goal of growing from fiscal 2005's $720.7 million to $1 billion by 2008. And IBM adds another respected PLM partner to provide solutions for markets not covered by its 20-year partnership with Dassault Systemes.