providing files to outside parties / suppliers

[MikeLockwood]

Interesting meetings here lately.

In general, we supply files (native CAD and/or STEP/IGES, etc.) to outside parties as email attachments if small, or via Box or Drop Box or equiv if larger.  There is interest in allowing outside parties to access these and download directly from Windchill - now discussing options, etc.

Interested in what others have done / are doing related to this.

A few possibly approaches:

- use Windchill Projects, possibly one per outside party; add neutral files / possibly share CAD data to the project, maybe subscribe the outside parties to a folder in the project

- use Windchill packages (possibly too much complexity though)

- other?

thanks in advance

[TomU]

We've looked into this in the past but the external access licensing was prohibitive.  I think there is more flexibility with the PTC Navigate product.  Probably worth looking into.

Projects and Packages are both going to require a bunch of internal effort to create and manage.  You also should make sure they will automatically update when something is revised.  (I don't think Projects will.  Not sure about packages...)

Our current approach is to automatically generate all of the derivative data in Windchill and then let purchasing manually attach these files their RFQs and POs in our ERP system.  The one benefit of this approach is that you can look at any previous order and know exactly what the vendor was supposed to build to.

[Wayne_Beck]

We have just turned on security labels and agreements and are having suppliers gain access to files through PTC Navigate.  This has worked well for us so far.  I only see this getting better as the product improves.  

[rpolapally-2]

Hi Wayne,

Can you throw some light on the PTCNavigate implementation with Windchill , we do have similar use cases where based on RFQ suppliers get access to drawings and for a certain duration.

1. Is PTCNavigate app is external or internal facing for supplier

2. Is each supplier given access to Windchill or only at PTC Navigate level. Licensing mechanism

3. Are there any  supplier specific app roles defined at PTC Navigate

4. When supplier queries a drawing , is the underlying data fetched with a super user from Windchill or in supplier context

thanks in advance,
Raj