When multiple employees of a Fortune 100 medical equipment manufacturing company reached out to us for support with workflow functions and permissions, we knew there was a better way. Rather than fixing the issues that would inevitably keep occurring with their...
Manufacturing
Accelerating Product Design with Creo
Register NowYou’ll be taken to a secure registration page to complete your sign-up.By submitting this form, I acknowledge receipt of SPK and Associates' Privacy Policy.Engineering teams today are being asked to move faster, deliver better products, and do more with...
Proven Strategies for Resolving the ALM-PLM Gap in Automotive Engineering
As automotive manufacturers accelerate toward software-defined vehicles, the lines between mechanical, electrical, and software engineering are rapidly blurring. To compete in an era defined by electrification, autonomous systems, connectivity, and regulatory...
Legacy MES vs. Composable MES: Why Agility is Your Manufacturing Edge
In modern manufacturing, the systems we use to manage production often feel like they were built for a different era. When engineering leaders evaluate Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), they frequently encounter a choice between the way it’s always been done and...
How Industrial Manufacturers Are Accelerating Time-to-Market by 15% With PTC’s Digital Thread
Hello everybody, and welcome back to another SPK and Associates vlog. My name is Michael Roberts. I'm the Vice President of Sales and Marketing here at SPK. Today we're talking about how industrial manufacturers are accelerating their time to market up to 15% by using...
5 Signs Your Legacy MES Is Holding You Back And How Composable Platforms Solve It
Manufacturing execution systems (MES) were once the backbone of shop floor control. Today, many legacy MES platforms have become barriers to innovation rather than enablers of it. Slow deployment cycles and limited integration capabilities make it difficult for...
Why Automotive Tier 1 Suppliers Are Moving to a Unified ALM + PLM Digital Thread
As vehicle programs become more software-intensive, product variants multiply, compliance expectations rise, OEM timelines are not getting any easier. This puts automotive suppliers under immense pressure. Meanwhile, engineering teams are often still working across...
How Manufacturers Can Drive Real-Time Production Visibility and Quality Improvements
Introduction: Manufacturing with Tulip Hello and welcome. My name is Michael Roberts, Vice President of Sales and Marketing with SPK and Associates. Today we're here to talk about a topic that is really important for manufacturers. Manufacturers are constantly under...
Why Growing Manufacturers Are Transitioning from Solidworks PDM to Windchill PLM
Many engineering teams begin their product data management journey with tools like SolidWorks PDM. Systems like SWPDM provide critical capabilities for managing CAD files, controlling versions, and maintaining design history. For small to mid-sized teams focused...
Turning OEE Insights into Continuous Improvement Action for Manufacturers
Most manufacturers track overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) as a standard for productivity. The challenge is not collecting this number, but turning the number into action on the shop floor. Too often, OEE becomes a static KPI that shows whether performance was...
AI + Digital Threads- Driving Manufacturing Productivity Without Increasing Headcount
Manufacturers are under increasing pressure to improve productivity while facing labor shortages, rising costs, and growing product complexity—and adding headcount is no longer a sustainable option. Instead, leading industrial organizations are leveraging AI-enabled...
5 MES Trends for 2026 — and How to Get Ahead
Manufacturing execution systems (MES) are evolving faster than ever. Rising sustainability requirements, ongoing workforce shortages, increasing product complexity, and tighter regulatory oversight are pushing manufacturers to rethink how they run shop floor...












