Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division and a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services, today announced that Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, the builder of the world's most advanced multi-role fighter, the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), is expanding the use of Teamcenter® software, Siemens PLM Software's digital lifecycle management solution, to enable a fully digital PLM backbone for design, manufacturing and maintenance support for the JSF program.

Siemens PLM Software made the announcement in conjunction with Siemens PLM Connection Americas, an annual user and developer conference, where Charles D. Artymovich, Director of Aeronautics Operations for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, will discuss the Lockheed Martin's implementation of Product and Production Life Cycle Management (PPLM) strategies to develop and maintain the digital thread to design, build, produce, manage and improve effective execution across the entire Product Value Stream.

The integration of processes and tools that enable data flow will be instrumental in driving future standards, maximizing global partnerships, and providing world class products and services. The F-35 JSF program exemplifies efforts to enhance the Product Value Stream and realize the benefits of PPLM system integration to be gained in the aerospace and defense environment.

"Lockheed Martin's decision to use Teamcenter to manage and protect its intellectual property is a testament to our commitment to provide a robust, open PLM platform," said Dr. Helmuth Ludwig, president, Siemens PLM Software. "Teamcenter will provide a solution that enhances collaboration and innovation while delivering design anywhere; build anywhere capabilities that are required for the global market of the JSF."

This expansion will result in increased collaboration between Lockheed Martin's engineering and manufacturing environments which will reduce the time required to incorporate changes and enable critical production rates. Siemens PLM Software technology will be a key tool in enabling Lockheed Martin to reach a projected production rate of one F-35 aircraft per day. Teamcenter will allow Lockheed Martin to much more effectively perform reconciliations to help improve quality and reduce cost while delivering on time, by tightly coupling engineering efforts with manufacturing.

In any program, managing change throughout the lifecycle while also meeting production requirements is a difficult task. The F-35 program takes things to an entirely new level; managing the processes and data of a highly complex aircraft with multiple international customers, each demanding unique characteristics. Lockheed Martin will use Teamcenter to help manage the changes to the aircraft from design to manufacturing all the way through sustainment.