BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - August 12, 2008) - Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (
NYSE:
HHS), announced the release of a new research study entitled "The Best Kept
Secret of Top SMB Product Developers? Finding the Shortest Path to PLM,"
which finds that while the adoption of product lifecycle management (PLM)
solutions is still in the minority among small to midsize enterprises
(SMEs), those that are using it are seeing significant product development
performance benefits. The report reveals that SMEs who deploy PLM see an
average 18.5% improvement in product profit margins. However, Aberdeen also
found a widespread misunderstanding of PLM and its capabilities that keeps
many small and medium sized organizations from realizing the value of the
solution, or even from exploring it at all. To address this confusion
Best-in-Class SME companies look internally first.
"Prior to implementing PLM, Best-in-Class SME companies focus on
understanding their current product development processes so they can
identify where PLM will offer the most benefit. Starting with the problems
they need solved clarifies how PLM will help them. They are also sure to
have executive level involvement from the very beginning," observes
Michelle Boucher, Research Analyst in Aberdeen's Product Innovation &
Engineering practice. "Their approach pays off as their implementation
costs are 74% lower than the Industry Average."
Navigating implementation challenges effectively can have a significant
impact on the benefits an organization receives from its PLM solution.
Aberdeen found that companies that implement PLM effectively report profit
margins improvements that are 77% higher than those that fail to get it
right. Aberdeen Group's "The Best Kept Secret of Top SMB Product
Developers? Finding the Shortest Path to PLM" identifies the myths about
PLM as well as the unexpected obstacles that SMEs encounter to provide a
road map to deployment that will allow small and midsize companies to
realize greater improvements than their competitors and often before them
as well.
A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the
following underwriters: IBM, PTC, and Siemens PLM. To obtain a
complimentary copy of the report, visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=4873.
To access all of Aberdeen's complimentary research please visit
http://research.aberdeen.com.
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market
intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more
than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely
positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating
demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment
analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets,
corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.
As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in
context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's
analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of
Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement -
Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role
Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit
Aberdeen
http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more
about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to
http://www.harte-hanks.com.
© 2008 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
451 D Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928
Telephone: (617)854-5200
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Michelle Boucher
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
(617) 854-5345
Michelle.Boucher@aberdeen.com