Uses PTC Creo^® and PTC Windchill^® to Design, Build Equipment that Feeds the World

NEEDHAM, Mass. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — January 14, 2014 — An expanding global population, shrinking farm land, and environmental sustainability goals are driving farmers to grow record crops through innovative farming systems. PTC (Nasdaq: PTC) today announced that Great Plains Manufacturing is using PTC Creo and PTC Windchill to design and build the equipment that feeds the world by increasing crop yields.

Great Plains 3S-5000 equipment. Designed using PTC software. (Photo: Business Wire)

Great Plains Manufacturing, one of the largest privately held manufacturers of farm equipment for the past 40 years, develops agricultural equipment for seedbed preparation, nutrient application, and seeding placement using the most recent, cutting-edge technology available.

The company standardized on PTC Creo for all stages of product development including concept, detailing, simulation, documentation and production. The tight integration of PTC Creo and PTC Windchill increased team productivity by maximizing component re-use across nine locations, including design engineers located in Sleaford, England. Great Plains Manufacturing is also bringing new products to market faster by enabling other teams such as manufacturing, marketing, and sales to view digital models earlier in the design process.

“For us at Great Plains, product innovation starts at the design stage. We innovate to stay ahead, because it's a very competitive business,” says Greg Arnett, engineering manager, Great Plains Manufacturing. “We invest heavily in engineering because we know how important it is to deliver great products for our customers. If innovation and quality are not built at the engineering stage, there’s nothing our manufacturing process can do to make that better. PTC solutions enable us to be stronger and more agile in the marketplace.”

Using PTC software, Great Plains Manufacturing delivered its largest grain drill – the 3S-5000 – three times faster than perviously able. Randy Jones, engineering system administration, Great Plains Manufacturing sums up the value of PTC Creo, “We’re designing products that we wouldn’t have dreamed of before PTC Creo. It’s not just a question of how much faster we are, it wouldn’t have been possible to design them at all.”

“Using PTC software, Great Plains Manufacturing drives value from the rich, complete 3D definition of its products and is able to design and deliver better equipment through stronger, more efficient manufacturing processes,” said Mike Campbell, executive vice president, CAD, PTC. “Great Plains is among the innovative companies that we work with helping to transform how products are created from concept through manufacturing, service and retirement. We enjoy working with them as they continue to design cutting-edge, innovative equipment to address the dynamic changes the farming industry is seeing.”

Additional Resources:

• 21^st Century Harvesting, Great Plains Manufacturing and PTC
• PTC Creo Customer Stories (CNB Yachts, Specialized Bikes, Britax Car Seats)
• Infographic: Manufacturing Transformation

Connect with us on LinkedIn - Join our PTC Community - Visit us on Facebook – View other Social Media Platforms

About Great Plains Manufacturing
Great Plains Manufacturing, Inc., was established on April 1, 1976. Since its inception, company founder Roy Applequist has lead Great Plains as President and has overseen the company's growth from modest beginnings to become one of the largest privately held manufacturers of agricultural implements for tillage, seeding and planting in the United States, as well as a leading producer of dirt-working, turf-maintenance, and landscaping equipment. Great Plains comprises five divisions: Great Plains Ag, Great Plains International, Land Pride, Great Plains Acceptance Corporation (GPAC), and Great Plains Trucking. Get more information at www.greatplainsmfg.com.

About PTC
PTC (Nasdaq: PTC) enables manufacturers to achieve sustained product and service advantage. The company's technology solutions transform the way products are created and serviced across the entire product lifecycle - from conception and design to sourcing and service. Founded in 1985, PTC employs over 6,000 professionals serving more than 27,000 businesses in rapidly-evolving, globally distributed manufacturing industries worldwide. Get more information at www.ptc.com.

The announcement of a customer’s selection, implementation, deployment or adoption of PTC software is not necessarily indicative of the timing or amount of revenue therefrom or of PTC’s overall revenue for any particular period.