The Workflows That Live Between Your Systems
One connected foundation for model-based design reviews, technical data delivery, supplier collaboration, work instructions, quality and more.
Ask a manufacturing leader where programs slip and you rarely hear “in CAD” or “in the ERP.” You hear about the gaps. The design review that ended with screenshots. The supplier who quoted from last month’s revision. Work instructions still scattered across drawings and documents. Inspection results that are difficult to trace to their characteristics. Nonconformances that never make it back to engineering to close the loop.
These problems occur at handoffs: engineering to manufacturing, PLM to ERP, OEM to supplier, and design definition to inspection. Systems of record excel at governing the information they own. But the work that moves products forward often crosses several systems, organizational boundaries and disciplines. That is the opportunity for model-based enterprise collaboration.
PLM-centric collaboration, supplier portals, and engineering review tools are designed around a specific system, dataset, or use case. That focus creates inherent boundaries. Manufacturing workflows, however, rarely operate within those boundaries. They depend on product definitions, business processes, technical information, and decisions that span multiple applications, systems, disciplines, and organizations.
The challenge is connecting all of that context in a way that supports the people, workflows, and machines responsible for moving products forward.
A manufacturing program may span multiple CAD environments, one or more PLM systems, ERP, quality applications, manufacturing systems and suppliers with their own technology stacks. A supplier quality issue, for example, may require a released model and PMI, purchase-order context, an inspection plan, measurement results, evidence and disposition. No single source system completely owns that interaction.
Manufacturers need collaboration that works across these boundaries while respecting each system’s authority. Simply stated, collaborative manufacturing workflows go far beyond inviting someone to view shared content and attach a comment. They need to securely share complete product context, empower people with better ways to work, enable informed decisions, and ensure feedback and outcomes remain connected to the authoritative product definition and the business processes they support, regardless of where that information resides.
Model-based collaboration starts with preserving engineering meaning. That includes the 3D model, semantic product and manufacturing information (PMI) and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) at the heart of model-based definition (MBD). But an enterprise workflow also depends on product structure, drawings, requirements, manufacturing plans, inspection information, technical documents and lifecycle context among others.
The “model” in a model-based enterprise can include mechanical definition, systems-engineering models and manufacturing or quality information. The challenge is to make those related sources useful to different roles without reducing their content to isolated files or disconnected screenshots with no traceability to authoritative data.
Anark Collaborate 5 Raptor is designed to provide a common collaboration foundation for these experiences: connect product data from multiple sources, present it as linked information in useful formats, and support review and feedback in the context of the product definition.
Manufacturers should not start over with a different application stack for each workflow involving engineering product data. DFX reviews, supplier collaboration, work instructions and inspection all depend on trusted product context, even when their users and business processes differ.
Raptor brings three complementary architectural elements together. Content enables configurable digital product experiences that combine linked engineering information and related technical data with MBD precision. Spaces support collaboration around that content: people can review, discuss, mark up and resolve questions in context. The extensible platform provides templates, publishing automation, integrations, APIs, MCP connectors, and development capabilities used to deliver workflow-specific applications.
The benefit is cumulative. As organizations expand from one use case to the next, they can reuse existing adapters, content definitions, publishing recipes, templates and governance patterns instead of rebuilding them for every workflow.
Figure 1. Anark Raptor’s conceptual platform architecture. One foundation for model-based enterprise collaboration. Connect product context, people and business processes without replacing systems of record.
A collaboration platform must preserve the precision and meaning of the information being shared. High-fidelity 3D MBD, PMI, GD&T, product structure, drawings and related technical content provide the context needed for meaningful engineering and downstream decisions. Browser access and carefully constructed technical data packages help extend that information to people who do not use CAD or PLM authoring tools.
This is more than geometry viewing. Raptor makes trusted product definition accessible and actionable while maintaining the source, revision, and configuration context that gives the information meaning.
Many of the most valuable workflows begin in one system and require people to act in another. A PLM release may initiate technical data publishing. An ERP purchase order may establish the context for supplier collaboration. Inspection evidence may need to be reviewed against a particular product characteristic and dispositioned through a controlled process.
Raptor’s publishing automation, integrations and collaboration capabilities reduce handoffs by bringing product content and associated decisions into the same workflow experience. Through configurable integrations and automation, Raptor aligns collaboration experiences with existing enterprise processes while preserving system-of-record ownership and traceability.
A DFX review, supplier quality process and model-based work instruction need distinct experiences. A configurable platform allows those experiences to share underlying product context and reusable capabilities, while giving manufacturers and partners the flexibility to build for particular roles and business processes.
Content and Space templates, APIs, SDKs and extension mechanisms are therefore strategically important. The more repeatable workflow applications a manufacturer deploys on a common foundation, the more value it can gain from previous integrations, templates and process investments. Raptor’s standard user experience can be configured to support a variety of use cases, all leveraging the same core product definition.
The move toward digital data packages (DDPs) introduces a larger MBE value opportunity. A DDP brings together multiple kinds of related product information, rather than leaving models, requirements, inspection data and supporting evidence as disconnected deliverables. Industry initiatives such as the prostep ivip Digital Data Package project and the related CASCaRA project provide important context for this direction.
Two complementary needs have emerged. One is a standards-based, machine-readable data package: data from different engineering domains, accompanied by persistent references and relationships that software can interpret. The other is a human-usable experience: a way for manufacturing, quality, procurement, suppliers and others to find, visualize, discuss and act on the relevant information.
Raptor's technical data publishing and configurable Content experiences provide a foundation for making diverse engineering data accessible and actionable across manufacturing workflows. The emerging Digital Data Package and CASCaRA frameworks enhance this foundation through a common digital engineering knowledge graph, connecting requirements, product characteristics, manufacturing processes, inspection results, and other related data across domains.
Spaces add the human dimension: discussions, evidence, feedback, and decisions connected to trusted product context. Together, these capabilities establish a foundation for more intelligent, traceable workflows and AI applications that can help people find information, understand issues, and accelerate resolution.
Figure 2: The digital thread needs to preserve what people learn as they collaborate, and connect it back to shared product context
This richer relationship model provides an architectural advantage for companies on the path to becoming a model-based enterprise. The principle is straightforward, and the impact is massive: preserve the connections between engineering data and the people using it, so future workflows and AI applications can operate with better context and traceability.
MBD and PMI fidelity. Present high-fidelity product definition, including relevant 3D geometry, PMI and GD&T, to downstream participants in accessible review experiences.
Multi-CAD and multi-source content. Bring CAD and PLM sources together with drawings, BOMs, documents and additional technical content. Support for specialized formats and semantic relationships through DDP adapters.
Configurable Content experiences. Use templates and platform extension capabilities to tailor what different roles see and how they interact with relevant information.
Technical data delivery in 3D PDF and HTML. Publish technical data packages for customers, partners and disconnected environments, including 3D PDF and standalone or web-hosted HTML experiences.
Repeatable publishing automation. Use recipes and controlled publishing processes to deliver consistent content, including on-demand and PLM-triggered workflows.
Process-oriented collaboration. Support Spaces for reviews and cross-functional interaction; connect those interactions to business events such as PLM releases or ERP purchase orders.
Open integration and extension mechanisms. Use documented APIs, SDKs and adapters to connect external systems and build workflow-specific experiences, with permissions and system-of-record controls.
AI-ready, governed context. Give governed AI applications trusted product and collaboration context through MCP. Add AI insights into your model-based enterprise collaboration processes.
Consider a machined bracket moving from engineering into manufacturing and quality. The following illustrates how one connected foundation can support distinct roles.
DFX review. Engineering releases a new definition in PLM. A publishing workflow prepares a browser-ready technical data experience. Manufacturing and quality examine relevant PMI, discuss manufacturability concerns and record review decisions in context. The resulting feedback is associated with the appropriate PLM object.
Model-based work instructions. Manufacturing engineering creates a role-specific experience using released product definition and process information. Operators access the model, related technical content and steps without relying solely on printed drawings. But if they’re still most comfortable with 2D prints, they can print model-based 2D views directly from the model-based work instructions as a job aid, bridging the gap between where they are today and where MBD can take them tomorrow.
PO-linked supplier collaboration. Procurement issues a purchase order in ERP. When the PO is issued, Raptor creates a supplier Space and associated with the purchase order and the released TDPs (Content) for its articles. The supplier reviews the applicable revision and discusses questions with the OEM. Procurement managers gain governed collaboration across suppliers, keeping supplier-specific conversations and information access appropriately separated. Everyone shares the additional files the process requires in the same Space.
Quality and first article inspections. Inspection planning and results are part of a collaborative review experience alongside the relevant MBD context. Support for QIF and STEP AP242 provides human-readable inspection information in MBD product context while enabling the sharing of machine-readable files inspectors can use in their CMM processes. Teams can identify deviations, add evidence and route nonconformances for dispositioning through controlled quality and engineering processes. After the process is completed, generate, send and save inspection reports for everyone’s records.
Four workflows, four audiences and different experiences build from common product context, rather than forcing every team to reconstruct the definition and discussion from scratch.
Building a model-based enterprise doesn't require a company-wide transformation initiative on day one. The most effective approach is often to start with a specific workflow where disconnected information, manual handoffs, or inefficient collaboration are creating measurable business friction.
Figure 3: How to scale value with model-based enterprise collaboration
For some manufacturers, that means automating the creation and distribution of technical data packages. For others, it's enabling DFX design reviews with accurate 3D MBD and PMI, connecting cross-functional teams to the engineering product definition. And for supplier-centric manufacturers, it’s making data sharing, feedback and decisions simple and traceable across internal and external teams and systems.
Each offers an opportunity to deliver value quickly while establishing a foundation for broader adoption. The path forward begins with these practical steps.
This approach allows manufacturers to realize the immediate benefits of model-based collaboration while building toward the broader vision of Model-Based Enterprise Collaboration.
One workflow creates the first business case. One extensible platform supports what comes next.
This is what differentiates another collaboration feature from an enterprise collaboration foundation. The long-term value comes not only from solving the first use case, but also from reducing the effort required to enable the next one.
What's the first workflow you'd improve?
Explore your use case with Anark and discover how Raptor can help you deliver value now while building for what's next.
It is a governed environment that lets cross-functional teams and partners access, review and act on digital product definition and related business context across engineering and downstream workflows.
Design review is one application. A broader model-based collaboration platform also supports technical data delivery, configurable downstream experiences, integrations, reusable templates and other manufacturing workflows.
They can access shared browser-based experiences or appropriate standalone packages without using the OEM’s CAD authoring tools or internal PLM interface. Access remains governed by the chosen deployment and sharing model.
In the broader digital-engineering context, a digital data package (DDP) organizes multiple related data sources and relationships for machine and human use. An interactive HTML package is how Anark makes that content usable. The prostep ivip DDP working group and the CASCaRA initiative are advancing the semantic information models, ontologies, and standardization needed to connect engineering information across domains and organizations.
Yes. Anark's technical data publishing capabilities support creation of 3Di PDF technical data packages for MIL-STD-31000 requirements. Anark has a long history supporting this standard, including contributing to the development of 3Di PDF TDP practices. Organizations can publish 3Di PDF deliverables alongside interactive HTML technical data packages in Raptor, extending the same trusted product definition into browser-based collaboration and downstream manufacturing workflows.