With this issue, Managing Automation debuts a reconfigured TechWatch section that delivers more relevant and timely insights into the ever-changing technology landscape. Each month in TechWatch, MA will detail the product offerings of a select group of vendors in key technology segments. Product lifecycle management (PLM) is seeing robust activity these days, following some ups and downs during the last few years. The recent success has been spurred in part by on-demand, software-as-a-service (SaaS) delivery models, which offer operational and licensing flexibility and cost advantages including vendor-supplied maintenance and upgrades. PLM companies are also enjoying heightened interest in non-traditional segments from companies of all sizes in markets such as consumer packaged goods (CPG), electronics, apparel, medical equipment, and pharmaceuticals. In addition, a flurry of acquisitions and partnerships has helped usher in the new era by blending traditional product data management approaches with new technologies, though application integration and customization remain works in progress. Delivery and licensing variables notwithstanding, manufacturers will find the latest array of PLM products easier to use and chock-filled with features that support a product development process that is increasingly distributed across internal functional departments and must embrace third parties beyond the company firewall. Moreover, the new generation of products is guided by the main priorities of U.S. manufacturers seeking an edge in the global economy: accelerating product innovation and differentiation while complying with a dizzying collection of domestic and international regulatory mandates. Vendors mentioned in this article: Agile Software, Arena Solutions, CoCreate Software, PTC, and UGS . For a PDF detailing the offerings from these PLM vendors, click here. To see our entire directory of PLM vendors, click here.