PTC Channel Chief: We're Developing A New Operational Technology Channel To Tackle Industrial IoT

PTC is looking to ramp up its market share in the Industrial IoT (IIoT) space through the development of a new go-to-market channel of integrators with operational technology expertise, channel chief Kerry Grimes told CRN.

"We are now developing a channel… that we have not worked with before, partners who are integrators in the manufacturing space," he said. "I hope this helps as it allows us to enter a completely different market, in addition to expanding markets we are already in. We are actively growing partners in the smart connected operations space."

The Needham, Mass.-based company has looked to Internet of Things technology to enhance its traditional visualization software products, including CAD (computer-aided design), PLM (product lifecycle management) and SLM (service lifecycle management).

[Related: PTC Adds New Kinex Apps To Its Industrial IoT Lineup]

However, the company is now looking to push its flagship platform - ThingWorx, which helps customers tie together connectivity, analytics, and machine learning capabilities into their IoT solutions – in the lucrative industrial space for IoT sales.

As part of this push, PTC is looking for partners that understand the language and culture of the manufacturing space, said Grimes.

The company has already extended partnerships with operational technology vendors – in November, for instance, PTC and GE announced plans to expand a strategic alliance to bring integrated solutions to the IIoT market.

"We are helping our customers develop products that are smart and connected… this is helping companies create, operate and service products, and really generating new markets around operating products," he said.

The industrial market will be a boon for Internet of Things applications – according to market research firm IDC manufacturing operations was the IoT use case that saw the largest investment, $102.5 billion, in 2016.

PTC, for its part, has doubled down on Industrial IoT, on Thursday releasing a new generation of role-based applications called Kinex that it says will help customers navigate the IIoT market.

The Kinex applications, which unify data from enterprise systems to improve decision making and performance in the industrial market, will enable customers to "rapidly adopt and realize value from their digital transformation initiatives" across the company, according to PTC.

PTC's new Kinex applications are built into the ThingWorx Industrial IoT platform, which helps customers tie together connectivity, analytics, and machine learning capabilities within their IoT solutions.

The company has released its first Kinex application, Kinex Navigate, which helps employees navigate through the multiple lifecycles and branded systems on industry floors through a role-based interface.

"Kinex is focused on manufacturing or a market we call 'smart connected operations'… operations meaning the factory floor, and making the factory floor more efficient," said Grimes.