Case study

Oshkosh Defense scales production with a unified product lifecycle platform across business units

A global tactical-vehicle manufacturer with 15,000 employees and 29 facilities replaced a siloed PDM with a unified Windchill PLM, consolidating Oshkosh Defense LLC, Airport Products LLC, and corporate engineering onto one platform through a 3-year ArcherGrey-led implementation.

Aerospace & DefensePLM TransformationProgram Management
IndustryAerospace & Defense
Solutions

PLM TransformationProgram Management
Background

100+ year tactical-vehicle manufacturer (TAK-4® family, TerraMax®, Command Zone™, ProPulse®) for global military and security forces. 15,000 employees across 29 manufacturing facilities; logistics network on six continents.

The inflection point

The PDM that couldn't keep up.

As a company with 29 manufacturing facilities and over 15,000 employees, visibility across the organization is critical. Without it, common manufacturing problems creep in: failure to use the right materials, delayed time to market, parts manufactured to the wrong specs.

But despite the obvious need for visibility, Oshkosh Defense’s existing PDM system had limited integration with newer technologies. Data stayed locked inside it. There was clear opportunity to accelerate collaboration across teams and departments.

The same lack of integration also limited the foundation needed to scale. Consolidating technology is the foundation for expansion, and unifying the stack would unlock that next phase. The bigger picture: the team needed a faster path to meet rising demand for product development.

29
Manufacturing facilities operating without unified visibility
15K+
Employees needing access to the same source of truth
6
Continents covered by the supply & logistics network

Our approach

A 3-year, strategy-led Windchill implementation.

Oshkosh was looking for a trusted partner to guide them on their PLM journey. After an extensive evaluation, ArcherGrey was selected for our ability to lay out a strategic three-year implementation plan rather than just a technical one.

We worked with the Oshkosh Defense team to set program roadmaps, run Windchill workshops, and configure new systems against real workflow needs. The engagement ran on a senior-led delivery model, so the same people stayed on the program from planning through execution. That meant minimal onboarding and offboarding for the team and continuity across every workstream.

What we owned:

  • Program governance and a phased 3-year roadmap
  • Windchill design workshops and business-wide workflow definition
  • Multi-CAD management and migration of three business units onto a single platform
  • Role-based training
  • Post-go-live sustainment and admin enablement

Post go-live the team continues to assist with training of users and admins to allow the Oshkosh team to successfully move that skill in house, and grow our teams' skillset.

— Oshkosh Defense

Business outcomes

One platform, three business units, business-wide workflows.

ArcherGrey helped Oshkosh Defense stand up a fully functional Windchill system, customized to their unique needs. That meant business-wide workflows, efficient multi-CAD management, and process reporting.

What changed:

  • Migrated Oshkosh Defense LLC, Airport Products LLC, and corporate engineering onto a single Windchill platform
  • Implemented business-wide workflows and reporting
  • Enabled efficient multi-CAD management
  • Trained users and admins through customized programs so the skill set lives in-house, not with a vendor

Today the team continues to support Oshkosh’s internal admins post-go-live, growing internal capability rather than creating dependency.

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