Speaker

Wilhelm Bielert, PhD, CDO & Senior Vice President, Premier Tech

Title

Mastering Customization Complexity: CLM as the Foundation for AI-Driven Growth

Customization is no longer a differentiator – it is the baseline. Yet many companies still manage product knowledge across silos: spreadsheets, legacy systems, documents, and local “truths.” The result is predictable: version drift, inconsistent metadata, rework, and slow handovers from engineering to sales and operations.

In this keynote, Dr. Wilhelm ‘Wil’ Bielert, CDO & SVP at Premier Tech, offers a bird’s-eye view on why Configuration Lifecycle Management (CLM) has become a strategic capability. His central thesis: mastering customization complexity requires a seamless end-to-end IT architecture, and CLM is the backbone – governing the solution space as a shared source of truth and enabling integrations across PLM/CAD, CPQ/CRM, and downstream execution.

Looking ahead, Wil connects CLM to digital threads as the bridge from governed configuration knowledge to scalable automation. He highlights how data fidelity, traceability, and governance across configuration, product, and process threads enable advanced AI, including agent-based support in manufacturing and operations. Where modern 3D/visualization platforms are part of the stack, they can accelerate this journey turning customization complexity into faster change, higher consistency, and sustainable growth.

Outcomes at a glance:

• CLM is the foundation for trusted AI
• AI delivers value when connected to data
• Start with pilots and scale from success