The company was involved in the 19th International Design Conference, which took place from 18 to 21 May 2026 in Cavtat-Dubrovnik, Croatia. This international conference brings together researchers and practitioners from various fields of engineering and industrial design, providing a platform to discuss current methods, tools, and developments in product development.

As part of the conference, two scientific contributions from ARTECH Consulting GmbH were published, both of which address the qualification of users during the introduction of new CAD/PLM systems.

Guidelines as a foundation for key user qualification
The first contribution is entitled ‘Using guidelines to train key users: accelerate skills development during a CAD/PDM software transition’ and can be found under https://doi.org/10.1017/pds.2026.10669.

It examines a guideline-based approach to training key users during a CAD/PLM software transition. Rather than teaching software functionality in isolation, this approach connects tool use with real engineering tasks, established working methods, and company-specific workflows.

The findings suggest that this practical approach can accelerate skill development, encourage consistent modelling and data management practices, and enhance understanding of digital engineering processes. At the same time, key users are prepared to act as knowledge multipliers within their organisation.

From key users to end users
The second contribution: ‘From key users to end users: scaling guideline-based learning for sustainable CAD/PLM adoption’ which can be found under https://doi.org/10.1017/pds.2026.10668, builds on this concept, focusing on the next stage of the software transition: transferring the acquired knowledge to a wider end-user community.

It presents a scalable blended-learning approach combining asynchronous self-study with structured guidelines and synchronous, trainer-led sessions. The objective is to promote procedural understanding and consistent modelling practices, as well as the sustainable adoption of the new CAD/PLM environment.

A continuous approach to sustainable CAD/PLM adoption
The two publications together represent successive phases of a common qualification strategy. Key users are initially trained using practical guidelines and developed into knowledge multipliers. Their knowledge and validated working practices are then transferred to end users via a structured, scalable learning approach.

The resulting methodology combines technical system implementation, standardisation, knowledge management, and user qualification.

For ARTECH Consulting GmbH, publishing these two contributions provides another opportunity to contribute experience from industrial CAD/PLM transformation projects to the scientific discussion. It also reflects our view that technological transformation should not be approached solely as a software project, as sustainable system adoption requires the consideration of technology, processes and people development together.