OLI
Product Lifecycle Management with Windchill.
From PDM to PLM: Why and how to optimise your product management
The challenges facing companies today: Why is PDM alone not enough? Moving from PDM to PLM offers a number of tangible benefits. Find out more in this article!
Sustainability pressures, accelerating innovation and transformative technologies such as AI and IOT are pushing traditional product data management (PDM) methods to their limits. To meet these challenges, companies are turning to Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) - a powerful solution that integrates and streamlines product management from concept to withdrawal.
Yves Vael
Sales Director Engineering & Smart Factory France & Benelux
From PDM to PLM: understanding the difference
PDM (Product Data Management) : A data management system focused primarily on the organisation and management of design files (3D, 2D).
PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) : Collaborative solution covering all stages of a product's lifecycle, from design to manufacture and maintenance.
Whereas PDM focuses primarily on managing design data, PLM unifies all the information associated with a product, facilitating collaboration between the various departments in the organisation.
The challenges facing companies today: Why is PDM alone not enough?
Today's businesses are subject to increasing demands and pressures:
- Increased complexity : Products often incorporate multiple variations and software components, particularly with IOT.
- Faster innovation : Product lifecycles are becoming shorter and shorter, with demands for rapid time-to-market.
- Constantly evolving technologies : Businesses need to integrate new technologies while managing existing processes.
- Sustainability and regulatory compliance : Companies need to keep a close eye on the materials they use, their sources and their environmental impact.
These realities highlight the limitations of PDM: without a unified view and a collaborative tool, it becomes difficult to adapt quickly to change, meet sustainability requirements and share critical information effectively across the organisation.
Download our ultimate guide to PLM
This e-book is designed to equip you with the insights needed to ensure the long-term success of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) in your organization. As PLM systems have become a cornerstone of modern manufacturing, the guide takes a practical approach—explaining what PLM is, the challenges it addresses, its core capabilities, and how to build a compelling case to secure executive buy-in for PLM investment.
The benefits of PLM for a manufacturing company
Moving from PDM to PLM offers a number of tangible benefits:
Improving collaboration
PLM enables continuous collaboration between departments (engineering, procurement, manufacturing, after-sales, etc.) and centralises all product information. For example, 3D designs are directly linked to manufacturing requirements, marketing catalogues and service specifications, ensuring that all departments have access to the latest data. Data can even be presented differently for different people, giving them access to the part of product data that creates value in their role.
Single, real-time view of product data
With PLM, there's no longer any need to manage files scattered across several folders or risk working with obsolete versions. Every member of the team can access the latest information without having to export files, which reduces errors and misunderstandings.
Simplified 3D communication
While many companies still switch from 3D to 2D for communication purposes, PLM enables direct 3D visualisation, making it easier to understand and reducing communication risks.
Integrated version control and automated notifications
Updates to a PLM system are automatically shared with stakeholders. For example, a change to the design is instantly communicated to all the team members concerned, helping to avoid errors linked to obsolete versions.
Transparent management of components and variants
A PLM system simplifies the management of product variants (different versions of components or software) and ensures complete traceability of the parts used, which is essential for maintenance and warranty services. By making product data for older designs available in a structured way, it becomes possible, for example, for service technicians to search for potential spare parts when servicing older product versions.
PLM as a strategic tool: full traceability of your products
Knowledge management and continuity of expertise
By integrating product information into a PLM system like Windchill, companies can ensure that essential data is not lost when employees leave the company. PLM becomes a knowledge base that enables essential expertise to be retained within the organisation.
Automate processes and speed time-to-market
PLM enables companies to streamline the production and launch of new products. Automating workflows (linking with ERP, configuring products, preparing technical manuals) optimises time management and reduces production delays.
Case study : Optimising information flows and processes
Many customers who have adopted Windchill PTC PLM have seen a reduction in time-to-market for their products and an improvement in the quality of information within their teams.
For example, a machine manufacturing company such as Struers has used PLM to link all the components of its products to technical specifications and ensure that spare parts meet standards, even for products that have been in use for several years.
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