Top 4 Reasons You Need a PDM and PLM System
Product Data Management (PDM) provides a centralized location for an organization to come together and work on design data and engineering processes. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) takes it one step further and better enhances collaboration, allowing various teams, such as mechanical, electrical, and software, to come together to bring a product to market. Regardless of what you call it, there is a lot of benefits to these systems, and cloud-based options make it easier than ever to get started. There is a good amount of overlap between these two concepts, but one aspect that completely overlaps is the fact that you need a PDM/PLM system, and I’ll give you the top four reasons why.
1. PLM Systems Benefit Your Organization - Big or Small
Product Lifecycle Management can bring some massive benefits to your organization when properly utilized. Some common benefits of PLM systems include:
Increased Productivity and Quality
Single Source of Truth for Data
Reduced Time to Market
Ease of Scaling
These are just the beginning. While it may seem daunting to implement a PLM system, delaying only puts you at increased risk of mistakes, lost data, and more as time goes on. With a wealth of new tools, your team can put in place industry standard practices to work and collaborate more efficiently. Long gone are the days of worrying about saving over other users. With all these factors, you can be sure to get your products out the door faster and grow your team resourcefully.
2. PLM Systems Help You Manage Revisions in CAD Data and More
Revisions are the changes made to your designs and products between releases. It is essential to track this history of changes and have a system in place for controlling them. It may seem simple as a small team but having a PLM system with these capabilities in place early on sets you up for success as you grow. Some benefits to utilizing a PLM system to manage revisions for CAD data include:
Avoiding Miscommunications
Avoiding Time Loss
Providing a Fallback
Revision capabilities align with lifecycle management practices, which, as you can imagine, is an important capability to any Product Lifecycle Management system. By having a system to manage your revisions, you can make sure that your team and even your manufacturers are on the same page. You can take advantage even further by having your manufacturer added to your system to have direct access to only the latest data. With a properly configured system, you’ll always have the old revision data stored for history’s sake or worst case, as a fall back if you decide not to move forward with certain changes.
3. PLM Systems Help You Save Money
All PLM systems will have a cost associated with them, but when evaluating all the factors where they can save you money, you can quickly achieve the return on your investment. Some factors associated with a PLM system that can save you money include:
Reducing Lost Time Searching for Data
Eliminating Document Creation
Reducing Manufacturing Scrap & Rework
Increasing Engineering Productivity
Improving Manufacturing Uptime
Increasing Sales
Managing Engineering Data, BOMs, Configurations, and Revisions
Decreasing Time to Market
Reducing Duplication of Data Entry in ERP System
Reduction in IT Systems
Many of these factors apply to an organization in some way or another. There are many additional opportunities for savings as well. Many of these factors pair together and work to ultimately increase the productivity of your team and downstream project stakeholders and collaborators, leading to your products getting designed and out the door faster, and ultimately, higher sales.
Learn more about how PDM and PLM systems can save you money.
4. Cloud-Based PLM Systems Get You Started Easier Than Ever Before
If PLM isn’t enticing enough already, when paired with the advantages of cloud-based solutions, it can seem irresistible. Cloud solutions provide several benefits and cloud-based PLM systems are no different. Advantages to cloud-based PLM systems include:
Ease of Software Deployment
Ease of Software Updates
Flexibility in Purchasing
These benefits make the solutions more accessible than ever before for those just getting started. Long gone are the days of setting up, configuring, and maintaining all the costly server infrastructure. Plus, cloud solutions bring users flexibility that is invaluable in today’s rapidly developing remote work environment. Traditional software deployment in an organization requires not only a greater IT investment with setup, but over time with any software updates and maintenance. Plus, traditional software purchasing options do not provide the flexibility required for many organizations in today’s world.
Conclusion
Having proper practices in data and lifecycle management are sure to help an organization in a multitude of ways. PLM systems bring the tools that an organization needs to implement these practices properly and efficiently. In the end, organizations become more efficient, save money, and get products out the door faster, all while remaining more flexible than ever before. While it may seem daunting, the earlier you get started, the better! Contact us to evaluate the best solution for your organization!
Matt is a Customer Success Manager at SWYFT Solutions and started using SOLIDWORKS while earning his Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering at Grand Valley State University and has been hooked ever since! He now specializes in 3DEXPERIENCE Works solutions, including 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS. Outside of work, Matt loves to travel, hike, and discover new music.
Connect with Matt on LinkedIn