Exploring the world of PDM PLM tools can be daunting. It is important to carefully evaluate tools and understand your options.
Product Data Management (PDM) or Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software is used by engineering teams to control product information. The software helps teams manage the process of creating a product, manufacturing, and maintaining a product. At its core, PDM systems manage engineering design files like CAD files, Bill of Materials, and Part List’s. PLM systems take it a step further with more features to control the entire lifecycle of the product at earlier and later stages than the just PDM. These can include managing change requests for a product, managing suppliers, and integrations with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and billing systems. This article takes a more in depth look at the differences between PDM and PLM than my previous discussion about the differences between PDM and PLM. This article is aimed at engineering managers looking to identify what types of solutions they should consider for their team and help them understand their options.
For someone just starting to learn about PDM and PLM, there are a lot of acronyms which can be confusing. Here are some of the basic acronyms and definitions.
PDM – Product Data Management
PLM – Product Lifecycle Management
SaaS – Software as a Service
On-Premises – Data that is hosted on computers managed by your own organization.
Cloud – Data that is hosted by an external organization.
BOM – Bill of Materials
ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning
PDM and PLM systems were created because managing CAD data and product information in “default” systems wasn’t cutting it.
Without a PDM system, engineering teams typically manage files with File Explorer and network drives. To identify versions, files are renamed to filename_V2.sldprt or are moved into a different folder called V2. Part numbers and other file information are managed in Excel. CAD files and comments are shared via email. Design reviews and change requests aren’t tracked or are scattered through emails, chats, or another Excel workbook.
For someone working alone, you might be able to get by. But issues arise when working as a team. There needs to be a system that everyone adheres to and understands. Two engineers don’t realize they are working on the same part, overriding the changes of each other. How one person organizes files is different from how another person organizes files. The manufacturing team isn’t building with the latest revision. Someone moves a file and CAD references get lost and broken. These are all issues that can arise without a PDM or PLM system to take back control.
Some cloud solutions like SharePoint make it difficult to manage CAD files because of file syncing. SharePoint can allow you to work with the same file at the same time. This works great for Word or Excel files. But for CAD files, this can cause issues. When engineers open the file at the same time from different locations it can cause conflicts. Later they realize their changes were conflicting and now they need to resolve the issue manually by trying to merge changes. These systems were not built for engineers.
Communication about product changes, status updates, and reviews get lost in PowerPoint presentations and email chains.
These are just a few examples of challenges that engineering teams have working together without a PDM PLM system.
To learn more about the challenges of traditional systems consider reading: Why File Explorer, SharePoint, and Google Drive don’t work for effective CAD document management
PDM software is one that is more focused on the engineering design process. A PDM system manages CAD files via version control, revision control, and reference management. You can think of a PDM system as the engineering design toolset. Modern PDM systems often come with file management features. A cloud PDM can be a replacement for other file management systems like Dropbox or Google drive. A PDM could also replace a lot of Excel worksheets used to track design changes, bill of materials, or part numbers. PDM systems can control the files and data that you create as an engineer.
A Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system takes a broader approach to managing product information. A lot of Product Data Management systems from the past have morphed into managing more information around the Product Lifecycle. However, the PLM system today still has a broader focus of managing information before the actual product design, like conception and brainstorming. More importantly, a PLM system covers features downstream of product development in manufacturing and maintenance. For example, these include features to help with change management and parts sourcing. PLM takes a broad approach to managing information while PDM focuses on the engineering team.
Understanding the difference between PDM and PLM can help you understand what tools are available to help your team to increase productivity. I will include an overview of the differences below. To learn more about the differences between PDM and PLM check out the article 4 Key differences between PDM and PLM.
The scope of a PLM system as can be inferred from the name, is larger than that for a PDM system. A PLM system covers processes across earlier stages of product development. A PDM system is focused on the engineering team. The PDM system is intended to help manage CAD files and other files related to engineering designs. A PLM system has a broader user base including departments and teams before and after the engineering design phase. A PLM solution might have more integrations to ERP systems to provide access to others in the company.
A PLM system might have more change management features. This might include a detailed change and release workflow. For example, some features of a PLM system might include engineering change order tracking with configuration items and request for changes. To learn more about an engineering change management system look at the article: 4 Engineering change management best practices.
Some PLM systems include tools for managing suppliers and sourcing parts. This can include exchange platforms for sharing files with suppliers and managing the information that is provided by suppliers.
A PLM system typically requires a lot more budget considering the scope of the system and additional features compared to a PDM system. Adoption of a PLM system is more common in larger companies. Small to medium sized companies might not have enough budget or need for the scope of features included in some PLM systems.
For small to medium sized companies especially, a PLM system might be overkill at the beginning. You want to choose the right system that matches your needs. At the same time choose one that you don’t need to change too soon in the future. To help you better understand your challenges, ask yourself a few questions about your process.
A PDM PLM system gives you more control over your information. More control typically means less flexibility, but also less room for mistakes. There is a balance between systems that have more control or not. You could have a process that includes an entire change request process or simply version control with user permissions. Consider how much control you want to implement in your system.
Adding more control to your process gives you less room for chaos. This can make it clearer for your engineering team to focus on the important tasks like innovation and design. PDM PLM systems also give engineers an avenue to communicate more efficiently.
It can be easier to collaborate with a PDM PLM system. PDM PLM tools give engineers the ability to add information via index fields, comments and track them with the product. Collaboration tools like notifications, comments, or status changes give a clearer picture of the product’s state. This helps make sure this critical information doesn’t get lost easily in email chains.
Which tools should you consider as a PDM PLM solution? There are many PLM PDM tools provided by CAD vendors, but you should also consider some tools by non-CAD vendors because they can be more focused on your niche.
Easy to use cloud PDM solution focused on CAD version control. Ideal for small to medium sized companies in industrial equipment manufacturing.
Enterprise on premises or cloud PLM solution. Teamcenter integrates with Siemens NX and Solid Edge.
On premises PDM solution. Vault integrates with Inventor.
Enterprise PLM solution is highly configurable.
Enterprise On Premises PLM solution.
Cloud PDM PLM solution that integrates well with Inventor and Fusion 360.
On-premise PDM solution for SolidWorks.
Cloud PLM and PDM focused on BOM management features.
Should you build something with in-house resources or purchase a software tool? As engineers it can be tempting to build something in-house to solve some of the core issues instead of spending money on a PDM PLM software.
We tend to underestimate the amount of time and resources it takes to build software and tools. Consider not only the amount of time you would spend on creating the tool initially, but also on the time it would take to maintain, teach, and grow the tool. This time could be spent focusing on your team’s core competencies like engineering and design.
Most CAD vendors offer a PDM or PLM solution. The initial logical step is to evaluate the PDM PLM solution provided by your CAD vendor. If you use SolidWorks, this might mean considering SolidWorks PDM or 3D Experience. This is typically only offered through your Value-Added Reseller. If it’s not what you are looking for, consider looking at other great options in a third-party solution. Disclaimer, I work for a third-party provider with Open Domain’s Vistapoint PDM. But, I think there are some clear benefits and common misconceptions that should be identified.
Evaluate the value of the challenges you are trying to solve and consider the budget that your team is willing to invest in a PDM PLM solution. PLM tools tend to be more expensive. Typically, smaller teams would lean more towards a PDM solution considering the lower impact on budget.
Exploring the world of PDM PLM tools can be daunting. It is important to carefully evaluate tools and understand your options. What would your productivity and workflow look like if you had a good PDM system? At the end of the road, a good PDM PLM tool is supposed to increase productivity and reduce the chance of errors. Therefore, maximizing product quality within the time constraints we face every day. How we get there is different for every team and the team’s process. What do you think about PDM PLM tools? Let me know in the comments.
*Open Domain is the developer of Vistapoint PDM.
For smaller engineering teams, implementing and managing SolidWorks PDM has it’s challenges. Consider other choices to increase your productivity.
How to navigate the confusing world of information management solutions for engineering companies.
How engineering teams can stay organized and increase productivity with CAD PDM.
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