By Srinivasan V MudaliarApril 10, 2023

Product Lifecycle Management

What is a Product?

To understand PLM, you need to first understand definition of Product and the challenges associated with getting one to the market place.A good, idea, method, information, object or service created as a result of a process and serves a need or satisfies a want. It has combination of tangible and intangible attributes (benefits, features, functions, uses) that  seller offers a buyer for purchase. @ http://www.businessdictionary.com

Examples of Products:-

Typical Product lifecycle Diagram

What is PLM ?

PLM is a tool that helps to manage both product data and product development process.

PLM Software's vision is to enable a world where organizations and their partners collaborate through global innovation networks to deliver world-class products and services, allowing them to deal swiftly with emerging risks and opportunities.

PLM integrates and manage processes, applications, and information that define products across multiple systems and media.

Any organizations in a global market place strives:

To reduce Product costs To attain better Quality To reduce/improve “time-to-market” To attain Product Differentiation

TCS - ConfidentialApril 10, 2023 Page : 5

Origin of PLM – Concepts of Engineering Drawing and PDM

TCS - ConfidentialApril 10, 2023 Page : 6

Origin of PLM – Concept of BOM

Why PLM?

• Ensuring everyone works to the correct revision level

• Distribution of drawings

• Time to implement an engineering change

• Time to access drawings• Control of variants/configurations

• Exchange of drawings with suppliers/customers

• Revising paper based drawings

In Industries the Most Common Problems are -

Only 20% of Design Data is Geometrythough the other 80% applies to it

Pre-PLM Scenario (Source - http://www.engineerlive.com)

Post-PLM Scenario (Source -

http://gol10dr.squarespace.com/blog/tag/data-management)

Business Benefits of PLM

• To help win more business• To build, store and share valuable information• To control the explosion of digital information• Provides data control and integrity • Aid in concurrent engineering• Speed up product development• Enable a virtual product development team• Provide accountability

IMAN

PDM Functions

User Functions:

Data Vault and Document Management

Workflow and Process Management

Product Structure Management

Classification

Utility Functions :

Communication and Notification

Image Services

Data Access Control

IMAN

Data Vault and Document Management

The vault is a data store that contains some data within itself and controls other externally generated data by managing access to it.

It is used for logical grouping of the data.

Types of Data stored in Vault -

Product data e.q. Cad Model Files, CAE Data, Operating Manuals etc.

Data about PDM controlled information.

Data Vault and Document Management

Secure and Control Storage

Check-in and Check-out provide information Access

Release Management ensures data Consistency

All the history is stored for future reference

Non-electronic data can be managed

The user need not know where data are stored

Workflow and Process Management

The business processes in the organization can be mapped into PDM system using workflow (Life cycles).

Business process rules/constraints can be incorporated into the Life Cycles.

User 1

User 3

User Group

Submitter

Workflow and Process Management

Workflow Benefits

Managed Electronic Review and Approval Saves Time through Automatic Routing Prioritizes Tasks Provides Management Reports Identifies Bottlenecks Drives the Business Pro-actively

Change Management

The Institute of Configuration Management defines CMII as configuration management integrated with project management and quality assurance.

Change Items: Change items are the objects, these correspond to documents and other components used in CMII model.

Problem Report - Defines a problem or an enhancement.

Change Request - Initiates a proposal that recommends a change and captures business decisions associated with the change.

Change Notice - Change notice provides a detailed work plan to resolve a set of requests.

Change Management – Change Items

A single change notice may logically group and address issues identified in multiple change requests. A single change request in turn responsible for multiple problem reports.

Change Management – Sample Scenario

Ø

Requestorof CR

Requestor of PR

Administrator & Analyst

Analyst

Review Board Requestor of CN Analyst

Implementation Board Administrator or Analyst

Analyst Administrator & Analyst

Product Structure Management

It facilitates the creation and management of the Product Configurations and Bill of Materials.

PDM system tracks the version, effectivity and Design Variations of the Product Configurations.

As Different disciplines requires the unique views of the product information, PDM system can show the different views of the product. e.q. Design View, Manufacturing view, Finance View

Data can be transferred to ERP and SCM packages eq. BOM

Product Structure Management

Consistency problems:• Several Output Formats

• Different kinds of views (BOM types)

• Generic Configuration

• Variant Structure

0823 /BLowerCase side

0818 /AGearing

0815 /ACar

0816 /AChassis

0817 /BEngine

0819 /ABearing

0820 /CToothing

0821 /ACase Box

0822 /AUpperCase side

from July 1, '96until Oct. 17, '96

0900 /AChassisnew

from Oct. 17, '96

Classification

Classification of parts allows similar and standard parts, processes and other design information to be grouped by common attributes and retrieved for use in products.

Benefits

Similar parts and designs are found very easily.

Part Family hierarchies provide organized access to existing designs.

Communication and Notification

It involves the automatic notification of the critical events.

Also the event itself triggers the notification. In some cases it acts as the security feature.

E.q. Design is approved,

The particular product is released

Image Services

Images are stored and accessed like any other data

Viewing and markup provide enhanced checking

Image services enhance productivity of Engineering Change Requests.

Data Access Control

Mainly for Security

Involves:

Mapping of the business rules into the PDM system.

IDSMDB2

IDSMDB3

IDSMDB1

DB4

Site 2

Site 3

Site 1

Share information across enterprise

Distributed PDM Sites

Key PLM Solutions and Vendors

Technologies involved in PLM

Database - Oracle, Sybase, Informix, SQL Server etc.

Front end - X-windows, MS-windows etc, Web Browsers.

Networked system enabling communication between hosts i.e. Unix systems, Windows-NT, Apple MacOS, Sun Solaris etc.

Most of the PLM software's are moving towards using J2EE web technologies to allow easy of configuration and maintenance

PLM Usage in Industries and key UsersAerospace

Automotive

Retail

PLM in Industries

PLM

CRMSCM

VENDOR CUSTOMER

PRODUCT

Where PLM fits into the organization ?

E-Business

BI

ERP

FACTORY

Data Sharing between PLM and Other Enterprise Systems

MCAD

ECAD

NC

CAE

Doc.Mgt.

Classi.

PLM

Purchasing

Inventory

Sales

Others

ShopSched.

MasterSched.

SCMERP

Engineering and Technical Data,Part Bills, changes

Commercial and logistics dataPart Costs, Lead Times, Stock

Future of PLM

Past• PDM• CAT

Integration• PLM

Present• PIM

• Enterprise Integration

• Open Technology

Future• Mobile• Social• Open Source

Thank You