Product Lifecycle Management
Innovation Through Integration

Today, most products are developed in a variety of locations and in cooperation with external engineering firms, suppliers and manufacturers. Customers and suppliers want to be integrated into the processes of manufacturing companies earlier and more deeply all the time. This trend creates challenges not only in terms of coordination and management of internal and inter-company development processes, but first and foremost in relation to the secure exchange of data.

Companies frequently have in place highly productive island solutions for ERP and PDM. Few have implemented all-encompassing system integration solutions. Consequently, they have to cope with diverging data inventory, duplicate data management and incomplete or redundant processes. As a result, the flow of information between various, frequently geographically separated, development teams and other corporate departments is slow and prone to errors. The solution: integrated product lifecycle management (PLM) systems. These systems provide development data to the relevant departments already in the early stages of the process. This makes it possible to develop the product in a controlled manner until it is released into series production. The PLM system administrates all product-related data and documents, in particular 2-D drawings and 3-D models generated with the assistance of CAD systems, including references, parts family-relations and bills of materials. Only authorized users are granted access to all of this data. The PLM system coordinates and manages the collaboration of the development teams. To make this possible, the design processes are integrated into company-wide release and change processes. PLM supports the core business processes of a company throughout the entire product lifecycle, beginning with the compilation of quotations and enables all suppliers to work hand in hand. It also comprises the procurement and design processes as well as the coordination of specifications, change processes and the provision of service reports and customer-specific spare parts lists. Even external partners can access select data, for instance through direct integration, via Internet or portal solutions.

The Integration of CAD and ERP
The provision of innovative products that fit the bill of what a company intends to market hinges in particular on the seamless integrations of CAD systems into the product creation processes. Among many other areas that have to be covered, this includes the complete mapping of the CAD system data model in the PLM system (assemblies, parts, drawings, standard parts, etc.). High levels of integrated PLM solution user acceptance are achieved if the PLM system does not adversely affect the design capabilities of the respective CAD system, but if at all possible actually improves them. PLM has to ensure that the full associability of components, parts family relations, external references, so-called inter part-relations and specific CAD techniques remains intact. CAD structures can be directly inter-related with the logistics structures.

Consulting Services and Methods
For customers to be able to fully benefit from all of their advantages, the mere installation of PLM solutions does not suffice. All business processes of the company have to be integrated. Moreover, existing author systems, such as CAD and Office systems, as well as output systems, have to be integrated as well. This work requires the know-how of competent consultants. Especially in the multi-CAD-integration and collaboration environment, alliances of various PLM consulting firms support customers in the implementation of their PLM visions. To this end, PLM solutions are introduced step-by-step, beginning with the classic PLM core theme – development/design data management. A standard PLM solution that can be flexibly adapted to the respective processes and a team of experienced consultants are the key ingredients for the successful and complete utilization of existing performance reserves in engineering and production.

Information
Author Dr. Arne Gaiser is a staff member of DSC Software AG in Karlsruhe