Initiated with the need for engineering to have information that is always reliable, the Product Lifecycle Management method then turned into a software tool. Its ability to make the link between the business lines of the company and to unify the many phases of creation of a product has made its success today. In a context of intense competition in most sectors, PLM is the best weapon to optimize the transmission of information and accelerate time-to-market.
If, in 2018, only 41% of French companies were
equipped, the prospect of decompartmentalizing trades and making processes more
reliable appeals to decision-makers. The rigor of the processing of exchanges
and data by a PLM tool frees human stakeholders and facilitates innovation.
Achieving an optimal level of performance, however, requires a certain personal
investment on the part of all employees: the definition of a detailed need and
the flexibility of the modules chosen are the main keys to successful use.
What
is Product Lifecycle Management and what is its history?
We can estimate that the appearance of the concept of
product life cycle dates back to the 1930s, when the advertiser Otto Kleppner
formulated the three stages through which he believed products passed:
innovation, competition and loyalty.
Subsequently, towards the end of the 1950s, this life
cycle was further detailed by the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton with the
following stages: launch, growth, maturity, saturation, decline.
The current product life cycle is strongly inspired by
these stages and, as early as 1985, more general principles were formulated to
further govern the management of the different life stages. Initially widely
used by industry, the concept then made it possible to unify very technical
methods and languages around the same project.
Subsequently, many other industries realized the need
to shorten design cycles and development costs, and optimize product volumes to
properly meet demand. The growing production of documents and diagrams has
given rise to the need to better formalize the prerequisites and to ensure
continuity of information.
PLM today designates the software tools, processes and
methods ensuring this sharing of information. From development to marketing and
then to the end of the product's life, PLM ensures the continuity of the
processing of requirements while promoting communication and accelerating
production. In a context of intense competitiveness, software solutions on the
market improve coordination and provide better weapons in the service of cost
savings.
What
are the challenges of using PLM software?
Accelerate
innovation
PLM is the best weapon for companies to innovate
faster and be more inventive. With complex markets and ever-changing trends,
companies need to be responsive and quickly leverage their resources to serve
consumer needs. Once the positioning of a product has been chosen, development
is a key phase, which must be as qualitative as it is efficient.
In order to reconcile user expectations, current
regulations and raw material costs, PLM pools market information and knowledge
available internally. The very vertical operation formerly used - and
particularly time-consuming - is replaced by a global and collaborative tool
which has all the necessary resources at the moment T. The work can thus begin
more quickly, on the basis of reliable field data and immediately available .
Decision-making is accelerated and innovation leads to production more quickly.
Optimize
production through automation
Holder of all the technical information concerning the
product, the PLM makes it possible to automate certain data processing
processes. The stages of validation or updating of documents and catalogs can
thus be carried out quickly, without administrative delays. The tool also
leverages the data to perform accurate simulations to directly eliminate
unviable configurations. Added to this is the generation and organization of
documents as well as decision-making support.
Industry 4.0 can exploit the pooling capacity of PLM
to automate production processes: the rapid dissemination of key production
information by the tool and the autonomy of the machines combine for a more
efficient implementation than with human participants, with a very low error
rate.
Eliminate
errors and improve quality
Regulations are now strict, regardless ofthe type of
product. Their scrupulous respect not only makes it possible to create a
product that complies with the safety and hygiene standards expected on the
market, but also to work for the brand image of the company. PLM makes it
possible to better manage the specifications and not miss any of these
regulatory elements. Product Lifecycle Management tools are not only involved
in the validation of BOMs and specifications, but their error-free management
of manufacturing sheets is also the key to flawless production. Whether it
concerns input data or their processing during manufacturing, the PLM tool
ensures compliance with all prerequisites. The product can thus be created more
quickly, with an optimal level of quality. The effect is all the more virtuous
as the actors in the production chain, supported by the software, then have
more availability to improve the quality of their infrastructure.
Lower
the costs
PLM is a particularly interesting tool since it
contributes to both product quality and production efficiency. Thus, companies
using PLM reduce their costs without neglecting quality or regulations. Sources
of savings can be found at many points in the life cycle, particularly in the
design phase, a particularly onerous stage. PLM intervenes at many levels to
enable teams to become more efficient. Automation is an essential asset for the
organization: validation of documents, automated transmission of data,
consultation of costs, simulations and execution of certain processes by the
tool not only free time for employees but also contribute to the interest of
the project and everyone's involvement.
Be
a forerunner on market trends
Competition is fierce in many sectors, and innovation
requires technical and human resources as well as time for market research.
These resources are difficult to obtain for companies, which must constantly
reduce their time-to-market in order to meet constantly changing demands. By
using an appropriate software solution, it becomes possible to save precious
time here and there and to focus efforts on innovation, a crucial element for
the products of tomorrow. The perspective offered by PLM tools makes it
possible to question the positioning, the methods used, and to exploit the
collaborative aspect to bring out innovative ideas. Having a 360° view of the
organization ensures effective information collection, to be used for future
products.
Who
are the users of PLM software?
PLM is intended to be used by all the actors of the
company. Among the employees most involved in its use are the following
profiles:
Product
designers
For collaborators in charge of product design, PLM
facilitates access to essential information bases and makes it possible to
anticipate how this product will be sold. Easier communication with
merchandising and production helps to anticipate potential pitfalls and the
automation of low value-added tasks allows you to focus on the creative aspect.
The cost information and forecasts offered by the tool are assets for making
the right choices from the start.
Purchasing
and supplier managers
The choice of suppliers and raw materials is made
easier on the basis of the information provided by the PLM. This offers a
complete view of needs and allows you to know sourcing costs in advance. This
makes it easier to establish a supplier base and avoid irrelevant or
superfluous supplies.
Product
development teams
The centralization of technical information concerning
the product speeds up the collection of raw materials. Data reliability ensures
more efficient, error-free creation. Any specification changes can be notified
in real time to avoid wasting time. The collaborative aspect ensures exhaustive
coverage of all the contributions and the tool makes it possible to clearly
visualize the priorities.
Managers
and decision makers
For managers and executives, steering elements promote
perspective on the product and the organization. Overall cost, simulations
concerning production or the expected rate of adoption, creation of reports and
information on all internal or external novelties: many management assistance
elements ensure greater agility for the organization.
What
are the main features of Product Lifecycle Management software?
Most software on the market has standard features and
additional modules to take advantage of all the possibilities of PLM and adapt
the installation to the user company. Depending on their maturity and the
specificity of their business, companies can opt for a simple or very
personalized tool.
Document
Management
GED and PLM are intimately linked: the administration
of technical documents concerning the life and specifications of the product
are basic elements of PLM software. These offer complete monitoring of data
exchanges, but also the possibility of automatically producing or validating
certain common documents. The challenge is all the more important as many
errors and/or version updates can occur during the life of a product. The creation
of standardized documents, whose quality is valid at all times, eliminates
uncertainties and facilitates research.
BOM
and requirements management
Many elements define the structure of a product.
Specifications, nomenclatures, technical drawings are part of the constituent
elements of this one. Thanks to the compatibility of PLM tools on the market
with technical documentation software, the data in question is accurately and
consistently recorded to define a repository adapted to each product.
Computer-aided design (CAO/DAO) allows the creation of
2D models and 3D models, which are used by PLM for scrupulous compliance with
requirements. The validity of the many external elements used by the models is
checked at all times and the nomenclatures thus available are always accessible
and reliable.
Cost
and quality management
By recording the different life phases and allocated
resources, PLM assists decision makers and accounting departments in
calculating costs. PLM software processes often include in-depth cost estimates
that allow you to know the expenses at each stage, but also to anticipate risks
and better prepare for the future.
In addition, PLM tools take into account all aspects
of expected quality, whether in use or environmental impact. Error-free product
data, quick and relevant feedback on product tests, constant verification of
compliance ensure the manufacture of a more reliable product. Verification and
validation times are reduced and contribute to shortening the time-to-market.
Reporting
and analysis
The reporting offered by PLM tools is intended, on the
one hand, for decision-makers and managers, who can thus monitor the
performance indicators of the entire product design and assign tasks on this
basis in an agile manner. But it is also a valuable help to employees of all
trades, who can thus situate their action within the project as a whole.
Depending on their modularity, the PLM tools on the market offer analyzes
ranging from the standard table to the most customizable graphs. The
interactivity of the interfaces is now sufficiently developed for all users of
the tool to be able to create a complete report adapted to their business. It
is therefore possible for all the key stakeholders to make strategic decisions
based on indicators that they fully understand.
Collaboration
management
By including a strong collaborative aspect, PLM
ensures data continuity from one work team to another. The traceability of
exchanges, observations and modifications is coupled with advanced search functions.
The whole constitutes a very clear chronological thread, with unified data
formats understandable by all the professions involved in the project. For
field jobs, the dispersion of employees is no longer an obstacle to
productivity: data exchanges are not only more fluid, but contribute to more
harmonious joint work and the unification of teams around a common philosophy.
of business.
What
points to pay attention to when choosing your PLM software?
Truly complementary to ERP, PLM must offer maximum
flexibility throughout the entire product life cycle. The essential selection
criteria therefore go in this direction and must direct the choice towards a
tool that is modular and as personalized as possible.
The
adequacy of the PLM software with the business characteristics
This is one of the key success criteria for using a
PLM. R&D, product development, quality, purchasing, production, logistics:
PLM users are numerous, and so are their methods. Functional coverage is an
important point, but it is even more essential that the tool chosen for thisrne
perfectly the business uses in order to optimize the processes. Communication
between trades must be as harmonious as possible so that the thread of
information transmission is not broken, resulting in a real gain in
productivity. Specific sectors — for example, industry or agri-food — have
their own business uses, to which PLM must be able to adapt via relevant data
processing. In this case, it will be wise to choose a tool specialized in the
sector. To guarantee a good knowledge, the chosen publisher must have among its
customers companies of similar size, with comparable problems. Thus, the
support offered will be more targeted and any questions will be answered more
quickly.
A
PLM solution that meets the needs
PLM can meet a large number of needs: the trick is to
identify which are the most important. This can be the management of technical
documents (main problem for French companies using a PLM tool), CAD data
management for highly technical industries and sectors, or even the monitoring
of quality data. Depending on the need, the modules to be implemented will be
different. The configuration of the tools on the market being very flexible, it
is essential to precisely determine the objective to be achieved in order to
obtain software that will effectively fulfill its mission.
Defining the need requires the involvement of all
stakeholders. The prerequisites can vary greatly from one profession to
another: the construction of complex nomenclatures, the monitoring of
subcontracting or compliance with standards and regulations can be part of it.
The
flexibility of the PLM software and the existence of additional and business
modules
PLMs often offer standard modules and extended
functionalities. This second category includes enablers such as product
analysis or product portfolio management, but also key elements such as
supplier management or quality life cycle management. The choice of specific
modules must not make the whole thing rigid: they must be interconnected and
exchange data in a simple way, within the company but also in the field, via
mobile applications.
A successful PLM must be able to adapt to the needs
and requirements of a company, but also evolve with it. In a context where
processes are bound to change rapidly, the chosen PLM solution must be able to
follow workflow changes without requiring the editor's intervention. Faced with
PLM solutions sometimes considered too rigid, service-oriented architectures
make it possible to obtain this agility.
Compatibility
with the tools already in place in the company
Because of its information gathering function, PLM
must be able to communicate with other critical software solutions in the
organization. The most important of these are ERP and CAD tools. Thanks to the
first, the PLM will be able to rely on reliable information about the company's
resources and processes. ERP will ensure the execution of tasks and workflows,
while PLM will optimize the use of resources in the service of innovation.
As for the CAD tool, the PLM will be able to use its
detailed modeling to create a product of optimal quality. The synergy between
PLM and CAD also means faster updating of models following various version
changes. Creating a single repository eliminates back and forth information and
therefore the potential for error.
PLM therefore benefits the company all the more as it
offers compatibility with existing tools. Support for innovation and management
will be all the more powerful: fewer duplicated tasks and exchanges of external
information allow greater clarity of analysis.