Fact 5: PLM Responds to Unique Industry Requirements
If your company is an automobile parts manufacturer, your PLM needs will be quite different
from say a company producing pharmaceuticals: you need PLM flexibility.
Different industries have different characteristics and therefore, different needs and priorities. As a result,
your requirements for PLM will likely differ as well. So, the PLM solutions you choose must provide
flexibility to allow you to adapt your solution to meet the unique requirements of your industry and
company.
For example, in the automotive sector, companies need to regularly bring innovative new products to
market and simultaneously cut costs and improve productivity. Product Development is seen as a key
activity to achieve these targets. As in the aerospace industry, the definition of geometry data has a high
priority, and Collaborative Product Development is important as development work is often shared
between many companies in different countries. Other components of PLM help maximize the reuse of
components, parts, assemblies and even documentation. Automated workflows speed up processes such
as Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) and Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), and
ensure compliance. Typical results with PLM include 50% faster product development; reduced data
transfer time; reduced time to communicate changes from development to manufacturing; standardization
of product development processes across multiple sites; 50% decrease in quotation time; reduced
document control costs; increased outsourcing to low-cost suppliers.
Companies with long lifecycle products such as planes, plants and machine tools focus on configuration
management to support future access to data about the products. These products are often highly complex,
with electronic, software and electromechanical components, and have regulatory requirements for data
retention and auditing. In the aerospace industry, PLM supports automation of design reviews and
changes to Contract Data Requirement listing (CDRL) items and helps contractors meet configuration
accounting compliance. It facilitates 'teaming to win', supporting online design reviews and collaboration
on CDRL deliverables.
In the high tech and electronics industries, companies need to bring innovative new products to market
before competitors. They need short development cycles and maximum reuse of existing parts. PLM helps them unite their often globally dispersed engineering and manufacturing teams. It centralizes global
access to information, enables collaboration, and automates processes. It facilitates easier information
access, promoting cost effective component, assembly, and information reuse, and speeds the cut-in of
changes and improvements. Typical results with PLM include: reduced product change cycles, improved
document management; reduced change management headcount; increased outsourcing; enhanced history
tracking; and global accessibility to product data.
In the consumer electronics industry, the focus is on managing the Bill of Material (BOM) across the
Extended Enterprise. There is an increasing need to meet environmental regulations and compliance
issues such as those resulting from the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Waste Electrical
and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directives introduced by the European Union.
In industries such as industrial equipment and heavy vehicle, reliability is an important issue. Products
are often complex and engineered-to-order. Configuration Management is a key issue. Typical results
with PLM include: change cycle reductions; reduced scrap and rework costs; reduced time to volume
production; reduced time for generation of Bill of Materials.
In the pharmaceutical industry, the focus is on discovering new compounds, and managing clinical trials.
Idea Management is important, as is conformance with regulations. Typical results with PLM include:
more new products; reduced product development time; reduced document control costs; improved
product data visibility.
Medical equipment companies aim to bring innovative products to market rapidly, and demonstrate
compliance with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations requiring accurate, meticulously
controlled drawings, documents, and procedures for managing electronic data from pre-market approval
to final shipment of products. Meeting FDA Rule 21 CFR Part 11, PLM makes sure that missing or
inaccurate data is not a problem and that complete, up-to-date documents can be presented to the FDA at a moment's notice.
Companies in the utility sector have to meet stringent environmental regulations. With many small
subcontractors involved in developments, exchange of product data between different applications is a
key issue. PLM provides easy access to current data, automates product processes, and facilitates online
collaboration to improve coordination on designs and changes, speed proposal responses, and support the
creativity of extended product teams.
