From CAD to the cloud. How PLM became a building block of digital transformation

At MakoLab, we have been observing how more and more of our clients, regardless of their sector, are trying to manage the lifecycles of their products better. They want to be able to react more rapidly to change, work productively with distributed teams and reduce the time-to-market for their innovations. Our response to these needs is our Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), a state-of-the-art, cloud-based system designed to provide them with precisely the tools they need to achieve what they are looking for.

Although the term ‘PLM’ only came into eneral use in the nineteen nineties, its roots stretch back much further.

• 1950: the United States Department of Defence creates the first system for managing product configuration.
• 1970s-1980s: computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software is developed and the first attempts at integrating them within product data management (PDM) systems are made.
• 1992: the Jeep Grand Cherokee becomes the first vehicle to be made using a full product lifecycle management process.
• 2000: the first SaaS PLM model appears, heralding the cloud revolution in engineering.
  
  It is thanks to breakthroughs like these that PLM has gone from being a tool for engineers to a central system connecting design, production, quality, compliance and the supply chain, not to mention sales, use and recycling.

The old PLM systems placed a heavy burden on IT. The infrastructure was costly, deployment was lengthy and updating had to be done manually. On the other hand, cloud PLM systems:

·     operate 100% in the cloud, dispensing with the need to maintain local servers;

·     provide instant updates and integration;

·     enable engineering and operational teams to work in real-time and from anywhere.

Market prognoses suggest that companies which deploy cloud PLM reduce their production time by 30-40% and significantly lower the risks of errors and delays.

It is reasonable to conclude that, over the coming years, PLM will evolve into systems capable of analysing data from thousands of sources, including IoT sensors, information on a product’s real use and service prediction algorithms. All of this will feed different product models:

·     digital twins of products, systems and environment, which operate in real time;

·     digital threads, in other words, the full path of a product, from concept to disposal;

·     automated engineering decisions, supported by AI.

State-of-the-art PLM is more than just a tool. It is also a crucial component of an enterprise’s digital ecosystem, supporting organisations in the creation and deployment of that kind of solution, from process analysis to integration with their ERP, CRM and MES ecosystems. As a result, they can:

·     achieve faster times-to-market for their products;

·     manage quality and compliance better;

·     collaborate more effectively with their partners and suppliers.

The product lifecycle management systems market is expanding at an impressive pace. Forecasts suggest that, by 2026, it will be worth 109.39 billion dollars, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7%. Data like these confirm that PLM is a critical part of digital transformation strategies in a steadily growing number of sectors.

Organisations that introduce cutting-edge PLM systems report an average reduction of 30-50% in their product development time. Centralising data, streamlining interdepartmental collaboration and automating key processes translates directly into shortening project cycles, lowering costs and boosting market competitiveness.

The PLM platforms of today support more than engineering and production. They are also steadily becoming the scaffolding for marketing, sales and service departments. PLM is a solution that integrates every stage of a product’s life into one cohesive, digital process. It is also increasingly playing an analytic role, facilitating the tracking and reduction of a product’s carbon footprint from design to recycling. For numerous global companies, this is an essential part of their ESG reporting and a condition for collaboration within their supply chain. In this context, PLM supports not only efficacy and efficiency, but compliance with environmental regulations, as well. In the realities of powerful market competition, PLM is a vital tool for building technological and operational advantage. Introducing a system of this kind is not simply an investment in state-of-the-art technology. It is also a step towards organising a future fuelled by data, processes and collaboration.

Contact us and we’ll show you how to build a data-driven technological advantage rooted in tried and trusted processes.