Why adopt Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)?

Introduction

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is emerging as a strategic solution for optimizing industrial processes. From design to maintenance, PLM facilitates collaboration between departments, centralizes data and ensures compliance with standards. So why has this approach become a must-have for modern companies? Here's an overview of its advantages.

1. The history of PLM

The history of PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) dates back to the 1980s, when companies began to realize that managing their products was becoming increasingly complex, due in part to the globalization of markets, the diversification of product ranges and growing competition. At this time, companies began to use CAD (Computer Aided Design) systems to design their products. However, these systems were often isolated from each other, making it difficult to manage the entire product lifecycle. Indeed, companies' information systems were often the result of a long succession of implementations, resulting in a siloed system. This system, made up of a multitude of divisions and applications (R&D, Marketing, Production, etc.), thus encountered multiple digital flow breaks between the different information systems (associated with each division), leading to errors. In the 1990s, companies began to develop integrated PLM systems, enabling them to manage the entire product lifecycle from a single platform. This included tracking product changes, managing supplier and customer data, monitoring production costs, planning product launches and managing technical documents. Over the years, PLM systems have evolved to become increasingly sophisticated, incorporating simulation, data analysis, process optimization and real-time collaboration between teams. Today, PLM has become an indispensable tool for many companies, particularly in the manufacturing (luxury goods, fashion), aerospace, automotive, energy and retail sectors.

2. PLM, a global approach

PLM is presented as a software package, but it is above all a global approach. It standardizes the methods, interactions and integration of the various software packages used to manage the entire product lifecycle, from creation and development to end-of-life. PLM speeds up the time-to-market of product innovations, improves product quality and optimizes development costs and lead times. It digitizes all product lifecycle data, and becomes the central point of access to information updated in real time... But to reap the benefits of PLM, the software used must be efficient and effective.

3. PLM: an essential complement to ERP and CRM

PLM is much more than a simple tool. It complements ERP and CRM solutions by centralizing technical data and fostering cross-departmental collaboration. Its main advantages :

• Technical data management: Protecting and organizing design office information.
• Multi-disciplinary nomenclatures: Facilitate exchanges between mechanical, electronic and software teams.
• Compliance: Guarantee compliance with environmental, safety and quality standards.

Application example: A manufacturing company can use PLM to synchronize design and production teams, thus reducing time-to-market.

4. Coping with the flood of data to organize your business

With the exponential growth of data, PLM offers powerful indexing tools for :

• Find relevant information quickly.
• Optimize project management: budget, planning, risk management.
• Ensure a global vision in real time thanks to active team collaboration.

Tip: Thanks to PLM, companies can detect risks and solve problems before they affect their operations.

5. Decompartmentalize departments to manage changes

The frequency of product modifications is constantly increasing. PLM secures this process by managing :

• Change requests.
• Change orders.
• Change Action.

Benefits :

• Measure the impact of changes on design, production and budget.
• Reduce errors and delays through single access to shared data.

6. Digital continuity for a unique ecosystem

PLM goes beyond the company, connecting all stakeholders, including subcontractors and customers. The benefits:

• Real-time collaboration between sites and teams.
• Data access from anywhere, ideal for telecommuters and mobile workers.
• Customer interaction: upgrade requests, spare parts orders.

Case in point: a multi-site company can synchronize its global operations in real time, improving productivity and responsiveness.

Adopt PLM with K-Now

To effectively integrate a PLM solution, it's essential to guarantee its adoption by all your teams. With K-Now, our application GPS, you can make it easier for your employees to get to grips with digital tools and ensure their successful adoption. Take advantage of a solution that supports your teams with :

• Interactive tutorials.
• Customized training.
• Real-time support to optimize your digital transformation.

Conclusion

Adopting Product Lifecycle Management means investing in a solution that centralizes data, improves collaboration and fosters agility. By reinforcing digital continuity, PLM enables you to create a unique ecosystem at the service of your performance. If you're ready to optimize your product lifecycle management, put your trust in de

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