VietnameseWhat is product lifecycle management (PLM)?
A product’s success is not solely determined by its design or functionality. It’s also essential to consider its production process, the sourcing of its components, its maintenance, and more. These aspects make up the product’s lifecycle. Successfully managing this lifecycle in its entirety is crucial to keeping pace in an expanding competitive landscape.
This is the role of PLM software. It enables geographically dispersed, multidisciplinary teams to strategically collaborate with partners and customers using trusted, up-to-date product information to streamline product development.
Product lifecycle management is the foundation for a digital thread strategy, which enables product information to be available to the right people, at the right time, and in the right context to create new value for the organization. PLM also enables supply chain agility and business continuity.
Build a foundation for a wide range of new revenue growth and cost-saving opportunities with PTC’s out-of-the-box applications. Seamlessly integrate our PLM solutions with ERP, MES, CAD, AR, IoT technologies, and more.
History of product lifecycle management (PLM)
Product lifecycle management originally provided basic safeguards for CAD files. Check-in/check-out and version control, features now taken for granted, introduced critical protection and organization for design information. PLM has since matured to manage an ecosystem of information and is entrusted with robust controls for products and processes across the value chain. PLM’s standardization, reusability, and collaboration are must-have features for best-in-class manufacturers.
PTC’s product lifecycle management leadership
PTC’s comprehensive PLM solution portfolio provides a foundation for the digital thread, speeds supply chain collaboration, ensures quality compliance, and drives Agile product development processes. PTC’s PLM portfolio enables internal product teams and supply chain partners to design, manufacture, develop, deliver, and service products fast and effectively.
Whether you’re a startup, mid-sized, or Fortune 500 company—we have the right solution to meet your needs. PTC’s Windchill, Windchill+, Arena, and FlexPLM solutions bring your teams, product information, and processes together to help you introduce innovative products to market faster and more sustainably.
PTC is the only pure-play software company that can enable manufacturers to manage the entire lifecycle of the product, from the first draft of concept design, to the last day of useful operation, to the repurposing and recycling.
Benefits of product lifecycle management software
Improved collaboration
PLM simplifies access to content and workflows, helping cross-functional teams meet their schedule, cost, and quality goals. PLM’s authoritative source of truth enables the digital thread so that engineering, manufacturing, service, and other teams can collaborate faster without sacrificing quality.
Increased efficiency
PLM streamlines key processes, such as digitally generating bills of material (BOMs) and related product views (e.g., mBOMs and sBOMs) to eliminate data errors and improve workforce efficiency. By automating the delivery of standardized, role-based information, PLM accelerates critical processes across your operations
Enhanced product quality
PLM’s collaboration and transparency replace complexity and chaos with efficient concurrent engineering—supporting all projects and product lines across the organization. It also supports these functions with traceability from issues to components, and from functions to hardware and software parts
Faster innovation to launch
Product launch teams rely on PLM to ensure critical feedback and data are shared throughout the entire development process. Thanks to PLM’s connected process plans and work instructions, the journey from development to manufacturing moves with speed, agility, and reliability.
Enforced product compliance
PLM’s ability to manage processes, standard part structures, and automation ensures precisely consistent products in every manufacturing site worldwide, including contract manufacturers. Data-driven consistency ensures product compliance and mitigates regulatory risks.
Future of PLM
PLM promotes emerging digital solutions and innovations like artificial intelligence (AI). Best-in-class manufacturers are building on PLM to simplify processes (e.g., change management), automate tasks (e.g., requirements validation), and handle complex business logic (e.g., CAD model optimization). Together PLM and AI will increasingly predict and provide role-specific, contextually relevant product data. AI applications can enhance PLM with generative responses and by solving problems with natural language and localized dialects.