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What is PLM software and how can your business benefit from it

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Betty White
What is PLM software and how can your business benefit from it

There is hardly a business out there that cannot benefit from PLM. Simply put, PLM is the most efficient way of developing a decent product and ensuring that it fits customer needs. Unfortunately, not a lot of people are aware of PLM or what it has to offer. So, to combat this, we are going to take a closer look at PLM and various PLM software that can help your business.

Understanding PLM

PLM stands for Product Lifecycle Management. It entails managing the entire lifecycle of a product from consumption, through manufacture and disposal and service. And to tackle it properly, you'll have to manage people, various business practices, and complicated data related to your product. While PLM may sound new, it is actually an old concept that has simply been modernized. Even AMC (American Motors Corporation) used PLM to speed up the development process and leave their competition in the dust. So, trust us when we tell you that PLM is necessary for any serious product development.

Why is PLM useful?

Is it possible for a business owner to develop a product without PLM? Sure. In theory, anyone can develop and manage a product if they are hardworking and dedicated enough. But, in order to do so efficiently and avoid a plethora of rookie mistakes, you best use PLM software. Various

How PLM software can help you

To better understand how PLM software can help you, we are going to take a look at four phases of PLM. Then, for every phase, we are going to outline how a certain piece of software can make product development easier, more efficient, or simply put, better. It is important to note that the more you look into it, the more you will see just how complex PLM can be. Specific industries use it, like the service industry, as well as car manufacturers and app developers. Therefore, there cannot be a single piece of software that covers it all. Some are multifunctional, but most focus on one or two aspects of PLM and try to make it better. So, your main task should be to outline what PLM model suits you best and then acquire the necessary software for it.

Phases of PLM

Most PLM models come in four distinct stages. While in practice these stages can overlap, it is important to keep them in mind when handling your product. Each stage has its own goals and tasks that need to be tackled. And if you manage to do so properly, your product will flourish. So, while we outline these stages, we are also going to cover how various PLM software can help you out.

Conception

The first phase of PLM is the inspection of the product. Here you will have to take into various aspects it like:

These aspects are all necessary for you to come up with a decent product and then plan out further stages of its development. During this stage, you will also make the first design choices for your product and come up with a rough design for it. Software that can help you with this can range from simple 2D or 3D design tools to more complicated market analysis tools.

Design

This stage will require you to come up with a full-fleshed design for your product. This means having a working prototype that you can test and perhaps even launch. During this phase, you will need to design a full 2D or 3D model for your product. Most often, this is done via Auto CAD, but you can use different modeling software if it suits you.

Once this is done, you will have to deal with the engineering aspects of your product. For a simple product, this won't mean much, as the engineering aspects boil down to following safety requirements. But, for more complex products like cars or electronics, this step can often be one of the most complex ones. Here you have a ton of software that can help you out. From CAE software (Computer-Aided Engineering) to MES (Mechanic Event Simulation) and CAQ (Computer-Aided Quality). For each of these, you need to have a high degree of knowledge to use it, as it can be quite specialized.

Realization

Now comes the part where you actually manufacture your product. If all the parts of your product are manufactured at a single location, the process should be daily straightforward once you outline it. But, this is rarely the case. Most often, companies outsource various parts of the realization phase, which is why having the right software for it is paramount. Even with a laid-out manufacture process, you need to keep track of shipments, engineering data, and production planning. To learn more about PLM software used in the realization phase, keep on reading on frontecheu.com.

Service

The service phase comes when the product has already been distributed to the customers. Here you will have to tackle maintenance, support, and the necessary disposal related to your product. Again, various software can make this step easier to manage, as your main task will be to track potential issues and deal with them.

Conclusion

Using the right PLM software is easily one of the best ways to develop, produce, and distribute your product. If you manage to find the right tools and properly integrate them into your business, you will make the entire product cycle much more efficient and easier to manage. The main obstacle to overcome will be to pinpoint which tools are best suited for your business and how to use them properly. But, once you do manage that, you will wonder how you ever thought that running your business without PLM was an option.

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