Is Your PLM System Running Out of Steam?

By November 2, 2015April 22nd, 2017Internet of Things (IoT), PLM

The manufacturing world continues to change at an accelerated speed. New complexities driven by embedded software and cyber-physical system interactions introduce new design and testing challenges. Fierce competition and demanding customers force product companies to incorporate new business models and rethink everything, from product architecture to supply chains.

Can your PLM system handle these pressures?

With roots in a CAD-centric world that revolved around bill of materials data management and simple workflow, traditional PLM software tools are already highly taxed.  They support different design disciplines in parallel: mechanical and electrical design, hardware and software, and manage multiple rapidly reiterating development cycles. And top these off, the number of product configurations and variants is exploding.

PLM systems are running out of steam!

Manufacturing organizations are changing their business thinking and design philosophy to harvest the value promised by the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0, in which software control systems embedded in smart devices and connected machines form a network of sensors and actuators that are continually monitored and controlled online.

The potential impact of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0 are undisputed. But are engineering and design tools—PLM software in particular—equipped to handle the complexities of designing IoT-enabled devices?

The simple answer is no.

Not unless product companies take the time and effort to rethink their product lifecycle management strategies. Manufacturers need to reevaluate how ready their product development and methodologies are to tackle the impending hurdles posed by product complexity. They need to determine their organizational maturity to incorporate new business models. And they must develop new approaches to position PLM as the underpinning for restructuring the product organization and harvest the value in the Internet of Things.

If you’d like to hear more, join industry experts in the Product Innovation Conference Boston on November 17th and 18th. I will discuss key product lifecycle IoT design elements:

  • Design for IoT
  • Design for the Business of IoT
  • Design for IoT or Design by IoT?

See you there.