MANUFACTURING SOF


CHOO GNIS SOFTW


TW


ast year was amomentous year for technology, with Apple making the leap into wearable technology by


L


launching the Apple Watch in April and the launch of Tesla’s semi-autonomous autopilot systemin October, bringing us one step closer to self-driving cars. And how could we forget the Volkswagen scandal in September, which saw the Environmental Protection Agency accuse the automotive giant of violating the Clean Air Act? As we settle into 2016, it’s likely that your business is looking to replicate 2015’s successes and eradicate the chance of failure. If this is the case, then product lifecycle management (PLM) software might be the too l you need . Here, Bob Hillier, managing director of PLMsoftware provider, Des discusses the five things to


choosing a PLMsysteman d provider . COMPATIBIL TY COMPATIBILITY WITH S STE ITH SYSTEMS


When engaging a PLMprovider, one of the key things to consider is whether they will carry out compatibility tests upon implementation. For example, for


engineering and design companies, it is important to ensure new software works well with the computer-aided design


RING SOFT WARE


RE


FEA


FEAT R E ATURE


CHOOSING THE RIGHT PLM SOFTWAREWARE


THE RIGHT PLM


moving to the next stage.Inefficient approval processes are another major cause of NVA.


You may think that in our digital world industry has done away with paper- based approval systems. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Hard copy approvals can only be a serial process, which


significantly delay the approval or change management process.


A PLMsystemallows every user to see the exact status of a product or service at a glance, and parallel approvals can be used to speed up the process. Dashboards are available for managers to see the status of all activities affecting product release schedules, and identify bottlenecks.


consider when ign Rule,


WHERE DOES THE PROCESS END? In some industries, such as industrial equipment, there towards Products


WHERE DOES HE PROCESS END


as a Service (PaaS). is a general move


This means the responsibility for the product no longer leaves the manufacturer’s hands once it is implemented. The manufacturer is accountable for product performance throughout its productive life so a new approach to product development and


(CAD) tools already installed and integrate manufacturing is required to ‘Engineer to other business systems, like ERP. Many companies today use an internal portal to manage document sharing and work management. However, these sharing points should not be used to manage product lifecycle and related documentation due to limited security. Ideally, a PLM vendor should not only provide the software, it sh ould als o implement it. This way, if any problems occur during set-up, you have only one supplier to kick.


for Service’.


Implementing a PLM system ensures that all stakeholders involved in product development, manufacturing and service collaboratively contribute to a zero defect strategy; allowing status of a produc


t and identify and fix all to see the exact


problems before they move beyond development. This optimises the fina l design and minimises the costs of making late changes.


From our experience, many companies decide to implement PLM because their existing processes are taking too long and errors happen on a regular basis. Both issues cause excessive non-value added activity (NVA) and increase the amount of time it takes the company to deliver a product or service.


Our experience tells us t hat two of the main reasons errors occur include


working with incorrect data and lacking digital continuity across existing systems and procedures. More worryingly, employees sometimes misleadingly inform current systems that tasks have been completed only to keep the process


/AUTOMATIONATION /AUTOMAT


Many compan es today use an internal pori manage document


management. to implement P


on a regul a long and er


Many companies todayi use an nternal portal to manage document sharsharing and working and work management.


al to


Businesses ofBusinesses often decideten decide to implement PLM


because theibecause their existingr existing processes are taking too


processes are taking too long and errors happenrors happen on a regular basisr basis


GLOBAL OCATIONS GLOBAL LOCATIONS


If your company hasmultiple UK or global sites and key suppliers that are part of your value chain it is important to use a web-based PLMsystemwith a strong securitymodel.Web-based access is to ensure all users in the value chain have simple common access to required data without additional software being installed on their PC or tablet; and the additional security is critical is securing controlled user access to data that is either ‘Intellectual Property ’, ‘Commerciall y Confidential’, subject to ‘Export Control’, or is ‘Militarily Restricted’ etc.


bj


For these global companies, the PLM solution that Design Rule recommends is Dassult Systemes 3DEXPERIENCE platform to ensure secure global


deployment of documents and data with encrypted data transmission, independent of location .


SUPPORT AFTER IMPLEMENTATION For companies that deploy PLM software, the implementation can be more critical than the software itself.


SUPPOR AFTER IMPLEMENTA ATION When looking for a PLM supplier,


choose a company that is willing to give you and your staff the time and attention to fully convert your requirements into a functioning PLM solut Design Rule is able t


o deliver proven ion.


professional services for the


implementation, testing and go-live for the 3D experience platform whether a s an out-of-the-box solution or heavily configured to suit each of its customers’ individual needs.


, Design Rule


T: 01604 491661T: 01604 491661 ww


www.de www.designrule.co.uk AU AUTOMA MAT ATION | MAY 2016 MA 201 39 39


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