We've been talking lately about designing in the cloud. It can be a nice productivity enhancer, especially for a geographically dispersed design team. Taking this concept one step beyond simply designing in the cloud, I'm now looking at cloud-based product lifecycle management (PLM) software.
The advantages of a cloud-based product are obvious. Information is available at any time. Depending on the software that you choose -- and there are a few variants -- it could be available on any type of device. And depending on how you choose to manage that software, it could be available to anyone in the organization (or whomever management chooses).
PLM software has been with us for a long time. If you include the old manual methods, PLM has been around as long as manufacturing has been around. But the PLM that we are familiar with today dates back about 25 years. That's the software that's used to guide products through their lives and to build value around those products. The roots of PLM go back to the aerospace and automotive OEM industries -- the large Boeing-type companies of that generation.
Though many improvements have come to PLM software over the years, the overall framework hasn't changed much. Cloud-based PLM offers a significant change. Autodesk entered the market with its PLM 360 product because it felt the traditional model was too limiting and unattainable to many companies that should be benefitting from PLM.
"Before we introduced the product, we spoke to more than 300 manufacturing companies of various sizes, but all with some sort of PLM system in place," Richard Blatcher, senior industry marketing manager for PLM/PDM at Autodesk, told us. "We asked them what capabilities were being used within their system, and we found that most companies with a traditional PLM system were using it for the management of CAD documents and data, engineering bill of materials, and change management. We felt we could enhance that experience."
The alternatives to traditional PLM aren't very pretty. In most cases where the specialized software is not deployed, a manual approach is in place. Some places use conventional Microsoft Office tools, like Outlook, Excel, or Project. This is certainly one way to manage data and processes and to try and get people to collaborate. But as you might expect, it's quite difficult to implement across multiple departments, disciplines, and/or geographies. Unless it's a single person who doesn't need any collaboration, this method is generally not recommended.
In general, a manufacturer of any size that needs to conceive, engineer, manufacture, sell, maintain, renew, etc. would benefit from PLM software, whether it's cloud-based or not. The parties that really need access to information include engineering, research and development, operational management, quality compliance, supply management, sales, field service, manufacturing, and maintenance. In some cases, that information needs to flow externally to suppliers and customers.
The bottom line is -- and I'm not really going out on a limb here -- cloud-based PLM is here to stay and will have a significant impact in the market.
Rob, interesting Story. Eventhough security is a major concern with adoption of cloud technology; there are certain measures to make it somewhat secure. As of now only high end hackers are able to spy the data flow and it applicable only for high end designs or new products. Most of the Small and Medium level companies can use cloud technology, where their PLM or designs are not so crucial. About 90% of companies are coming under this category.
Richard, cloud has lots of advantages, especially when team is distributed geographically at different locations. Since all the changes or data updation are reflecting in real time environment, it can be a best way to make the modifications and to prepare a final draft. But the drawback is, it require a seamless high speed data connectivity, which is the back bone of cloud accessibility.
The notion of security comes up frequently in discussions about cloud computing. One marketing person at a cloud vendor was asked by a prospective customer about security. The person's answer was, "First, tell me about the security you have here at your site."
Cloud vendors live and breath on the quality of their security.
I've been working with cloud based PLM systems for years. One great thing is that deadlines are met in a timely manner. Another is that there is more accountability.
Designers assumed that the faster process would give us more R&D time. It hasn't.
The cloud offers great support but luckily some things still need to be done by hand or in person.
Since design is on the cloud, it only makes sense to connect the rest of the product chain that way. A all-in-one package, to use an old term, will save plenty of time. Collaboration will be easier. However, I wonder in removing the ties from the office will make much of an impact. The cloud lets people travel and access the data, besides high ranking people, will it truly benefit the design cycles?
I like the idea, just to sever the engineer from esoteric (and often old) management software packages, and let them access it on the platform of choice. Besides that, what do you all see as the benefit of PLM on the go?
Rich, I agree with you about the cloud impact on PLM. It is a good fit for several reasons. The first is that it is an infrastructure that is not locked into any one department. This has always been an issue with traditional approaches. With more and more projects being done across organizations and with external companies, this is generally a problem. The cloud based systems solve that problem.
The issue with the cloud is security. This is being addressed in several areas. Even with Electronic Medical Records there are cloud based solutions being proposed. There are good, standards based, solutions to the issue of security and privacy available in the cloud. They just require an adherence to the protocols.
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