PLM Configuration Management - keep track of it all

Increasing digitalization of products and services, the uncertainty of today’s business environment, the need for more product and service personalization, the growing social and ecological demand for sustainability, and, last but not least, the ever-present requirements related to shortening innovation cycles and meeting international and market-specific regulations are among the key drivers for today‘s companies in a wide range of different industries.

The challenges in terms of mastering of the increasing complexity in product development, the tighter integration and flexibility of the value chain, the smarter standardization of processes and products, and the realization of an end-to-end traceability of deliverables and product configurations are forcing a growing number of companies to adopt a functioning, flexible and open approach to Configuration Lifecycle Management.

Why do we need CLM?

We’re in the age of agility and personalization and constant change. We learn through changing customers demand and by making mistakes, all based around our product.

How can we learn unless we track and trace those changing decision and reasoning behind those product changes?

I’d centrally locate those in the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, pulling from your ERP, CRM & PLM to create your Single-source of Truth

• Establish leadership buy-in: develop a Configuration Management vision and strategy as a corporate objective.
• Streamline your processes by using Configuration Management as a platform for cross functional collaboration.
• Improve your product development by shortening development times, supporting model driven development and providing faster product availability into the market.
• Synchronize your product data and provide an open and interoperable platform through standards and data synchronization.

What is CLM?

It’s the consolidation of the cross business process product customization.

This entails that users of CLM include both back-office engineers, financial controllers among others, and marketing, sales and customers and across the entire lifecycle of a product.

CLM covers manufacturers’ needs for complex configurable products, which tend to require more seamless integration of all their business units and external stakeholders in terms of process continuity and data exchange.

It’s different as it takes ownership of all logic & changes across the entire ecosystem. It’s the Single-source of Truth for the product adaptation to the customer evolving needs.

How does it come together?

Each product goes through a process from ideation to maintenance and closed-loop disposal:

1. Product Development
2. Pricing
3. Marketing
4. Selling
5. Supply Chain
6. Manufacturing
7. Maintenance

When we start out, with the ever increasing demand for personalized products it’s important to modularize design in readiness. Equally, it’s critical to check financial viability and individual market demands of the configuration options, along with pricing. 

When it reaches the sales environment, the customer will be faced with choices and it is important to ensure accurate guidance when making the selections so that the end result will be a satisfactory product at an acceptable price. This results in the “final” product configuration.

Then the manufacturing process starts, by immediately reaching out to the suppliers, detailing not only quality & quantity details, but sequencing too.

Each product will have its own configuration that is used for selecting the correct parts to be mounted. These all need balancing with labor capacity.

And thereafter, once in the hands of the customer, comes maintenance and with the addition of software now everywhere, the ongoing upgrading.

The Single-source of Truth CLM Platform

Collaboration and communication requires a platform on which Product Development, Pricing, Marketing,

Sales, Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Maintenance can bring together the Single-source of Truth. There’s none better than of course the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform by Dassault Systemes.

Utilizing Enovia & Catia, Configuration Management enables users to define all product variants in a single configured product structure. It allows users to retrieve parts from impacted variants in real-time through a design session to converge on the optimum design significantly faster.

The design in configured context capability enables users to simultaneously develop multiple products to address different markets with unique needs, while maximizing reuse and reducing costs.

Configuration Management includes the ENOVIA? 3D Configurator to visualize a product in 3D as it is configured. It is most useful for those companies building highly complex configure to order (CTO) and engineer to order (ETO) products.

As a result, the overall solution administers analytics and planning a d supports product rationalization and creates transparency across the supply chain. 

Furthermore, the platform maintains a data sharing and process consistency platform for full integration with multiple connected critical systems.

The way forward

The 4th Industrial Revolution is driven by customer demand, be that the need for smarter, more personalized products delivered faster. And so, digitally transforming manufacturing needs to always begin with the customer and work back into engineering (PLM & CAD systems), Manufacturing MOM/MES, ERP and Sales & Marketing (CRM). 

Configuration Lifecycle Management enables manufacturers to plan and launch new products more efficiently and at a lower cost when all systems are integrated from the customers’ wishes first.

Faster time to market and customer are two of the most vital metrics customer-centric manufacturers rely on today.

Enabling executives to see more opportunities to excel in every area of customer experiences is fueling new product ideas and entirely new businesses.

When a 3DEXPERIENCE single platform is enabling engineering, manufacturing, sales, and marketing to share a single, unified view of the customer, senior management quickly sees areas where they can excel even further.

Product Lifecycle Management: People, Teams & Business Solutions enabled through Change & Technology

Sometime you need a real expert to help decide what's next and sometimes you need an entire team and sometimes you need an entire program delivering.

Delivering the entire Product Lifecycle Management application layer, along with a productive PLM methodology and moving your people to adopt new ways of working, is the holistic approach we take. It's the quality of our people and their experience that makes the difference.

If we can help you through your PLM journey, you just have to ask

I'm a huge believer in constant change.

Standing still is going backwards

It starts with People changing their mindsets & Processes, enabled through Technology.

Innovative Products, Smarter Manufacturing all happens through Agile Revolutions - start small, empower people & scale fast.

Oh, I can "boil the ocean" with the best of them, but let's not live there. Analysis leads to paralysis. Dreaming of & waiting for perfection is the enemy of execution.

Do something, get some quick wins and start building momentum.

I like to bring attention to Innovation, Smart Manufacturing, Global People Integration & Human Sustainability - I Blog, Vlog, Podcast, host a few Live Shows and love being involved in your revolutionary programs.

I love & thrive in working with some of the world's largest companies & most innovative organizations.

I'm a big people-person & have spent my life meeting as many people & cultures as I can. At my last count, I am lucky enough to have visited & done business in over 55 countries

#plm #productlifecyclemanagement #3dexperience #enovia #catia #clm #configurationmanagement