PLM... What does it really mean?

An abbreviation like any?

PLM.. Is it just another abbreviation that everybody knows what it is or is it an abbreviation that everybody has an own opinion about?

I have been working in Automotive industry for 35 years and I have heard explanations about PLM from many people somewhat involved in the Product development. A lot of people seems to have their own opinion about the meaning of PLM.

Therefor I have decided to expose my opinion in a simplified way about the meaning of PLM.

PLM or Product Lifecycle Management is a quite old expression. The modern version has been known since the mid 80's when the automakers in the US decided to speed up the product development process to be able to be compete better against their larger competitors.

Efficiency was the keyword to start to use PLM

What is Product Lifecycle Management?

PLM refers to the management of data and processes used in the innovation, design, engineering, manufacturing, sales, service and recycling of a product across the entire lifecycle.

A products lifecycle for most of the consumers starts when they buy a device, continues when using it and then, when it has fullfilled the task, throws it into the trashbin. What they don't seem to think of is that it all starts earlier than that, much earlier. Let me explain my view on the Product Lifecycle Management by giving a simple example:

Imagine you are strolling down the road during a lazy day and suddenly it starts to rain. It is a quite heavy rain and you are getting soaked before you are able to open up your umbrella. All of a sudden you get an idea, What if my phone can warn me about the rain a minute before due to the humidity and, connected to my umbrella, it will give me a signal that the umbrella is in stand-by for unfolding? You just lift up your umbrella to the sky and it opens directly. Wouldn't that be a great idea?

You have now started the Product Lifecycle. The idea needs to be refined and specifications need to be written, even do a small sketch on how it should be done. You also need to do one of the most important things: Ask people, shops, ask the question on social media, in fundraising events etc. if they believe in such a great idea? Maybe present the idea to an investor on a rainy day?

After getting acceptance from you potential customers, it is time to start to detail the feature list, like: What kind of rain sensor? Should the app be for both Android and Iphone? Be able to unfold the umbrella manually? How much can the umbrella weigh before it is concidered as too heavy? What colour? Material? etc..

You are now quite close to the end of phase 1, the innovation phase. All you have to do now is to assemble your notes, specifications, feature descriptions and create simple drawings, sketches, to describe the look and functionality of the new Um-azing-brella!

You take your sketches and rushes home to start to create the Umazingbrella in your freeware CAD software, and you create it in 3D to be able to easily decide about size, function, features and also specify material. This Freeware is fantastic, it has parametric design features and you can also simulate the functionality by doing a kinematic study.

To be sure you are keeping your idea as secret as possible, you save all your created geometries, specifications, feature lists and kinematic analysis in a locked area where only the approved users (approved by you) can visit and take part of the fantastic design of yours.

But will it last? Will the design be strong enough? You really need to know so the next step would be to contact your good old friend from high school, who is a great analyst. You present the idea to him and he jumps right on it and starts to calculate the solidity.

At the mean time you need to start to program an app and you need to scan the market for small rain sensors and for a tiny electrical engine to open the umbrella. Since you don't have any programming experiences, you ask your analyst friend if he knows any who can program an app. He directly gives you a name on a woman he thinks is the best and you contact her. She is pragmatic in her way and before you have ended the descriptive question if she could help you she answers YES and directly comes up with a couple of ideas the would make the features even better! Quite cool features, you have to admit.. She tells you she has done something similar with a sunbead that had a rainsensor but it turned out to be dangerous since it folded when her mother was sunbathing and somebody sprayed some water on her. Too bad, wasn′t it?

Your high school friend is ready and he has approved the design to be strong enough. The programmer has done a first version of the app and need to test it towards the rainsensor. All analysis and softwares are well documented and saved in the locked area.

To be sure that everything works as it should you bring the umbrella into a software you found, consisting of manikins in 3D. You take your umbrella and puts into the hand of a manikin and analyze if everything looks good. Is it unfolding without hitting his nose? Is it covering her long hair? You are satisfied so far and need now to go on to next step. The second phase is done and you feel confident in starting to produce the Umazingbrella.

Time to realize your vision and fantastic idea.

You have already decided that you will manufacture it in your basement, where you have some machines that can be used but you need detailed tools to create all the parts of the umbrella, the full Bill Of Material list. To be able to create those tool you hire a firm that has specialized in CAM, i.e. doing NC programming in 3D directly on your geometry.

During the time you are waiting for the tool you start to look into different material colours. You want it to look really high classed, shiny skeleton and light weight fabrics from Al-Gore-tec... An order is sent and while you are waiting for it to be delivered, you have some time to test your recently arrived tools.

In your basement you create the first Umazingbrella, material is from an old umbrella and you assemble it together with the rain sensor. You have got a copy of the app, downloaded it and installed it into your Iphone. The Android version is not yet ready...

Lucky you! It rains today and you can go directly and test the Umazingbrella. It rains quite heavily but you are convinced that your umbrella will cover you.

But the test of the final product doesn′t turn out well. The sensor doesn't react at all and while you are turning soaking wet, you eventually need to open it manually.

You open your app and press even harder on the unfold button and the umbrella closes over your head. The test is a success since you have found out what the problem was. You tell your programmer the result and she immediately updates the software. The next test is fully approved and you can start to manufacture.

You are now about to end the Third phase, Realizing your dream.

Now it is time to make some sensational commercials.

While waiting for the material to come you start to create marketing material, commercial ads, internet ads etc to spread the word about the fantastic Umazingbrella. You have already 3D geometry and you can render pictures of the umbrella, render a small movie that explains the functionality and you can start to present your idea on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In etc.

The umbrella is a success. You sell a lot of them but there is a small issue. The button to unfold it manual is not strong enough and you need to upgrade it. Thanks to your marketing channels and support web page you can directly answer the customers and help them to replace the button.

The change management of the button is done, the documents are updated and the material is replaced with a stronger one.

To be sure that you will keep your customers, you have arranged an offer, a recycling offer. "When you need to replace your umbrella, contact me, I'll be your fella' ". The old umbrellas is brought back to you and you give a discount when the customers are buying a new one. You disassemble the umbrella and all the parts that can be used again goes back into production. But first you need to renovate them, book them and make sure the documentation is correctly updated for the part.

The fourth phase, the so called Service phase is ended and also this is the end of the PLM process. From an idea in a rainy wether, to recycling of old umbrellas you have created a well documented process, the Product Lifecycle Management process of the Umazingbrella.

This is my simplified view on PLM, from wheat to bread, well documented and taken care of after end of life. A sustainable way of working.