Problem Solving with PLM

Manufacturing companies often grapple with several interlinked challenges, such as product complexity, communication and collaboration problems, compliance challenges and finally data issues. These interconnected issues underline the importance of holistic and strategic management in manufacturing organisations.

This article will explore each challenge in more detail, discussing how they impact enterprises and how a comprehensive, holistic approach using a platform such as Aras Innovator can help to solve these issues across multiple departments and teams.

Product Complexity

Product complexity refers to the number of parts, steps, processes, or materials involved in creating a product. This complexity can lead to several potential problems for manufacturing organisations, impacting both the business as a whole and individuals within the organisation. Here are some of the key ways in which this can happen:

• Increased Costs: More complex products usually require more resources to manufacture. This includes the cost of materials, labour, machinery, and potentially, advanced technologies. The high cost can erode profit margins or make the product price uncompetitive in the market.
• Longer Production Times: The more complex a product, the longer it can take to produce. This can reduce the organisation's ability to respond to market changes or customer demands promptly.
• Quality Control Issues: With more parts and processes involved, there's a higher chance that something can go wrong. Each step or component adds a new potential point of failure, making quality control more challenging and potentially leading to a higher rate of defects or product failures.
• Increased Training and Skill Requirements: Complex products often require workers with specialised skills or knowledge. This can lead to higher training costs and longer onboarding times for new employees.
• Supply Chain Challenges: Managing the supply chain for a complex product can be difficult. If a product has many components sourced from different suppliers, this can increase the risk of supply chain disruptions.

Communication and Collaboration

Effective communication and collaboration are vital for any organisation, but especially for those involved in manufacturing. If these aspects are not properly managed, several problems can arise, affecting both business operations and individual employees.

Here are some of the ways communication and collaboration challenges can impact manufacturing organisations:

• Production Errors: Inadequate communication can lead to misunderstandings about product specifications, production processes, or quality standards. This can result in errors in the manufacturing process, leading to defective products, wasted resources, and delays.
• Safety Issues: Manufacturing often involves operating heavy machinery, handling hazardous materials, or navigating dangerous environments. If safety instructions or protocols are not effectively communicated, it can lead to accidents, endangering workers' lives and resulting in downtime and legal complications.
• Inefficiencies and Delays: When there is insufficient coordination among teams or departments, tasks can be duplicated, essential activities can be overlooked, and bottlenecks can occur. This can lead to inefficient use of resources, delays in production, and increased costs.
• Lower Quality Products: Without clear communication about quality standards and processes, the quality of the finished product can be compromised. This can harm the company's reputation, lead to customer dissatisfaction, and result in product returns or recalls.
• Poor Decision-Making: Effective decision-making requires timely, accurate information. Poor communication can lead to incomplete or incorrect information being used in decision-making processes, resulting in sub-optimal or even damaging decisions.

Compliance

Compliance challenges refer to the difficulties that manufacturing organisations may face in adhering to the rules, regulations, and standards established by industry bodies, governments, or their own internal policies. These regulations can cover a wide range of areas, including environmental standards, safety protocols, quality controls, financial reporting, and more. Non-compliance can lead to serious consequences. Here's how:

• Legal and Financial Penalties: Non-compliance with regulations can result in significant fines or penalties from regulatory bodies. In extreme cases, it could also lead to criminal charges or the revocation of licenses necessary for operation.
• Reputation Damage: Non-compliance can harm a company's reputation with consumers, investors, and other stakeholders. This could reduce consumer trust and loyalty, impacting sales and profitability.
• Increased Operating Costs: Compliance efforts require resources, including hiring specialised personnel, investing in compliance software, conducting audits, and more. Non-compliance could increase these costs due to fines, the need for remedial actions, or the necessity of implementing more stringent compliance measures.
• Supply Chain Disruptions: Non-compliance with certain standards (such as those related to environmental sustainability or labour practices) could lead to disruptions in the supply chain. For example, suppliers might refuse to work with non-compliant companies or certain markets might refuse to accept non-compliant products.
• Loss of Business Opportunities: Non-compliance can limit a company's opportunities for growth. It may be ineligible for certain contracts (particularly with government or large corporations that require compliance certifications) or unable to enter markets with strict compliance standards.

Data

In the era of Industry 4.0, data plays a pivotal role in manufacturing processes. It provides critical insights that can help improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase product quality. However, managing and leveraging this data presents numerous challenges. Here are some ways these data challenges can impact manufacturing organisations:

• Poor Data Quality: Inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated data can lead to misguided decisions and strategies. For instance, poor-quality data on machine performance can hinder effective preventive maintenance, resulting in unexpected equipment breakdowns.
• Data Silos: Information kept in separate systems or departments can prevent a unified view of operations. For example, if supply chain data isn't integrated with production data, it's more difficult to align these areas effectively, possibly leading to inventory shortages or excesses.
• Lack of Data Literacy: If employees don't have the skills to interpret and use data effectively, its value is lost. This lack of data literacy can prevent organisations from capitalising on the benefits of their data.
• Data Security: Data breaches can lead to substantial financial losses, damage to the company's reputation, and legal issues. In manufacturing, there can be additional risks related to intellectual property theft or industrial sabotage.
• Regulatory Compliance: Companies must comply with regulations regarding data handling, privacy, and security. Non-compliance can result in fines, legal actions, and reputational damage.

Solving Problems with Aras Innovator

Aras Innovator can help manufacturing companies address many of the above challenges - here's how:

• Product Complexity: Aras Innovator provides a unified, central platform that allows companies to manage all aspects of their product lifecycles, from initial concept to disposal. This platform can handle complex product structures, providing a "single source of truth" that can reduce errors and streamline processes. It can also support configuration management, variant management, and design for manufacturing, helping organisations manage the complexities of their product portfolios.
• Communication and Collaboration: Aras Innovator's platform can improve communication and collaboration by making it easy to share data and documents, coordinate tasks, and track changes. It provides visibility into product data and processes, enabling team members across departments and geographic locations to collaborate more effectively. It also supports secure, controlled access to relevant data, making it easier to keep everyone informed and aligned.
• Compliance Challenges: The software can support compliance efforts in several ways. It can track and document compliance-related activities, making it easier to demonstrate compliance in audits or inspections. It can also manage quality processes like corrective and preventive actions (CAPA), nonconformances, and audits. Additionally, it can help manage product data to support compliance with regulations like REACH or RoHS.
• Data Issues: Aras Innovator can help address various data challenges. It provides a centralised system for managing product data, reducing data silos and improving data quality. It also supports integrations with other enterprise systems (like ERP or CRM), enabling better data flow and consistency across systems. Moreover, it provides tools for data analysis and reporting, supporting better decision-making.

In summary, Aras Innovator, as a PLM solution, offers tools and features that can help manufacturing organisations address many of the challenges they face in today's complex, fast-paced, and regulated business environment.

Thank you for reading - please let me know your thoughts in the comments!

George Stevens

Sales Director - Razorleaf

www.razorleaf.com