Components of PLM – A perspective
While PLM has become a commodity, there are various components within PLM that make it comprehensive. A quick look at the key technology components that make a PLM System.
PLM
PLM has come from two major directions. While some of the vendors brought in PLM from a PDM background (CAD -> Workgroup Manager -> PDM -> PLM), there are other products that have come purely from enterprise approach (a holistic view of ERP, SCM, CRM and PLM). The commonality of these two major streams is the fact that the objective of PLM Systems continue to remain the same with managing the Bill of Materials across the product life cycle.
Key Features of PLM
With Bill of Material (BoM), being the crux of any PLM System – the key feature automatically revolves around the BoM Management with inclusion of change management and other aspects of process management with aspects of data coming in from various stakeholders. The key features within a PLM System are as listed below
- BoM Management
- Change Management
- PLM Infrastructure (Access, Security etc)
- Process Management
- Data Vaulting
- Reports and Analytics
- Project, Program and Portfolio Management
- Integrations (CAD, ERP etc)
and some more which are occasionally used.
To establish these features, there are various components being utilized. Let us look into those components of PLM.
Components of PLM
Like any multi-dimensional system, PLM brings in a variety of technology based components to provide the scalability of the overall solution. Some of the key components are as follows categorized under commercial and proprietary
Commercial
Commercial components are available as a plug and play piece from either the PLM vendor or from a third party. This include
- Database
Web/Web Application Server
Server Infrastructure
Database – The core of any PLM system is the database it runs on. The scalability of the database ensures the longevity in the usage, reuse and standardization of the PLM application within an organization. Usage of standard databases and supported versions is critical for the success of a PLM implementation. The key features of database like search/query, reports are utilized extensively in PLM.
Web/Web App Server – With the expansion of organizations (internal and external including partners, customers), PLM has gone beyond the enterprise and servers with required security and scalability continue to be a critical component.
Server Infrastructure – The hardware, network and the likes that make the overall server infrastructure will provide the key control within organizations.
Proprietary
These components form the core PLM product and are proprietary to the product vendor.
- Schema
Integration framework
File Management framework
Schema – This is the basis on which the entire PLM system runs on. The core of any PLM platform which is developed over the commercial database to match the required features within the PLM system.
Integration framework – While PLM can be utilized standalone, the benefits are multi-fold when integrated correctly with the other applications like CAD, ERP and other systems. Most PLM systems provide a XML based framework that can be leveraged for integrations. With the launch of Service oriented architecture, key services are made available for integrations.
File management framework – The key aspect of PLM system, in terms of performance, have always been driven by the challenge in managing large volume of data in the vaults and the speed of uploads and downloads. Each of the PLM system have their typical file management framework that suits their needs.
These are some of the key components of PLM system which have their own roadmap that drive the PLM product roadmap.
NOTE : This is a product agnostic view and hence may not apply as is for all the PLM products.
