Implementation and management

Careful planning reaps big benefits -- A maker of electric forklifts enjoys huge cost savings from deployment of MatrixOne’s eMatrix PDM system at multiple plants. But the benefits didn’t come for free. Implementing the successful system required years of planning and customization, and continuing upgrades will require still more effort. (5/27/04)

Managing analytical data -- Mechanical analysis programs produce even larger quantities of data than CAD/CAM systems, yet few vendors of product-data-management software have suggested how to manage analytical information. Here is one expert’s view of how it might be done using off-the-shelf PDM systems. (1/9/03)

Online bazaar for three-D models -- A new Web site called 3D Content Central lets users of SolidWorks (and other CAD software) obtain CAD solid models and drawings. (9/26/02)

Simplifying processes with SAP – By eliminating EDS’ Metaphase from its operations, a maker of equipment for chemical analysis simplified its engineering administration. Find out what it took to make the switch and whether such changes might make sense for your company. (8/15/02)

Understanding enterprise PDM -- The largest vendors of product data management systems are hawking what they call enterprise PDM or “product lifecycle management” systems. This primer on PLM systems explains what they're supposed to do in order to benefit your business. (5/9/02)

Mission Impossible? -- The goals of enterprise-level product data management (PDM) software (also called “product lifecycle management” systems) are ambitious. But can most companies afford this technology? And are today's database management software and programming methods sufficiently robust to handle all that big PDM systems demand? We take a critical look at PLM and what you should consider before jumping on the bandwagon. (5/9/02)

Siemens moves on with Eigner -- Sherpa PIMS user Siemens Information and Communications Networks Inc. chose Eigner's Axalant in preference to EDS' Team Center. Find out why Siemens made its decision and how it managed the transition.

Managing PDM permissions -- Intrusions by hackers and infection by viruses are just two of the security concerns of people in charge of PDM systems. Administrators also must think about how to limit access by authorized users to specific documents, files, and data. Discover how vendors and application service providers (ASPs) manage access to product data.

Designing processes that work -- Firms must streamline processes before deploying PDM software or run the risk of automating poorly designed or out-of-date methods.  Yet redesigning procedures is not trivial, requiring an understanding of the reasons for existing processes before improvements are made to eliminate unnecessary steps and labor. PDM implementers should follow the simple steps outlined in this article to ensure they make the right process modifications.

PDM helps pull it together -- When Cleveland-based Van Dorn Demag Corporation decided to install the EMatrix system from MatrixOne, its objective was to consolidate multiple repositories that were used to store files and data about the injection-molding machines it makes. Find out how the company applied a logical, phased approach to this initial goal and other data-management objectives.

Protecting PDM Web servers -- If your company uses Web servers to share engineering data, your network is probably under attack. Learn how to protect PDM systems from the hundreds of automated viral assaults launched daily by Internet hackers.

PDM at Ford -- Ford Motor Company's PDM system is one of the world's largest, serving 14,000 Ford employees in 26 countries plus some of the automaker's suppliers. Find out how it's built and how Ford uses this behemoth to control product data throughout its extended enterprise.

PTC keeps ProjectLink promise -- Learn how Ingersoll-Rand got a Windchill-based project-management site up and running in ten days.

The squeeze on suppliers -- Nowhere are the communication problems between suppliers and their customers more challenging than in the automotive industry, where one vendor may make components or subassemblies for several automakers. The approaches used by tier-one suppliers to cope with the chaos of multiple CAD and PDM systems provide valuable lessons to suppliers in all industries.

In production with Windchill – Find out how two customers implemented Parametric Technology Corporation 's Windchill PDM software for managing documents, engineering changes, and processes.

Sharing design and sales data -- On the surface, PDM systems used by product developers and software used by sales engineers to configure products for customers appear similar. In reality, engineering data needed to design and manufacture products are far more detailed than that required by sales engineers. Nevertheless some companies see value in tying sales configuration programs to PDM systems. We explain how they do it.

Specify before you buy -- Most PDM projects start in the engineering department, and the people in charge of them frequently try to pick a PDM program the same way they select a CAD system. More often than not, software selected this way will fall short of expectations, however, because PDM software cannot be selected by the same methods used to choose ready-to-run applications for making models and drawings.

Planning to prevent failure -- Planning to prevent failure -- The story of the never-ending PDM project that costs more money, takes more time, and causes more aggravation than anyone imagined is almost a cliche. At a recent user conference, for example, so many horror stories were aired that one attendee remarked, "It seems like everyone here is whining." PDM projects, however, need not be career busters. Proper preparation can keep projects from foundering.

PDM buyer's guide --Many companies are still in the throes of implementing their first product data management systems. Others are recovering from hangovers caused by PDM systems that cost too much, took too long to get running, and were too hard to administer and use. For readers in both these categories, we've assembled an elementary PDM buyer's guide.

Sharing files early  – Alventive Inc. avoids the difficulties associated with PDM systems that require  users to identify a document's attributes when it is checked into the system.  Its software automatically reads a file and ]stores its attributes in a separate Extensible Markup Language (XML) document that is stored in the system along with the related design file.  But is Alventive's method precise enough to retrieve the correct documents?

Should you use an ASP? -- Part one of a series on application service providers  that sell access to software programs for a monthly fee. The first part looks at PDM ASP NetIdeas Inc., as well as the data-management services provided by CAD services on the Web.

Should you use an ASP? (Part II) -- Last month we evaluated vendors that provide PDM services for controlling files and managing revisions. This month we look at ASPs that try to help people communicate with each other more efficiently so they can make decisions faster. These companies provide ways for people to share files and manage projects.

Beyond the vault -- Keithley Instruments, a mid-sized manufacturer of electronic-test equipment found that setting up a repository for its engineering documents was the first step to implementing a full-featured PDM system.

PDM for the JSF -- The approaches to PDM taken by the two contractors competing for the Pentagon's Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) contract are as different as their designs for the next-generation aircraft. Both Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems (LMTAS) employ computers to manage engineering data for the JSF program.