“Dynamic management and unlocking product data (PDM/PLM) is crucial and is more than just management of CAD data”

It is a common discussion in every organization: CAD data management. These discussions are often held on engineering departments and are unfortunately very short-sighted.

On one hand, engineers need an accessible system for management and release of CAD data; on the other hand, (external) departments and suppliers need access to this data. Manual storage in local network folders seems a cost-effective choice, but its limitations can and will work against you.

PDM is a strategic choice for the whole company. Read more about our Windchill PDM Services and how we can help you to use PDM as a strategic advantage in your business.

Management of CAD data is very close related with quality processes, collaboration, logistics, purchasing etc. In the near future dynamic management of this data is one of the crucial and strategic activities of an organization.

You need role-based access to relevant information to make decisions and to do your job correctly, regardless of the location where you are:

• a service engineer needs access to investigate or order spare parts
• on the after sales department they need info for service manuals or information for training purposes
• the quality manager needs info for reliability and so on.

All this data is related to each other. Changes should be reflected everywhere, but only when it is released. It is vital to have this perfectly organized.

CE Masters can implement Windchill PDM systems, based both on insight and hands-on experience. First step is to analyze and improve your Product Development Process [1].