Tangible: Intangible:

Physical goods. owned, traded, and distributed to different

places at different times without changing their identity.

Services.

Non-physical products that are not services.

Software

Algorithms

What is a product?

Definition of PLM

... is a holistic business concept developed to manage a product and its lifecycle (i.e., items, documents, and BOMs), including;

analysis results, test specifications, environmental component information, quality standards, engineering requirements, change orders, manufacturing procedures, product performance information, component suppliers, ...etc.

... is an integrative information-driven business approach comprising people, processes/practices, and technology to all aspects of a products life and its environment, from its design through manufacture, implementation & operation, maintenance and final disposal (Grieves 2010).

PDM /PLM systems

... is based on data model, enabling the access to, updating, manipulation and reasoning of product information that is being produced in a fragmented and distributed environment (Sksvuori 2008).

Product Lifecycle Management ... is a systematic, controlled concept for managing and developing products

and product related information.

...offers management and control of the product from idea to the scrap yard.

Order-delivery process:

Product process:

Corporate challenges

1. Huge amounts of data produced by companies, ... create and produce extremely complex products

with high level of configurability,

...it is necessary to master the definition of each product;

reuse parts rather than replicate parts.

2. Different electronic data by disparate information system apps store, dispersed everywhere.

Corporate challenges

3. Data integrity in a networked operational business environment is difficult when making changes to product designs or product implementations.

o issues with correct versions, visibility of current design statusetc.

4. System incompatibility due to various information systems used by companies (using networked environments) in the planning, production, delivery and customer service.

Corporate challenges

5. Inconsistent business models due to differences in companies operational models, processes and information models.

some models are too complex among companies

Product Information

determines physical and/or functional properties of the product.

The definition data of the

product

is always connected to the product and the stage of the product or order-delivery process.

The life cycle data of the product

is information about information, describing the product data.

The Meta data

PLM problems in 3 different aspects

Conceptual aspect

concepts, terms and acronyms within the area of PLM are not clear and not defined within companies.

System

aspect

use of the information and the formats in which it is saved and recorded vary.

Data Integrity

aspect

The completeness and consistency of information produced in different units, departments or companies cannot be guaranteed.

PLM concept:

at departmental level, at corporate level, at the extended enterprise level.

~ is a compilation of business rules, methods, processes, and guidelines as well as instructions on how to apply the rules in practice

the PLM concept covers at 6 areas: i. Terms/abbreviations, ii. Product information models/ product models, iii. Definition of products and product-related information objects, i. PLM practices and principles, ii. Product management related processes, iii. Instructions on how to apply the concept.

PLM concept: Item

oThe development of PLM and the use of different PLM systems are very largely based on the use of items

oAn item is a systematic, standard way to identify, encode and name a product, a product element or module, a component, a material or a service.

It is essential also that items form separate classes, subclasses and groups at a suitable level of coarseness (according to the companys own or, alternatively, wider international standards)

PLM concept: Item ...(2)

o Items are structured using:

Hierarchies Relations

item-numbering scheme

Issues: ~ compliance with international stds, e.g., electronic industry. ~ structures vary among cos. e.g., Item levels of cos A and B are not on the same class.

-->full integration can only happen when all cos use congruent item coding.

PLM systems The task of PLM is to provide the necessary conditions for connecting separate information data systems, processes and automation islets

The core processes and functional verticals of an industrial enterprise

Cross-functional

Cross-organizational

PLM systems ...(2)

~ positioning a PLM system as a common and central databank within the field of operation of the process oriented manufacturing enterprise

Centralized vault

PLM systems ...(3) ~ Product lifecycle management entities

~the place where files (the actual data) or file attachments are recorded.

~ allows products to be customized according to customer wishes

~ records the latest valid info about changes (e.g, versions) to a product or component.

~ indexes info on files (=metadata) contained in the system.

~ communicates/ divides tasks

through graphical illustration of the

chain of tasks.

~ the basic functions controls the info on the item and the status of the item as well as Processes.

A typical TPLM system architecture

~handles the relationships between individual pieces of product data/structure of the info/rules and principles, thus enabling systematic recording of the info.

~carries out the PLM functions of info and metadata base management (appears to the user as a variety of different user interfaces.

~a warehouse for information data, stored in files, which meets certain set demands

~ a link to serve the proper file type to the user, ~ conversion programs for access/viewing ~ e-mail interface for comm.

Differences in PLM systems

The reasons being:

oThe properties and requirements brought by differences in the scope and scalability of the systems.

oThe different types of functions required within different branches of industry (e.g., electronics/mechanical) due to different priorities and emphases.

oSystem suppliers approach the whole PLM concept from different directions.

The integration of different PLM systems

o Use non-proprietary databases.

o Support widely used SQL relational

databases as Oracle, MS, SQL- Server In.

o Support the TCP/IP protocol.

The integration of different PLM systems...(2)

Connection among different applications to the PLM system by links of different levels.

Encapsulation

Database integration

Information exchange

among systems

Middleware integration

Reference information for the file identifies for which an application that can open it

File-based data transfer

Different systems use a common databank

Use of a separate software layer (middleware) to transmit /move the reqd info among different systems

Information model

... is a conceptual model that describes relationships between the most important information entities in a corporation.

This top-level information model is to describe how these information sub-models relate to each other.

Sub-models

Top-level model

The product information (data) model

... is a concept model that analyses information on the product and its relationship with other pieces of information by describing them formally.

Analysis

analyzing the product on a general level

Examination

examining its common properties and common forms of info

Formation

forming a generic information (data) model for the product

The product information model...(2)

An example of a possible information model for the ship construction industry.

general level features

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The product model

... is called a generic product structure to refer to a general product concept rather than to a unique product unit.

oVariants is the changed physical properties or subsections of the product.

The process of producing variants are called product configuration.

oPossible variants are created during the product development process based on the existing generic structure .

...to foster reuse of parts

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Main Benefits of using PLM systems

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