Scribd
Upload
124 views18 pages

PLM Fundamentals III

The document discusses processes, applications, and product lifecycle management (PLM). It defines applications as programs that aid processes and encapsulate best practices. PLM is defined as managing all product information throughout its lifespan. A PLM system has two functions: managing intellectual capital and enabling its effective use. The PLM architecture has three parts: infrastructure for data storage, integration tools, and business applications that process the data.

Uploaded by

amit chaudhari
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
124 views18 pages

PLM Fundamentals III

The document discusses processes, applications, and product lifecycle management (PLM). It defines applications as programs that aid processes and encapsulate best practices. PLM is defined as managing all product information throughout its lifespan. A PLM system has two functions: managing intellectual capital and enabling its effective use. The PLM architecture has three parts: infrastructure for data storage, integration tools, and business applications that process the data.

Uploaded by

amit chaudhari
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 18

Processes & Applications

• Applications are computer programs that aid or


automate specific processes.

• Applications often encapsulate Best Practice which


define the accepted/recommended way to carry out
specific processes based on past experience.

• Applications may vary to address different business


environments.

• For instance ECAD and MCAD are both CAD


applications, but are tailored for the electronics
and mechanical markets respectively.
Processes & Applications
• It is also worth remembering that processes are
'transient'.
• Process definition is only relevant in the context of current
product and enabling technology.
• Processes are defined to make best use of existing
technology, and are refined with the help of the retained
knowledge in 'Best Practice' and 'Product History'.
• For instance the purpose of a CAD system has always been
to define product geometry.
• However, the way the geometry is defined, how it is
visualized, interacted with and used has changed over the
years as design practices and CAD technology have evolved.
Business Applications

Tools and Components


Application Modules
Application Suites
Industry Solutions
Business Applications

Industry Solutions ●
● The two functions are seamlessly merged

Application Suites ●
● Overlapping of the two types of functions

Application Modules ●
● Overlapping of the two types of functions

Tools and Components ●


Either Authoring or Decision Support
Business Applications
Applications can also be divided into two groups
depending on what part of the CIC they process,
namely:
– Authoring Applications: These are the applications that create,
edit, or delete 'content' of the CIC, e.g. Word Processing
package, CAD, CAM, CAE, ERP, etc.
– Decision Support Applications: These are the applications that
control who has access to given content datasets, what they are
permitted to do with them, for what purpose, and at what part
of the process.
Typically, these applications process the meta data and leave the
content unaltered.
Product Lifecycle Management

PLM is a systematic way to design, manage,

direct, and control all the information needed

to document the product through its entire

lifespan: development, planning, design,

production, and use.

Kenneth McIntosh’s definition of


Engineering Data Management.
A PLM System
Clearly it is not a point solution in the way the last
generation of systems used to be e.g. PDM, CAD, CAD,
CAE, Office suite.

A PLM system has two implied functions:

• Effective management of Corporate Intellectual Capital:


Ensuring accuracy, currency, integrity and security of all
corporate information.

• Effective use of Corporate Intellectual Capital: Making


corporate information readily available in the right place
and format to the right users (both people and programs),
for the right tasks.
A PLM System

Note that both of these functions are generic and


do not state how the 'content' part of CIC is
processed.

The content processing function is provided by the


authoring applications, e.g. CAD, CAE, Office
automation, etc.

The separation of the management functions from


the authoring is important for defining the scope of
PLM, and therefore, for understanding what it does.
PLM Universe
PLM Architecture
PLM Architecture
Infrastructure:
The infrastructure is the foundation upon which
Business Applications are built. It provides generic and
core PLM functions.
Integration and Application Development Environment:
The Integration and Application Development
Environment provide the means for building Business
Applications that provide the initial functionality and
enhance (& extend) the functionality of the PLM
solution.
Business Applications:
Business Applications provide the PLM functionality that
process the CIC.
Infrastructure
The infrastructure is at the heart of the PLM system
providing a storage, and effective management of the
Corporate Intellectual Capital.

Vault

Generic Services & Tools


Administration and configuration
tools
Core data management functions
Vault for storing CIC

• A PLM system should be capable of storing all type


of data that is needed for product definition, best
practice and product history.

• It should therefore be able to support a flexible


and extensible data model that covers

– product as well as process definitions

and

– can evolve with the needs of the organization.


Generic services and tools

General purpose functionality to support different

users and applications. They include:

• Access to system resources such as print, etc.

• Notification services

• Visualization tools, e.g. view and mark-up

• Collaboration tools, e.g. web enablement, portals,


conferencing tools
Administration and configuration tools

• These include general purpose tools that enable


system administrator to carry out various tasks
such as assigning or modifying system resources
to different users and/or applications.

• Typically, administration and configuration tasks


are carried out with the aid of special menus,
screens and wizards.
Core data management functions
A key component of the PLM system is a set of
data management functions that provide core
functionality for the Decision Support Business
Applications supported by the PLM solution.
These include:

• Product Structure & Configuration Management functions.

• Classification and Retrieval functions.

• Workflow functions.

• Project / Programme Management functions.


Integration and Application
Development Environment
Provides the means to build functionality on top of the
foundation provided by the infrastructure and the core data
management functions. It includes:

• Application Development tools:

Tools that enable addition of new functionality or the modification of


existing ones.

This can be effected by various programming tools ranging from high level
proprietary scripting languages to standard programming languages such as
Java, C++, etc.

Typically scripting tools are used for customization work while


programming languages are used by PLM technology developers and third
party application/solution developers for major development work.
Integration and Application
Development Environment
• Integration and Interoperability tools

These are sometimes referred to as Enterprise Application


Integration (EAI) Tools. Their function is to enable external
applications to be integrated/interfaced to the PLM system.

The communication they effect ranges from tight coupling and


seamless sharing of the same data store, to effecting data
transfer between independent Business Applications via exchange
files.

Data exchange, which can be in standard as well as proprietary


formats, is a convenient way for bulk import and export of data,
e.g. to populate the PLM vault with data from a legacy system.

You might also like