Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

B. N.M. Institute of Technology

Department of Mechanical Engineering
Question Bank with Answers
Module 1- Introduction to PLM and PDM
Subject: Product Life Cycle Management (15ME835) Semester: VII

1 Define PLM. Sketch the PLM life cycle model.

Product life cycle management (PLM) is “The process of managing the entire lifecycle of a Product
from its conception through design and manufacturing to service and disposal. PLM integrates
people, data process and business system and provides a product information back bone for
companies and their extended enterprise.”

PLM model: The below figure is representation of the PLM model at the center of the model is an
information core.

Sol

• This core represents all the product data and information about the product throughout the
product's life. The information core is separate from the functions or stages that use it.
• These functional areas are how organizations divide up the major categories of products
life: Plan, Design, Build, Support and Dispose

2 Explain the Five Stages of PLM Life Cycle Model.

Sol 1. PLAN: The model starts with requirements analysis and planning, which is the initial step in
 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

developing any product.

• What are the functions the product must perform?
• What are the requirements that the product must perform?
These requirements are mapped into specifications. Sometimes these requirements are obtained
directly from the customer who is buying the product. In other cases the requirements are arrived
are at indirectly through a marketing or entrepreneurial function that makes the determination
that a customer will buy a product that has certain functions.

2. DESIGN: The requirements mentioned in the design are taken up by concept engineering and
prototyping. Designer need to make sure that their concepts and prototype meets all the
mandatory functional requirements and as many of the desired functional requirements as
possible.

• The concepts and prototype designers must share the information with the specification
developers. The production engineer takes these functional designs and prototypes and
turns them into exact specifications.

• The product engineer must make sure that all the various components fit together in an
integrated system. The product engineer must run various tests, such as force and flow
analysis on components and the entire product.

• To insure that the product really meets the requirements specified. The production
engineers need to add this body of information to the product life cycle model. At the end
of this phase, the components that make up the product are fully defined in a math based
model or CAD specification.

3. BUILD: Once the product is fully specified, it is the role of manufacturing engineering to
determine how the product must be built.

• The designs must be analyzed and the bill of process developed to specify what operations
must be done in what sequence to create the desired part. Those parts must then be
assembled in a specific sequence to develop, the completed product.
 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

• When the rest of the products are built. The manufacturing and production staff takes the
product plans and the Bills of Process and continually revises and refines them to build the
parts and products using least resources.

4. SUPPORT: The Sales and distribution function uses the product information to:
• Tell the buyer and the user of the product about the functions and specifications of the product.
• Keeps the product performing to those expected specifications.

The user of the product needs information to understand how to obtain the required function.
The service organization that is either associated with the product producer or independent of it
needs product information to service the product in case of malfunction or failure.
5. DISPOSE: The final aspect of the products lifecycle, disposal and recycling, close out the products
life. Information about how the product was designed and its component makeup is necessary for
effective and efficient cycling and disposal. Information about whether the product could be
recycled using the processes designed when it was built is important information for future
product designs.
 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

3. What is Engineering Data Management? Explain the need of PLM.

Engineering data management – EDM (currently the appropriate acronym would be 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.

Need of PLM:
• The PLM system brings extremely useful problem-solving tools and methods for every-day
product information and product life cycle management problems.
• For one company a PLM system is no more than a tool to improve the effectiveness of daily
business. To others it is an investment, which will help the company to take over
international markets.
• Ever increasing global competition requires that products be produced more quickly, more
economically, and with more custom tailoring according to the customers’ wishes.
• Customers expect ever better and more advanced properties from products. For this reason
the products themselves and their production processes have become more complicated

Sol even though it has often been possible to simplify the products by developing processes
and industrial design, for example through standardization, and with the help of group
technologies.
• If a company wants significantly to of shorten the time to market its products, development
efforts must be concentrated on the planning stage, where the most significant savings and
best results can be obtained. These development operations have brought, among other
things, CE (Concurrent Engineering), and the idea that the functions of the company can be
integrated using CIM, in other words with the help of information technology. PLM is a
valuable tool in this development.
• Complex products have forced companies to specialize, with large groups of specialists
being tied up in product design and planning. The management of the design networks of
tens or hundreds of companies with units scattered all over the globe requires new
technologies.
• Developing the quality of products and their production processes is necessary in
international competition; scrap and bad quality cannot be tolerated. Increased quality
 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

requirements demand planning and a product development process in which information is

effectively and reliably handled, recorded and utilized.
• The operations model in which companies concentrate on their own core expertise and
core business and outsource other necessary expertise as external parts, products and
services is called network economy. The cooperating companies form a network, every part
of which commands a certain special area. Efficient management of this kind of network
requires advanced information technology solutions because the network economy hugely
increases the need for data transfer and management. One solution can be to use a PLM
system.
• Companies operating in a heavily networked business environment must be able to make
product changes and find required information quickly. Reliable and efficient
communication is a condition of life and this can be achieved using PLM.

4. Explain the different phases of product life cycle management.

The traditional product life cycle curve is broken up into four key stages. Products first go
through the introduction stage, before passing into the growth stage. Next comes maturity until
eventually the product will enter the decline stage.

Sol
 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

Introduction Stage – This stage of the cycle could be the most expensive for a company launching a
new product. The size of the market for the product is small, which means sales are low, although
they will be increasing. On the other hand, the cost of things like research and development,
consumer testing, and the marketing needed to launch the product can be very high, especially if
it’s a competitive sector.

Growth Stage – The growth stage is typically characterized by a strong growth in sales and profits,
and because the company can start to benefit from economies of scale in production, the profit
margins, as well as the overall amount of profit, will increase. This makes it possible for businesses
to invest more money in the promotional activity to maximize the potential of this growth stage.

Maturity Stage – During the maturity stage, the product is established and the aim for the
manufacturer is now to maintain the market share they have built up. This is probably the most
competitive time for most products and businesses need to invest wisely in any marketing they
undertake. They also need to consider any product modifications or improvements to the
production process which might give them a competitive advantage.

Decline Stage – Eventually, the market for a product will start to shrink, and this is what’s known as
the decline stage. This shrinkage could be due to the market becoming saturated (i.e. all the
customers who will buy the product have already purchased it), or because the consumers are
switching to a different type of product. While this decline may be inevitable, it may still be
possible for companies to make some profit by switching to less-expensive production methods
and cheaper markets. Example:

The product life cycle has 4 very clearly defined stages, each with its own characteristics
that mean different things for business that are trying to manage the life cycle of their particular
products. Consider the below mentioned example to illustrate these stages for particular markets
in more detail.

3D Televisions: 3D may have been around for a few decades, but only after considerable
investment from broadcasters and technology companies are 3D TVs available for the home,
 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

providing a good example of a product that is in the Introduction Stage.

Blue Ray Players: With advanced technology delivering the very best viewing experience, Blue
Ray equipment is currently enjoying the steady increase in sales that’s typical of the growth
Stage.

DVD Players: Introduced a number of years ago, manufacturers that make DVDs, and the
equipment needed to play them, have established a strong market share. However, they still
have to deal with the challenges from other technologies that are characteristic of the Maturity
Stage.

Video Recorders: While it is still possible to purchase VCRs this is a product that is definitely in
the Decline Stage, as it’s become easier and cheaper for consumers to switch to the other, more
modern formats.

5. Explain the Opportunities and Benefits of PLM.

Opportunities:
• For companies and manufacturers that need to design, source, produce and distribute
products around the world, having single source to manage all the data and processes is
essential. Having a PLM system is the way to achieve this;
• PLM has become important as the single source of truth for managing all aspects of the
product from initial development right through to product retirement.
• PLM enables development and support of new products and services.
Sol • PLM redefines the technological aspects and processes in developing smart or intelligent
products.
• PLM helps to maximize the business impact in global market.

PLM business Benefits are as follows:

1. Shorter Time to Market

By centralising control over data, it means that product development can be completed
more quickly. Design teams can work faster and, also, accelerate the transfer of design data to
 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

production.

2. Reduced Compliance Risks

A key business benefit of PLM is the ability to manage a single version of truth for all
product data. This serves to alleviate compliance risks. The main advantage here is mostly one of
cost prevention, as organisations realise the expense of product recalls, legal fees, and lost
productivity etc. if compliance does become a problem.

3. Decrease Costs

Utilising the potential of collaborative designing opens up the opportunity to reduce both
material and production costs, as up to 70% of a product’s cost is decided through the design
stage.

4. Increase Productivity

For organisations that do not currently have a PLM system, implementing one can eradicate
time-consuming activities, for example, replicating data across different systems, double checking
data for any irregularities, and having to search for missing data.

5. Accelerate Revenue Growth

There are only two ways to increase earnings- revenue growth and cost reductions. And,
importantly, revenue growth is four times more influential compared to cost reductions, when it
comes to profit contribution.

6. Drive Innovation

PLM systems allow companies to increase their innovation, without having to compromise
on their flexibility or agility. Product teams, regardless of their physical location, are able to work
together to create the best solutions and final product designs. PLM solutions also mean that
organisation can protect their intellectual property, so the drive for further innovation is not
compromised.

7. Enhance Product Quality

Make it easy to manage and control all the details that affect overall product quality. By
using PLM, manufacturers are able to implement all the processes and procedures necessary to
 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

maintain both product quality and customer satisfaction.

8. Improved forecasting to reduced material costs

By using appropriate forecasting techniques like Delphi, Relevance Trees and Morphological
tools unnecessary material costs can be saved to the large extent.

9. Provide better product maintenance and service until the product is environmentally
– sensitive manner.

10. Prevent future product failures through knowledge of past failures and schedule
maintenance effectively based on knowledge of the actual use of the product.

6. Enumerate the different viewpoints of the product lifecycle specific to their industry .

The specific activities that take place across the lifecycle vary from one industry sector to another.
As a result, companies in a particular industry may have a view of the product lifecycle that is
specific to their industry.
• Manufacturers and users of products may have different views of the lifecycle. As seen by
the user of the product, there are five phases in a product’s lifecycle: imagination;
definition; realization; use; disposal.
• As seen by a manufacturer of a product, there are also five phases in a product’s lifecycle:
imagination; definition; realization; support; retirement.
• From the Marketing viewpoint there are market-oriented lifecycles. A four-stage example is
Sol
product introduction, growth, maturity and decline.
• A five-stage example is product development, market introduction, market growth, market
maturity and sales decline. Different approaches to the product’s identity, pricing and sales
strategy may be taken in different stages.
• And, from the Environmental viewpoint, there’s another lifecycle. A natural resource (such
as an ore or oil) is extracted from the earth, the resource is processed, the processed
resource is used in the manufacturing of a product, the product is used, and when the
product is no longer needed, the resource/waste is managed. It may be reused, recycled or
disposed of.

7. Why feasibility study has to be carried out in PLM?

 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

A feasibility study should be carried out to find out what type of approach, and what level of
response, is appropriate for the challenges that the company faces.
Often the feasibility study will highlight the need to:
• better understand the product lifecycle
• better understand the activities and processes across the lifecycle
• use a PLM phase/gate methodology all the way across the product lifecycle – from cradle to
grave
• define the roles in the product lifecycle
• train people to work effectively in a lifecycle environment
• define information needs
• manage product development projects better
• use a Product Data Management system effectively throughout the lifecycle.
The feasibility study should lead to a report of the form and contents shown in Figure. Much
of the study will address the options. For each option, the following questions have to be
Sol
answered: what? how? why? who? when? where? how much?
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7. Explain the components of PLM.

The components of PLM are shown in the PLM Grid (Fig), a 5 × 10 grid or matrix. On the
horizontal axis are the five phases of the product lifecycle. On the vertical axis are the ten
components (data, applications, activities, etc.) that have to be addressed when managing a
product across the lifecycle.

Objectives and Metrics: The Company’s objectives for PLM drive all its PLM activities. The PLM
objectives express at a high level what’s expected from PLM. PLM helps achieve improvements in many
areas, such as financial performance, time reduction, quality improvement and business improvement.

Metrics, also known as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), help an organisation to set targets for its
future activities, and to measure progress (Table1.1). In the area of financial performance, for example,
possible metrics and targets could be to increase the value of the product portfolio by 20 %, or to reduce
costs due to recalls, failures and liabilities by 75 %.

Sol

Fig: Components of PLM

 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

Table 1.1 Examples of KPIs in the PLM environment:

Organisation and Management: In the PLM environment, there are many resources to
manage, and high volumes of many of these resources. And, as if the wide scope and high volumes
didn’t make it difficult enough, there are complex and changing relationships to manage between
products, components and customers. Organisational structures, strategies and plans must be put
in place to make all the resources and activities manageable, and to meet the objectives (Tab. 1.2).

Table 1.2 Examples of organisations in the PLM environment

Activities: In every company, there’s a lot of activity related to the product as it’s
developed, manufactured, supported and retired (Table. 1.3).

Table 1.3 Examples of Business Process in the PLM environment

In the PLM environment, the activity is organised into business processes. In many
companies, between 35 and 55 % of the business processes are product-related. Many things have
to happen if everything is to work well with the product. The way these things are organised into
processes is important. A company has a choice. It can put in place good processes, and do the
right things well. Or it can do things badly.

People: It takes many people to develop and support a product throughout its lifecycle
(Tab. 1.4).
 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

Table 1.4 Examples of People in the PLM environment

No product is made or managed without people. The company has a choice. It can hire
highly-skilled people, motivate them and train them to do things the best way, or it can do the
opposite. Throughout the product lifecycle, people are all-important. They define the requirements
for new products, develop products to meet the requirements, produce high-quality products, and
support them in the field.

Product Data: Product data defines and describes the product, and the product is the source
of company revenues. A company’s product data represents its collective know-how (Tab. 1.5). As
such, it’s a major asset, a strategic resource, and should be used as profitably as possible. If there’s
something wrong with product data, then there will be problems with the product. And money will
be lost.
Table 1.5 Examples of Product Data in the PLM environment

Throughout the product lifecycle, product data is all-important. It has to be available,

whenever it’s needed, wherever it’s needed, by whoever needs it, throughout the product
lifecycle.

Product Data Management System: A Product Data Management (PDM) system has the
primary purpose of managing product data. It’s one of the most important elements of the PLM
environment. It can manage the entire product data created and used throughout the product
lifecycle.

PLM Applications: Just as there are many processes, and many types of product data,
there are also many IS applications in the PLM environment (Tab. 1.6). Even in a medium-size
company, there may be as many as fifty different applications in use.
 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

Table 1.6 Examples of PLM applications

PLM applications help people develop and support products. Without these applications,
it’s unlikely that so many complex and precise products could be developed, produced and
supported. PLM applications enable people to achieve performance levels that would be
impossible by manual means alone.

Facilities and Equipment: Facilities and equipment are used in every phase of the product
lifecycle (Tab. 1.7).
Table 1.7 Examples of equipment in the PLM environment

They’re needed to develop the product, to produce it, to maintain and service it, and to
dispose of it. They affect the quality of the product, its cost and the time to develop and produce it.
In total, there are thousands of different machines and tools available. One of the challenges of
PLM is to identify the facilities and equipment that are most relevant to the activities on which the
company wants to focus its efforts.

Methods and Techniques: To improve performance across the lifecycle in terms of

parameters such as product development time, product cost, service cost, product development
cost, product quality and disassembly costs, many methods and techniques have been proposed
(Table.1.8).
Table 1.8 Examples of equipment in the PLM environment
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Examples include Concurrent Engineering, Design for Assembly (DFA), Early Manufacturing
Involvement (EMI), Lean Production, Life Cycle Design (LCD), Open Innovation, Six Sigma, and Total
Quality Management (TQM).

Benefits typically proposed for these methods include: reduced time to market; improved
quality; reduced costs; improved service; and reduced cycle time.

Products: A company’s products are one of its most important resources. It’s the product,
and perhaps some related services, that the customer wants. The product is the source of company
revenues. It must be managed in all phases of the lifecycle to make sure that everything works
well, and that it makes good money for the company.

Explain the Five Step process for developing and implementing a PLM strategy to achieve the PLM
9.
Vision.
Developing and implementing a PLM strategy to achieve the PLM Vision involves a five step
process:
1. collecting information
2. identifying possible strategies
3. selecting a strategy
4. communicating the selected strategy
5. implementing the strategy.
• In the first step, the information with which the strategy will be developed is collected and
Sol
assembled.
• In the second step, several potential strategies are identified, formulated and described in
terms of resources, and the organisation and policies to be applied to the resources.

• In the third step, potential strategies are evaluated and tested, and the most appropriate
strategy is selected and detailed.
• In the fourth step, the chosen strategy is communicated to everyone affected by it.
• The fifth step involves detailed planning followed by implementation.

10. Enumerate the strategy elements highlighting the criteria for selecting the same.
 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

The criteria for selecting strategy elements, and deciding how they will be implemented,
will be made clear to some extent by the objectives provided by the business strategy, and to some
extent by the application of PLM principles.

Strategy elements can be described in exhaustive detail. Some of the key points could be:
➢ Customer focus
• improve customer relations
• Identify and implement customer satisfaction metrics.
➢ Customization capability
• define and improve processes
• manage customer requirements better
• use QFD
• exploit technological base better
• implement CAD/CAE/CAM and Product Configurator

Sol • Implement simulation tools.

➢ Robust product or service
• use Taguchi methods
• use Robust Engineering
• use DFA/DFM/DFX.
➢ Best process
• carry out process mapping and analysis
• use phase/gate methodology
• define, simulate and improve processes
➢ Fastest time to market
• build on platform products, modular design
• use Rapid Prototyping
• reuse.
➢ Value-adding lifecycle
• use System Engineering
 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

• outsource.
➢ Lowest-cost competitor
• understand competitor’s products
• use Value Analysis
• remove non-value-adding activities.
➢ Reuse
• build on platform products, modular design
• use Group Technology
• use CAD and PDM.
➢ Widest range of products and services
• build on modular designs
• simulate changes to the Product Portfolio
• have a wide range of skills
➢ Automation
• use CAE/CAD/CAM, PDM, simulation tools
• use NC machine tools.
➢ Standardisation
• build on modular design
• use Compliance Management
• use Group Technology
➢ Flexibility
• have a simple clear process
• have a skilled workforce.
➢ Minimise costs
• eliminate non-value-adding activities
• re-use parts.

11. How several potential strategies are identified? Explain in brief.

Sol The SWOT analysis for PLM is carried out after identifying several potential strategies. It will be
 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

useful to investigate between three or four alternative strategies. This should lead to an in-depth
understanding of the possible strategies.
The questions are aimed at finding out which strategies are suitable, and which of the suitable
strategies is the most appropriate. Among the questions to be asked are:
• Does this strategy meet the objectives?
• Is it in line with overall company objectives?
• Will it enable us to achieve the mission?
• How does it address key issues?
• How does it relate to key success factors?
• How will it be possible to measure progress towards specified targets?
• What would be the key metrics?
• How long would it take to implement?
• What are the overall costs?
• Do we have the financial strength to do this?
• What are the benefits to the organisation?
• Do we have the resources to do this.....etc,

12. Explain how the PLM Implementation Strategy is carried out in brief.

• The PLM Implementation Strategy shows the activities that have to be carried out to move
forward from the current use of PLM resources to the future use of PLM resources. The
PLM Strategy Report should contain a plan showing how the strategy will be implemented
over the length of the total implementation (for example five years) and a more detailed
plan for the first year.
Sol
• The structure for the plan should follow that for the PLM framework, making it easier for
managers and others to see how all the issues are linked, and will be addressed.

• Different views of the plan should be prepared – with different levels of detail. The first
view should be a block diagram only showing which types of activity will take place in each
year (Table). This level of detail may be sufficient for company management. Other views of
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the plan will show more details of the activities. They will be needed for people who
participate in, and manage, the activities

Table: Block Diagram of PLM Plan Implementation

13. What is PDM? Explain the basic components of PDM.

Product Data Management (PDM) systems are the primary component of a PLM solution. They are
systems to manage product data and product workflow. PDM systems are used in the management
of the activities in the product lifecycle. These activities start with the specification of a product
and include product definition, analysis, manufacturing engineering, shop floor activities and
product support.
The basic components of a PDM system include:
• The information warehouse or vault. This is where product data is stored.
Sol
• The information management module, which manages the information warehouse. It is
responsible for such issues as data access, storage and recall, information security and
integrity, concurrent use of data, and archival and recovery. It provides traceability of all
actions taken on product data.
• The user interface. This provides a standard, but tailorable, interface for users. It supports
user queries, menu-driven and forms-driven input, and report generation.
• System interfaces for programs such as CAD and ERP.
 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

• Information and workflow structure definition functions which are used to define the
structure of the data and workflows to be managed by the PDM system. The workflow is
made up of a set of tasks. Data such as resources, events, responsibilities, procedures and
standards can be associated to these tasks.
• Information structure management functions that maintain the exact structure of all
information in the system across the product lifecycle.
• Workflow management functions that keep workflow under control, for example,
managing engineering changes and revisions.
• System administration functionality which is used to set up, and maintain, the
configuration of the system, and to assign and modify access rights.

14 Explain the reasons for implementing the PDM.

Reasons in the first class address the resolution of existing problems. Reasons in the second class
go one step further, and address the potential for further improvement.

The reasons can be grouped into eleven categories. In each category, most of the reasons
can be related both to the resolution of current problems and to proactive improvement of
activities across the product lifecycle.
Examples of reasons for each category include:
● Information management
– provide a single, controlled vault for product information
Sol
– maintain different views of information structure
– provide faster access to data
– manage configurations
● Reuse of information
– make available existing designs for use in new products
– reduce duplicate data entry
● Workflow management
– make sure the most appropriate design process is followed
– improve distribution of work to engineers
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– ensure release procedures are followed

● Engineering change management
– speed up the distribution, review and approval of engineering changes
– provide status information on engineering changes
● Overall business performance improvement
– improve product quality
– reduce overhead costs
● Resolution of business problems
– reduce scrap
– reduce product liability costs
● Functional performance improvement
– increase engineering productivity
– reduce inventory
– develop better cost estimates
● Better management of product development activities
– improve project co-ordination
– increase the reliability of product development schedules
– provide high-quality management information
● Automation of product development activities
– automate the sign-off process
– automate the transfer of data between applications
● Information systems effectiveness improvement
– integrate Islands of Automation
– link databases together
– remove unnecessary systems
● Infrastructure for effective product development
– support product development practices and computer system
– distribute data, documents and messages electronically.

15. Enumerate the benefits of PDM.

 Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

Among the reasons for PDM that fall in the category of positively impacting operations are: better
use of resources,
• Better access to information,
• Better reuse of design information,
• Better control of engineering changes,
• A reduction in design cost,
Sol • A reduction in lead times, and
• Improved security of product information.
• PDM systems help companies improve their competitive edge.
• PDM help improve the productivity of the product development process.
• PDM allow companies to be more flexible in their manufacturing.
• PDM help companies improve the quality of their products, and they allow these companies
to be more adaptable to market requirements.

16. Explain the Importance of (Product Data Management) PDM.

As companies come under increasing competitive pressure, they are required to reduce lead times,
reduce costs and increase quality. The product development activity of the company is a prime
target for action to achieve these targets.

1. Product development is an upstream activity. If mistakes occur upstream, the downstream

functions, such as shop floor operations, will suffer. A change made before a design is
released is relatively cheap to correct. A change made once a product is in production may
Sol be hundreds or even thousands of times more costly to correct. By improving the control of
product information and activities, PDM systems help reduce lead times, reduce costs and
improve quality.

2. Reduced lead-times open up new market opportunities and improve profits. They also
reduce market risk by reducing the time between product specification and product
delivery. The sooner that customers use a product, the sooner their feedback can be
incorporated in a new, improved version. If quality is improved, not only will customers be
Product Life Cycle Management: Module 1 Hemanth Kumar C

pleased, but there will be a reduction in scrap, recall and rework. Corresponding
administrative activities, and their costs, will be reduced.

3. PDM will improve product development productivity. Product development managers will
know the exact design status. They will be able to assign resources better, and release
designs faster and with more confidence. Design engineers will know which parts are
available and which procedures should be followed when designing new parts.
Manufacturing engineers will be able to see how similar parts have been made previously.
Everyone will be able to rapidly identify approval mechanisms.

4. PDM systems improve the way that large numbers of people, co-located or distributed, can
work together. As a result, they have a visible effect on parameters such as lead time.