PLM Interest Group: discussing the evolving role of PLM in the digital world


In 2020, Xlifecycle Ltd joined forces with the Professional PLM Initiative to address the following question:
What will PLM practitioners of the future need to know about digital transformation in order to drive value creation?

PLMIG

The rise of smart products, smart factories, Industry 4.0, IIoT, hyper-connectivity, AI, AR, VR, and related digital technologies continue to have a major impact on PLM.  The possibilities and problems associated with this are only just surfacing.

Almost every company that undertakes Product Lifecycle Management related transformation also wants to take advantage of the new digital advances. Boardroom attention is focusing on digital capabilities to shape a connected ecosystem.

There is a vast amount of PLM experience that should be carried forward into this new digital age.  This can only happen if there is clear alignment on how the two disciplines relate to each other. Industrial companies need a template for applying the combined PLM and digitalisation disciplines in real, effective manufacturing environments.

Xlifecycle Ltd has partnered with the PLMIG to establish the facts.

Survey findings

White-Paper



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PLM is a discipline, not just a tool. A clear definition of the relationship between PLM and digitalisation is needed; every PLM professional will need selected digital skill set to work effectively in the future.

Industry Survey



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How PLM and Digital differ now, and whether they will converge;  how the Digital Twin and Digital Thread differ and complement each other; and whether PLM needs to evolve to adapt to the 'Factory of the Future'.

Position Paper



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PLM solutions must solve business problems, and digitalization is a mean to an end. Understanding PLM principles is essential when implementing digital platforms, improving data and associated processes.

Challenging the status-quo and making sense of the digital hype


The rush of enthusiasm for the possibilities of Digital Everything and Smart Everything has drawn attention away from the some of the core aims and principles of PLM.  Some people perceive that PLM is the platform on which new digital improvements should be constructed—whereas for others, PLM is now just a component part of a more important Digital Revolution.

From Engineering 4.0 to Industry 4.0, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), the Digital Thread, the Digital Twins and business transformations offer ways to enhance PLM; they have also captured the attention of senior management and business executives in a way that PLM never has.

The purpose of this initiative is to put forward a neutral picture of the role of PLM in the ever-changing digital landscape, and of how the digital world is transforming PLM.


PLM and the digital future




The prevailing narrative reflects a starting point marked by confusion. While there is genuine enthusiasm to explore the relationship between PLM and digitalization, discussions often lack consistency or a shared vision. For some, PLM centers on people and processes; for others, it revolves around Digital Twins, Digital Threads, smart factories, and cross-functional analytics.

Buzzwords dominate the discourse, offering a veneer of sophistication but often falling short of delivering actionable insights or innovative strategies. While terms like "digital thread" and "connected data" encapsulate transformative potential, their overuse risks reducing them to generic marketing jargon, leaving practitioners frustrated by the lack of practical frameworks.

PLM, as a concept, remains underdefined and challenging to articulate; this is mostly due to its wide business scope and specific industry nuances. The digital wave, still in its hype phase, obscures its true business value with expansive claims and limited clarity. Without standardized definitions or frameworks, enterprises struggle to understand the broader digital landscape and its intersection with PLM.

Legacy challenges—ranging from ECAD/MCAD, software, recipe, BOM, quality, and compliance to supply chain capabilities—continue to hinder progress toward end-to-end PLM connectivity. These persistent gaps underscore the need for an integrated approach, driven by a clear business case.

Interestingly, many digital practitioners are unfamiliar with PLM or its potential to enhance digitalization initiatives. This suggests that progress must originate from the PLM community, with efforts focused on promoting its relevance and fostering meaningful dialogue amidst the digital hype. Only through this alignment can the industry bridge the gap between ambition and execution, unlocking the full potential of PLM as a critical enabler in the digital era.

This study sets out a practical approach to aligning the role of PLM in the evolving Digital landscape, and for embedding the PLM discipline in any future Digital environment.


Debating the place of PLM in the digital future


Enterprise digital platforms have perhaps diluted their specific “purpose” by aiming at integrating all operations under a holistic umbrella—this is perhaps the vision for a fully connected digital future; vendors are also keen to continue to grab new digital 'real-estate' and markets.

This should not be an excuse to dilute the meaning of PDM/PLM, ERP, MES, etc. but perhaps on the contrary, time has come to clarify (and simplify) these disciplines, their interdependencies, and their respective roles in the digital future.

Though the 2020 survey is closed, the debate and the quest for clarification/simplification carries on...


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