Successful PLM Programs: Maximizing Business Value through a Phased PLM Strategy reviews the characteristics of a phased approach for manufacturers to meet their PLM objectives, highlighting some relevant, successful PLM Programs.
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Table of Contents
- Introduction
- An Incremental Approach to Strategic Value
- The PLM Program
- Potential PLM Projects – Phasing by Business Improvement
- Potential PLM Projects – Phasing by Organization
- Unexpected Benefits
- Launching the PLM Program
- Recommendations
- Summary
- About the Author
Introduction
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is a business strategy that is steadily gaining wide acceptance. Companies that took an early adopter approach to PLM are beginning to show significant reductions in new product introduction lead times, benefit from meaningful cost savings and enjoy more profitable products. These companies have adopted best business practices and implemented enabling software tools to make tangible changes in their business. The results from the early pioneers confirm the business value of the PLM concept in helping companies achieve and profit from product innovation.
PLM is rapidly moving from the pioneer stage to more general acceptance. PLM success stories are coming to light from large, multinational companies and from smaller businesses alike. Achievements are being unveiled from companies with large, sophisticated supply chains and from those with less complex landscapes. What is interesting about emerging PLM successes is how different many of the stories are from one another—even those from companies in the same industry. This is because many companies have adopted an incremental approach to implementing PLM and are targeting their projects at solving tangible problems with short-term paybacks for their particular business. This pragmatic approach to achieving value from PLM initiatives—The PLM Program—is providing solid, incremental returns to companies that have adopted it. Companies that have a successful PLM Program have found that in addition to solving real business challenges, their PLM investment has provided a solid platform on which to base additional product and process improvement initiatives.
This white paper introduces the concept of The PLM Program and discusses the characteristics of a successful approach to help manufacturers define their PLM strategy and meet their PLM objectives. The paper also provides some compelling business objectives to consider for early PLM projects or proofs of concept to provide input to the strategic planning process. Finally, the paper highlights some successful PLM Programs initiated by manufacturers that have started down the path to incremental, valuable business improvements on the way to achieving the greater strategic value available from PLM.