I like to refer to our RitePro software as a 3rd generation PLM solution. You may be wondering what I mean by that terminology. Let me explain.
I believe that PLM has gone through two major evolutions in the last 30 or so years. The 1st generation of PLM (late ’80s early ’90s) focused on managing CAD data. The 2nd generation of PLM (started in mid ’90s) expanded the functionality to managing Bill of Materials (BOM) and Engineering Change Order (ECO) processes. Both of these previous generations of PLM viewed engineering, document control teams and some members of manufacturing organizations as its user community (a typical user base of 10% to 20% of employees of an enterprise will be using it).
Since the introduction of the 2nd generation of PLM, this space has been stagnant, relying on siloed systems that solve a single business problem or address a single department’s needs. This brings us to the 3rd major evolution in PLM – or the 3rd generation PLM.
Today’s 3rd generation PLM provides value, functionality and is usable by the entire enterprise. A typical user base of a 3rd generation PLM is 80% to 90% of the employees of a company, including executives, human resources, procurement, quality, shop floor workers, sales, marketing and field services organizations.
QuadRite’s 3rd generation PLM software allows companies to connect the dots and deploy a unified solution that addresses all product related processes across the entire company. Compared to traditional PLM solutions that focus only on supporting the activities of the engineering group through BOM and ECO management, QuadRite’s RitePro packs significantly more features and functionality into a single module, allowing all information and all process to be both connected and related to the product.
Because RitePro’s features and functionality is now available to all departments, it provides a much more complete solution that enables operational excellence within the entire organization. This type of efficient execution of all product operational processes allows businesses to more effectively commercialize products. For example, the 3rd generation PLM manages numerous things such as Quality System Processes, New Product Introduction Processes, Supply Chain Management Processes, etc.
In today’s ultra-competitive marketplace, it is now imperative for product companies to focus on operational excellence so they can gain their margin targets on the commercializing of their products. Enabling margin means making sure operational efficiency is built into the product from the very early stage of the product creation process — all the way to product delivery and product support activities. Remember, approximately 70% to 80% of a product cost is already determined by the time the product reaches the manufacturing floor.
Make sure that your PLM software provides you with 3rd generation features and functionality. Elements of 3rd generational PLM include:
- Operational focus
- Global supply chain efficiency
- Enable entire employee base to easily derive value from PLM
- Enable any user to access PLM via the Internet – anywhere, anytime
To learn more about how RitePro can improve your operational excellence, visit our product page.
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