The Importance Of A Good PLM ConsultantProduct Lifecycle Management (PLM) is the process of managing the lifecycle of a product from its conception, through the design, manufacture, service, and retirement. It is one of the four keystones of an enterprise's information technology (IT) structure. In addition, manufacturing engineering companies must also develop, describe, manage, and communicate information about their products. This is what makes a good PLM Consultant so critical in the business world. There are five phases of the product life cycle. The first is the conception, or identifying what the customer wants. Second there is Design. This is where engineering comes into play. Then you must Realize your product by developing a method to manufacture your product, or distribute it if it is electronic. Then there comes Service, which, of course, is developing good customer service and a method of providing for repairs. Finally you have Retirement, which is, obviously, the phasing out of the product. The length of the cycle can vary widely. There are still products on the market which have scarcely changed in 100 years; where as other products are replaced on store shelves within 5 years. A PLM Consultant can help you anticipate and plan for these steps. There are many companies that develop PLM software. These include: Dassault Systèmes, Siemens PLM Software, Altair Engineering , Agile Software Corporation (now part of Oracle Corporation) and SofTech, Inc. They provide software products that cover most of the areas of PLM functionality; some like PTC cover a number of segments. Other companies, such as MSC Software and Wrench Solutions provide packages specializing in specific topics. The list goes on and on, there is likely a PLM software solution for most any business. Now companies also provide web based PLM solutions. These are commonly used in apparel, footwear, accessories, and consumer brand manufacturers. This software should only be used in conjunction with a PLM Consultant though. The old cliché about giving a fishing rod to a man who does not know how to fish certainly applies here. While this software can be a valuable tool for your enterprise, you need a professional PLM Consultant to help you get the most data you can out of it. A few independent PLM solution providers such as Atos Origin, SIA Conseil, accenture, Infosys, Integware and Metafore deliver PLM consulting and system integration services and help companies to identify, design, implement and operate appropriate PLM practices, processes and technologies. These companies offer an "all-in-one" solution. Most certainly you can also find an independent PLM Consultant simply by searching the web. |