PDM: Product Data Management Services
PDM is the process of capturing and managing the information related to the product. It usually involves the use of dedicated software application and centralized database. Product Data Management Services has been available to CAD users since the mid-1980s. When engineering drawings were created by draftsmen on drawing boards they were usually stored in shared and secure physical folders and cabinets, such as those in the image above. When engineering design and documentation moved to the digital world the companies that produced CAD software started to develop software for storing, managing, sharing and securing the digital data. These products were called PDM systems.
From the mid-80s through the late-90s we saw the development of many capable Product Data Management Services: •iMAN from UG Solutions •Metaphase from SDRC •Optegra and Windchill from PTC •MatrixOne from the company of the same name •Pro/PDM and Pro/Intralink from PTC •Enovia from Dassault Systemes •Workgroup PDM and Enterprise PDM from SolidWorks
UG Solutions acquired SDRC, which was in turn acquired by Siemens. Their respective products were combined to create TeamCenter. Computervision was acquired by PTC and their collective products were integrated to produce Windchill. Dassault Systemes acquired both MatrixOne and Solidworks. MatrixOne lives on as Enovia. And the major CAD vendors have all reinvented themselves as “Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) companies�. This is meant to indicate that they provide not just design and manufacturing software products, but services and solutions that integrate digital manufacturing into an enterprise.
Current state of Product Data Management Services
Despite decades of investment in the development of PDM systems by CAD vendors, the majority of today’s CAD users, 60% - 80% do not have access to a PDM system. Instead they manage their design and manufacturing data using homegrown solutions.
Why is Product Data Management Services? PDM Services system is complex. They are designed to meet the most challenging requirements of the largest manufacturing companies, and often overlook the needs of small to mid - sized companies. The complexity often outweighs the advantages of using a commercial system to manage data. PDM systems are expensive. The initial license cost and the maintenance or renewal fees can be a significant expense.
PDM software provides version control and security to ensure that the information stored in the central repository is accurate and up to date, which in turn can reduce data processing and make operations, such as manufacturing, more efficient. While engineers are typically the heaviest users, PDM is also employed by operations managers, salespeople, marketers and others who work with a product throughout its lifecycle. Of course, these are all problems that Software as a Service (SaaS) or “software in the cloud�, like our product GrabCAD Workbench, solves. Cloud solutions also solve other problems, like securely sharing data with supply chain partners.