Product Data Management
Encyclopedia
Product data management is the business function often within product lifecycle management
that is responsible for the creation, management and publication of product
data. In software engineering, this is known as version control.
Within PDM the focus is on managing and tracking the creation, change and archive of all information related to a product. The information being stored and managed (on one or more file servers) will include engineering data such as Computer-aided design
(CAD) models, drawings and their associated documents.
Product data management (PDM) serves as a central knowledge repository for process and product history, and promotes integration and data exchange among all business users who interact with products — including project managers, engineers, sales people, buyers, and quality assurance teams.
The central database will also manage metadata
such as owner of a file and release status of the components. The package will: control check-in and check-out of the product data to multi-user; carry out engineering change management and release control on all versions/issues of components in a product; build and manipulate the product structure bill of materials
(BOM) for assemblies; and assist in configurations management of product variants.
This enables automatic reports on product costs, etc. Furthermore, PDM enables companies producing complex products to spread product data into the entire PLM
launch-process. This significantly enhances the effectiveness of the launch process.
Product data management is focused on capturing and maintaining information on products and/or services through its development and useful life. Typical information managed in the PDM module include
For better working practices we need optimum speed which will distribute information to user.This system maintains duplicate data stores or libraries and also maintains distribution lists of them.For the security purpose of data location,all the data is accessed under the control of PDM system.
2.Document viewing & imaging:
Images,assembly drawings,machine drawings,CAD diagrams as well as video sequences are treated by the PDM,in the same way as other data.So that online access to wide range of information(related to product)which was previously difficult to distribute and archive is provided by PDM.
3.Data translation & conversion:
Data translators can be predefined by system administrator for the conversion of data between application,displays and other output devices.
4.Communication & notification control:
For easy access of the current state of a project to all team members,online & automated notification of critical events is provided.
5.System administration:
It allows user for changing the data and gaining access to it.Also for the following administration purposes PDM system can be used:
PDM Advantages:
) systems to plan and coordinate all transactional operations of a company (sales order management, purchasing, cost accounting, logistics, etc.)
PDM is a subset of a larger concept of product lifecycle management (PLM). PLM encompasses the processes needed to launch new products (NPI), manage changes to existing products (ECN
/ECO
) and retire products at the end of their life (End of Life) .
Access control to each element in the product definition data base can be specified. Read only access can be given to personnel not directly involved with the design, development and planning process. Creation and maintenance access can be given to the individuals responsible for product and process design. As Product Data Management systems evolve towards Collaborative Product Commerce (CPC) systems which are used across multiple enterprises in a supply chain, access control becomes more critical and requires control to limit access to specific projects, products or parts for a specific supplier or customer
Components and materials can be classified and organized and attributes assigned. This supports standardization by identifying similar components/materials, eliminating redundancy, and establishing a preferred parts list. Establishing classes and subclasses with attributes allows a designer to search and select a needed material, component or assembly with minimal effort thereby avoiding having to re-specifying an existing or similar component or material
Since the relationship of a product's parts is a logical one maintained by the information system rather than a fixed physical relationship as represented on a drawing, it is possible to readily maintain more than one relationship. This will allow different views of part relationships in assemblies to correspond to the various departmental needs (e.g., engineering and manufacturing product structures), while maintaining rigor and consistency of the product's definition through this single data base. Thus, this one logical data base can support product and process design requirements as well as maintain part relationships to serve as a manufacturing bill of materials for MRP II/ERP. In other words, PDM provides the ability to hold not just the physical relationships between parts in an assembly but also other kinds of structures; for instance, manufacturing, financial, maintenance or document relationships. So, it is possible for specialist team members to see the product structured from their point of view. Product data can be accessed via this complete Bill of Materials. This access includes assemblies, parts and related documents.An integrated approach to developing, organizing and maintaining part and product definition data facilitates the design process, makes design data more readily usable and enhances integration with process requirements
Engineering changes can be facilitated with this configuration management and administrative control embedded within the system. CAE/CAD tools will enable engineering changes to be more thoroughly developed and analyzed to better define change impact. Once a design has been created, it can be checked-out electronically to a workstation for engineering changes. When the changes have been made, it can be returned to the central database and placed in a queue or an email notification sent for approval by designated parties. In this manner, a Change Control Board (CCB) can even "convene" and provide individual member's input electronically. In addition to supporting engineering analysis, information related to procurement, inventory, manufacturing and cost is available for members of the CCB to evaluate, designate the effectivity of the change and determine the disposition of existing items.
PDM systems support process management by defining process steps related to the development, distribution and use of product data. The process is defined in the form of specified process steps and release or promotion levels that the data must achieve. The manner in which the process is defined varies with every PDM system. Within a project, responsibilities are defined for the process steps - who needs to approve the data or work on the data before it moves to the next release or promotion level. While, the current process is defined in a company's configuration management or engineering change procedures and in its new product development process, often changes have to be made to take advantage of the communication and coordination capabilities of the PDM system. This new data is moved to the next person's "in basket" within PDM or an email notification is sent.
Collaboration can be supported in several ways. First, a PDM system may be the gateway that a team uses to access the information under discussion avoiding the need to copy and distribute a series of paper documents. Second, the PDM system may provide a synchronous or asynchronous collaboration environment for team members to access, present, review and produce feedback on product and process information. Further, this collaboration tool may incorporate viewing and mark-up capability, as well as provide the ability to store marked-up files or documents submitted by collaborators. Third, what are now described as collaborative product commerce systems (CPC), provide extended PDM functionality and access control outside the enterprise for customers, suppliers and interested third parties (e.g., regulatory agencies). This speeds the distribution of information, enhances coordination, and speeds the capture of feedback.
Product lifecycle management
In industry, product lifecycle management is the process of managing the entire lifecycle of a product from its conception, through design and manufacture, to service and disposal...
that is responsible for the creation, management and publication of product
Product (business)
In general, the product is defined as a "thing produced by labor or effort" or the "result of an act or a process", and stems from the verb produce, from the Latin prōdūce ' lead or bring forth'. Since 1575, the word "product" has referred to anything produced...
data. In software engineering, this is known as version control.
Introduction
Product data management (PDM) is the use of software or other tools to track and control data related to a particular product. The data tracked usually involves the technical specifications of the product, specifications for manufacture and development, and the types of materials that will be required to produce goods. The use of product data management allows a company to track the various costs associated with the creation and launch of a product. Product data management is part of product life cycle management, and is primarily used by engineers.Within PDM the focus is on managing and tracking the creation, change and archive of all information related to a product. The information being stored and managed (on one or more file servers) will include engineering data such as Computer-aided design
Computer-aided design
Computer-aided design , also known as computer-aided design and drafting , is the use of computer technology for the process of design and design-documentation. Computer Aided Drafting describes the process of drafting with a computer...
(CAD) models, drawings and their associated documents.
Product data management (PDM) serves as a central knowledge repository for process and product history, and promotes integration and data exchange among all business users who interact with products — including project managers, engineers, sales people, buyers, and quality assurance teams.
The central database will also manage metadata
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
such as owner of a file and release status of the components. The package will: control check-in and check-out of the product data to multi-user; carry out engineering change management and release control on all versions/issues of components in a product; build and manipulate the product structure bill of materials
Bill of materials
A bill of materials is a list of the raw materials, sub-assemblies, intermediate assemblies, sub-components, components, parts and the quantities of each needed to manufacture an end product...
(BOM) for assemblies; and assist in configurations management of product variants.
This enables automatic reports on product costs, etc. Furthermore, PDM enables companies producing complex products to spread product data into the entire PLM
Product lifecycle management
In industry, product lifecycle management is the process of managing the entire lifecycle of a product from its conception, through design and manufacture, to service and disposal...
launch-process. This significantly enhances the effectiveness of the launch process.
Product data management is focused on capturing and maintaining information on products and/or services through its development and useful life. Typical information managed in the PDM module include
- Part number
- Part description
- Supplier/vendor
- Vendor part number and description
- Unit of measure
- Cost/price
- Schematic or CAD drawing
- Material data sheets
Utilities of Product Data Management
1.Document distribution & Data transport:For better working practices we need optimum speed which will distribute information to user.This system maintains duplicate data stores or libraries and also maintains distribution lists of them.For the security purpose of data location,all the data is accessed under the control of PDM system.
2.Document viewing & imaging:
Images,assembly drawings,machine drawings,CAD diagrams as well as video sequences are treated by the PDM,in the same way as other data.So that online access to wide range of information(related to product)which was previously difficult to distribute and archive is provided by PDM.
3.Data translation & conversion:
Data translators can be predefined by system administrator for the conversion of data between application,displays and other output devices.
4.Communication & notification control:
For easy access of the current state of a project to all team members,online & automated notification of critical events is provided.
5.System administration:
It allows user for changing the data and gaining access to it.Also for the following administration purposes PDM system can be used:
- Security
- Data backup
- Approval of procedures
- Customization of operational features
PDM Advantages:
- Track and manage all changes to product related data
- Accelerate return on investmentReturn on investmentReturn on investment is one way of considering profits in relation to capital invested. Return on assets , return on net assets , return on capital and return on invested capital are similar measures with variations on how “investment” is defined.Marketing not only influences net profits but also...
with easy setup; - Spend less time organizing and tracking design data;
- Improve productivity through reuse of product design data;
- Enhance collaboration.
History of PDM
PDM stems from traditional engineering design activities that created product drawings and schematics on paper and using CAD tools to create parts lists (Bills of Material structures - BOM). The PDM and BOM data is used in enterprise resource planning (ERPEnterprise resource planning
Enterprise resource planning systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application...
) systems to plan and coordinate all transactional operations of a company (sales order management, purchasing, cost accounting, logistics, etc.)
PDM is a subset of a larger concept of product lifecycle management (PLM). PLM encompasses the processes needed to launch new products (NPI), manage changes to existing products (ECN
Engineering Change Notice
An Engineering Change Notice , or Change Notice, is a document which records or authorises a change to a design. The reasons for the change should also be recorded....
/ECO
Engineering Change Order
Engineering Change Orders are used for changes in components, assemblies, or documents such as processes and work instructions. They may also be used for changes in specifications....
) and retire products at the end of their life (End of Life) .
Capabilities
PDM systems vary in their functionality, but some of their common capabilities are described below.- Access controlAccess controlAccess control refers to exerting control over who can interact with a resource. Often but not always, this involves an authority, who does the controlling. The resource can be a given building, group of buildings, or computer-based information system...
Access control to each element in the product definition data base can be specified. Read only access can be given to personnel not directly involved with the design, development and planning process. Creation and maintenance access can be given to the individuals responsible for product and process design. As Product Data Management systems evolve towards Collaborative Product Commerce (CPC) systems which are used across multiple enterprises in a supply chain, access control becomes more critical and requires control to limit access to specific projects, products or parts for a specific supplier or customer
- Component / Material Classification
Components and materials can be classified and organized and attributes assigned. This supports standardization by identifying similar components/materials, eliminating redundancy, and establishing a preferred parts list. Establishing classes and subclasses with attributes allows a designer to search and select a needed material, component or assembly with minimal effort thereby avoiding having to re-specifying an existing or similar component or material
- Product Structure
Since the relationship of a product's parts is a logical one maintained by the information system rather than a fixed physical relationship as represented on a drawing, it is possible to readily maintain more than one relationship. This will allow different views of part relationships in assemblies to correspond to the various departmental needs (e.g., engineering and manufacturing product structures), while maintaining rigor and consistency of the product's definition through this single data base. Thus, this one logical data base can support product and process design requirements as well as maintain part relationships to serve as a manufacturing bill of materials for MRP II/ERP. In other words, PDM provides the ability to hold not just the physical relationships between parts in an assembly but also other kinds of structures; for instance, manufacturing, financial, maintenance or document relationships. So, it is possible for specialist team members to see the product structured from their point of view. Product data can be accessed via this complete Bill of Materials. This access includes assemblies, parts and related documents.An integrated approach to developing, organizing and maintaining part and product definition data facilitates the design process, makes design data more readily usable and enhances integration with process requirements
- Engineering Changes
Engineering changes can be facilitated with this configuration management and administrative control embedded within the system. CAE/CAD tools will enable engineering changes to be more thoroughly developed and analyzed to better define change impact. Once a design has been created, it can be checked-out electronically to a workstation for engineering changes. When the changes have been made, it can be returned to the central database and placed in a queue or an email notification sent for approval by designated parties. In this manner, a Change Control Board (CCB) can even "convene" and provide individual member's input electronically. In addition to supporting engineering analysis, information related to procurement, inventory, manufacturing and cost is available for members of the CCB to evaluate, designate the effectivity of the change and determine the disposition of existing items.
- Process ManagementProcess managementProcess management is the ensemble of activities of planning and monitoring the performance of a process. The term usually refers to the management of business processes and manufacturing processes...
and WorkflowWorkflowA workflow consists of a sequence of connected steps. It is a depiction of a sequence of operations, declared as work of a person, a group of persons, an organization of staff, or one or more simple or complex mechanisms. Workflow may be seen as any abstraction of real work...
PDM systems support process management by defining process steps related to the development, distribution and use of product data. The process is defined in the form of specified process steps and release or promotion levels that the data must achieve. The manner in which the process is defined varies with every PDM system. Within a project, responsibilities are defined for the process steps - who needs to approve the data or work on the data before it moves to the next release or promotion level. While, the current process is defined in a company's configuration management or engineering change procedures and in its new product development process, often changes have to be made to take advantage of the communication and coordination capabilities of the PDM system. This new data is moved to the next person's "in basket" within PDM or an email notification is sent.
- Collaboration
Collaboration can be supported in several ways. First, a PDM system may be the gateway that a team uses to access the information under discussion avoiding the need to copy and distribute a series of paper documents. Second, the PDM system may provide a synchronous or asynchronous collaboration environment for team members to access, present, review and produce feedback on product and process information. Further, this collaboration tool may incorporate viewing and mark-up capability, as well as provide the ability to store marked-up files or documents submitted by collaborators. Third, what are now described as collaborative product commerce systems (CPC), provide extended PDM functionality and access control outside the enterprise for customers, suppliers and interested third parties (e.g., regulatory agencies). This speeds the distribution of information, enhances coordination, and speeds the capture of feedback.
- Storage and retrievalInformation retrievalInformation retrieval is the area of study concerned with searching for documents, for information within documents, and for metadata about documents, as well as that of searching structured storage, relational databases, and the World Wide Web...
of product information - Product structure modelingProduct Structure ModelingProduct structure is a hierarchical decomposition of a product, typically known as the bill of materials .As business becomes more responsive to unique consumer tastes and derivative products grow to meet the unique configurations, BOM management can become unmanageable.Advanced modeling techniques...
and management- Bill of materialsBill of materialsA bill of materials is a list of the raw materials, sub-assemblies, intermediate assemblies, sub-components, components, parts and the quantities of each needed to manufacture an end product...
- Product configurations
- Product variations
- Product versions
- Bill of materials
- Project tracking
- Resource planningResource planningResource planning may refer to:* Enterprise resource planning * Manufacturing resource planning * Distribution Resource Planning * Human resources...
External links
- Kropsu-Vehkapera, H., Haapasalo, H., Harkonen, J. and Silvola, R. (2009) "Product data management practices in high tech companies", Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 109, No.6, pp. 758-774. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/viewContentItem.do;jsessionid=E776EAF1CEA5579AD6D4E5DCFF5117B6?contentType=Article&contentId=1798666