Software has become integral to the business world. However, the appropriate or optimal software to meet your needs will depend upon your industry and the role that it’s expected to play in your workload. Learn the difference between PLM software and PDM software, so you can put the best and most-effective software tools to work for you.
PDM
Product data management (PDM) software provides an incredibly powerful and highly-effective design environment, especially when it’s coupled with CAE/CAD software. For a CAD model, the computer files are the basic building blocks that are needed for designing parts. The file and folder system is the primary data environment. As such, an optimized file manager is needed in order to move, edit, or create the necessary file relationships. Your PDM software is used as that management tool. Some CAD vendors opt to provide their own PDM software or tools to meet such requirements. Combining PDM software with CAD software creates an ideal work environment for engineers and other designers, which allows you to easily manage and order sets of files in a hierarchical structure of folders, whether the folders are real or virtual. Unfortunately, a CAD file isn’t able to accommodate non-mechanical data, which may be essential for production purposes.
PLM
Product lifecycle management (PLM) software is quite different. Being cross-organizational makes PLM software an invaluable tool for collecting, publishing, and manipulating your various product configurations. In contrast with PDM software, your product and document records are independent of files. That means you don’t need the folder structure or file management that’s offered by PDM tools. Instead, a relational database is the environment constructed for your PLM objects.
Using PLM tools, both CAD and non-CAD files can be used. That makes it simple enough to integrate Microsoft Word or other files into your work. Obviously, that greatly expands the utility of PLM software in many ways. With PLM system software, you can index files and their information, arrange and manipulate datasheets, or even open your files with whatever application is appropriate. PLM software is remarkably versatile, which is one of the main reasons it’s so valued by businesses. Whether you need contact information for vendors or schematics, you have numerous options at your disposal. Call CBX Software today for more.