PLM is a key element in the automotive component industry. The multi-million dollar Indian automotive industry is looking at integrating PLM into its basic manufacturing processes and core R&D activity to bring out value addition into its products.

The integration of PLM goes back right into developing new products and evolving new practices into manufacturing. How does it help?

Supply chains are becoming increasingly complex as businesses roll out global expansions. Diverse and increasingly stringent environmental and safety regulations, which differ across the globe, require sophisticated management of internal processes. The ever-present cost pressures require faster time-to-market with higher floor productivity.

In this background, The ET-Siemens “Enterprise PLM” was organized on 17 September 2008 at Pune. The panel entered into an interactive dialogue to the next level of engagement with key stakeholders’ in order to showcase the entire gamut of PLM applications that were specially designed to cater to the manufacturing industry.

The panel discussion addressed the need to understand the following:
The need for PLM solutions: Benefits to the entire product design and development process through:

• New product development: Integrate people and processes to rapidly bring innovations to the market to meet customer requirements.
• Knowledge/IP management: Capture, reuse product, and process knowledge to improve productivity and make better innovation investments.
• Value chain synchronisation: Synchronize customer requirements, partners and suppliers to optimize product value.
• Commonisation and reuse: Implement commonization strategy and provide global access to reusable products and processes.