Choose the right PLM software and revolutionise your product lifecycle management
Increasingly complex product development, ever stricter regulations, changing consumer demands... how do you get your product to market quickly without losing quality?
The answer can be summed up in three letters: PLM.
Behind this acronym lies much more than just an IT solution: it's a genuine strategic pillar, developed to orchestrate the entire product lifecycle, from the initial idea to the commercial launch.
Ready to find out how PLM software can transform the way you design, produce and innovate? Follow our comprehensive guide, including a comparison of the 10 best solutions on the market.
Definition of PLM software
PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) software is a tool that structures and optimises the entire product lifecycle, from the initial idea to end-of-life. It centralises :
- technical information ;
- design data
- modification data
- all associated processes.
If you manage a portfolio of complex products, PLM can help you stay on track. In particular, it organises collaboration between the various departments involved: R&D, the design office, quality, purchasing, production, and so on. Everyone accesses the same source of information and communicates more fluidly.
🎯 The aim of such a tool? To help you reduce time-to-market and stimulate innovation. It also enables you to improve the traceability of your products, to meet the challenges of control and quality.
When it comes to functionalities, a good PLM integrates, among other things :
- bill of materials management (BOM) ;
- modification tracking (ECO/ECN) ;
- prototype validation
- integration with CAD and ERP tools;
- quality control and compliance.
💡 Please note: PLM is not just a tool! It's also an organisational approach that invites you to rethink processes, so as to stimulate synergies. Its role becomes more strategic, especially in the face of increasingly complex products, pressure to meet deadlines and new regulatory requirements.
Use cases for PLM software
As we have just seen, PLM software does more than just centralise product data: it synchronises all the businesses involved in the lifecycle, from design to maintenance, including quality control, purchasing management and production.
👉 To give you a better idea of the scope of the possibilities promised by such a tool, here are a few use cases:
- In design offices, PLM streamlines the management of bills of materials. Engineers have access to a single version of technical data, avoiding duplication, scattered files and so on. Each update is tracked, validated and logged.
- In methods teams, PLM structures the creation of manufacturing ranges. Links with CAD data ensure consistency between the virtual and the real, and real time savings can be seen when series are launched.
- In quality departments, it has become an essential ally for effectively managing validation workflows: control plans, customer feedback, non-conformities, modification requests... all actions are traced.
- On the management side, PLM provides an overall view of projects. This enables bottlenecks to be identified, teams to be better aligned and deadlines to be secured.
- Finally, in general terms, PLM optimises collaboration between departments. Gone are the days of interminable e-mail exchanges, everything now goes through clearly defined and automated processes.
🤩Industry, aeronautics, healthcare, agri-food... whatever the sector, there are multiple use cases, since good PLM software adapts to your business context (customised workflows, integration with the existing technological ecosystem, etc.).
Why choose PLM software? The 5 key benefits
#1 Boosted productivity
The first reason why companies turn to PLM software is its promise to save time and increase productivity.
This is due to its ability to centralise technical information and automate the execution of certain tasks. As a result, you can eliminate time-consuming, low-value tasks such as searching for files.
What's more, each department works on a single source of truth. Fewer errors, less wasted time... more bandwidth for innovation!
#2 A driving force for innovation
When communication and collaboration become more fluid, ideas flow more easily, approvals are quicker and tests follow on from each other. All of which boosts innovation!
Take, for example, a change in product design: it's instantly visible to the quality or purchasing teams. This cross-functional vision encourages agile iterations and speeds up development cycles.
#3 Quality and compliance
PLM software tracks all actions relating to the product lifecycle, whether they involve modification, validation, customer feedback, control plans, and so on.
What's more, setting up workflows ensures that it's the right people who validate the key stages.
Result: you comply more naturally with the standards imposed by regulations and limit the risks of non-compliance.
#4 Fewer errors and greater savings
An error in a bill of materials? An unsuccessful series launch? A last-minute change that wasn't communicated?
These are all sources of unforeseen costs...
With PLM software, and its promise to synchronise data and services, you can limit these "budget leaks" that put a strain on your projects and your cash flow.
What's more, this type of solution detects inconsistencies between versions so you can be alerted in the event of a conflict.
Another advantage is the reduction in dormant stocks. By improving the predictability of launches, you can improve your stock management process.
#5 A clear vision for precise management
It's hard to make decisions when information is scattered between Excel files, e-mails and endless meetings.
This is where PLM comes in, bringing together all the key indicators in a single tool.
This gives management greater visibility, but also greater responsiveness, so that they can take the best strategic decisions. Managers, meanwhile, can adjust priorities and mobilise the right resources for the right projects.
😉 So now you're (hopefully!) convinced of the benefits to be gained from a Product Lifecycle Management solution. All that's left now is to choose your software from among the 10 nuggets we're going to introduce to you right now.
Comparison of the 10 best PLM software packages on the market
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 Visiativ PLM |  Aras PLM Platform |  Arena PLM |  Autodesk Fusion Manage |  Centric PLM |  Teamcenter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For companies with 51 to 5000 employees | For all companies | For all companies | For all companies | For all companies | For all companies |
| See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software |
| Learn more about Visiativ PLM | Learn more about Aras PLM Platform | Learn more about Arena PLM | Learn more about Autodesk Fusion Manage | Learn more about Centric PLM | Learn more about Teamcenter |
Visiativ PLM
Powerful and intuitive, Visiativ PLM is a genuine industrial performance accelerator, enabling you to significantly reduce your time-to-market (by 30%!). Specialising in technical data management, this software centralises your product information within a streamlined, efficient interface. So you can organise your bills of materials, drawings, quality documents and project files with the utmost precision.
Visiativ PLM's business-oriented approach is suitable for all types of industrial company, especially SMEs and SMIs in the mechanical and electronics sectors.
Visiativ's strength lies in its frictionless integration with your CAD software (so your designers can carry out a detailed study and definition of the product) and with the main ERP systems on the market. We also like its ability to facilitate collaboration between all the stakeholders involved in industrial projects. In particular, you can take advantage of detailed planning, which comes in very handy for intelligently managing milestones and deliverables.
Last but not least, Viasiativ supports bill of materials management, for smooth communication between company departments, from design to production.
🤩 Key benefits of Visiativ :
- Sharp sector adaptation: take advantage of a structure designed for industry, with tools dedicated to your technical and regulatory constraints.
- Modularity: Visiativ PLM adopts a scalable and customisable approach. You can digitalise your strategic processes flexibly, without the need for a complex infrastructure.
- Cross-departmental collaboration and cross-functional management: the solution facilitates exchanges between design, methods, quality, purchasing and production. Configurable workflows ensure efficient coordination of key stages.
- Comprehensive support for digitalisation: Visiativ offers a complete digital transformation plan, from diagnostics to training, including the integration of complementary solutions.
Visiativ PLM
3DEXPERIENCE
Dassault Systèmes' 3DEXPERIENCE is much more than just PLM software. It is a comprehensive and robust collaborative platform designed to connect your data, your teams and your processes in a single secure cloud space. Scalable and modular, it centralises engineering, design, manufacturing, quality and marketing operations, without the need for re-keying.
With 3DEXPERIENCE, you have access to a unique digital twin that is constantly updated. This gives you a real-time picture of the physical product throughout its lifecycle, so you can optimise its design, manufacture and maintenance.
What's more, your CAD (CATIA), CAM (DELMIA), document management (ENOVIA) and simulation (SIMULIA) tools are natively integrated into the ecosystem. At the same time, you can take advantage of highly customisable workflows to reduce the number of back-and-forth processes and make collaboration more fluid. Every business process is modelled, connected and continuously optimised, making the software particularly suited to complex industries.
🤩 Key benefits of 3DEXPERIENCE:
- Unified, cloud-native platform: centralise all your processes in a single environment, accessible from anywhere.
- Complete interoperability with the Dassault ecosystem: CATIA, DELMIA, ENOVIA, SIMULIA... all in-house tools interact frictionlessly.
- Real-time visibility: follow every stage of the product cycle, every modification, live.
- Immersive experience: the interface is modern and customisable, to stimulate collaboration between technical, business and creative profiles.
Aletiq
Aletiq is a new-generation PLM software package designed to centralise your technical data and streamline your industrial processes, whether you work in the aerospace and defence, automotive, energy, luxury goods or other sectors.
This solution, available in SaaS mode, integrates quickly with your existing environment and tools, without the need for complex deployments (SAP, Sage, Odoo, Adobe, Dynamics 365, etc). And thanks to its intuitive interface and high level of process automation, your teams can work together efficiently, sharing a common vision of product data.
Aletiq handles the management of technical modifications, significantly reducing the time spent on these tasks. It also ensures complete traceability of changes, to facilitate compliance with standards such as ISO 9001.
Last but not least, Aletiq gives you a high-performance dashboard that's updated in real time, making it easy to manage your business more effectively and take informed decisions.
🤩 Aletiq's main benefits :
- Data centralisation: bring together CAD, drawings, bills of material and quality documents in one place.
- Process automation: manage validation circuits, project milestones and technical modifications more efficiently.
- Enhanced traceability: Aletiq integrates the complete history of changes to simplify your compliance.
- Real-time management: analyse key indicators at a glance to optimise your industrial performance.
Aras Innovator
Modern, open and flexible, the Aras Innovator solution has been designed to support companies in their digital transformation, particularly in the aerospace, defence, automotive, medical and industrial sectors.
The platform's main strength? Its modular, scalable architecture, making it easy to integrate with your existing systems and align it with your company's specific requirements.
Thanks to its broad functional coverage, Aras Innovator helps you structure your product lifecycle management, providing complete visibility of your processes, from design to maintenance.
The software also promotes digital continuity: every modification, every interaction is recorded, analysed and valued. So you gain in transparency and agility. As an added bonus, low-code development means you can involve your teams in your continuous improvement drive, without overloading the IT department.
🤩 Key benefits of Aras Innovator :
- Flexibility : its modular architecture makes it easy to integrate and customise the solution.
- Digital continuity : obtain complete visibility and traceability throughout the product lifecycle.
- Low-code development : speed up the implementation of specific applications.
- Interoperability : Aras is compatible with a multitude of existing systems and tools.
Aras PLM Platform
Arena
Arena PLM is a cloud solution dedicated to industrial companies operating in demanding environments. Do you work in the medical, electronics or connected objects sectors? Are you faced with strict regulations, dispersed teams and tight deadlines? Arena will structure your product and quality data within a robust, unified platform.
Its interesting approach, combining PLM and QMS, strengthens the consistency of your processes. Validations become smoother, changes are logged and audits are better anticipated (rather than dreaded!). Everyone involved has access to a single version of the data, wherever they are. So you can reduce non-compliance and speed up your product launches.
All in a secure environment, with no heavy infrastructure to maintain. In short, Arena helps you turn regulatory complexity into a performance driver. It's a real way of squaring your projects!
🤩 Arena's main benefits :
- Secure cloud: take advantage of rapid software deployment and stop worrying about maintenance operations.
- Integrated quality management: Arena integrates features for proactive management of risks and normative requirements.
- Real-time collaboration: strengthen collaboration with your various partners, particularly those in the supply chain.
- Training management: the platform supports training management to simplify regulatory and corporate compliance.
Arena PLM
Autodesk Fusion Manage
Developed by Autodesk, Fusion Manage cloud software (formerly Fusion Lifecycle PLM) helps you to manage the entire product lifecycle in a personalised way. Whether you are faced with high product variability or need to structure your processes while maintaining an overview of your operations, this tool will provide you with an effective response.
Users appreciate Autodesk Fusion Manage first and foremost for its configurable workflows and modular approach, which enable the solution to be adapted to the working methods already in place... and not the other way round! You'll also benefit from data centralisation and visualisation, automated approvals and real-time progress monitoring.
Fully integrated with the Autodesk ecosystem, the platform ensures seamless continuity between design, manufacturing and document management within your organisation. As a result, your teams can work together more effectively, even remotely.
As an added bonus, enjoy a clear, modern interface that's accessible from a simple browser.
🤩 Key benefits of Autodesk Fusion Manage :
- Tailored workflows: adapt each stage of your product lifecycle to your business requirements.
- Native Autodesk ecosystem: this ecosystem ensures seamless continuity between CAD, CAM and product management.
- Cloud accessibility: easily connect all your teams, with no infrastructure to manage.
- Centralised monitoring: view progress and bottlenecks in real time.
Autodesk Fusion Manage
Centric PLM
Centric PLM has been developed to support companies that are subject to strong pressure on lead times, costs and product innovation. It is therefore aimed primarily at consumer goods sectors such as fashion, cosmetics, food and retail.
More specifically, Centric PLM integrates all technical, commercial and regulatory data within a single interface. You can manage your collections, supplier relations and bills of materials from an intuitive platform that can be accessed from anywhere, including on mobile phones. Each player can then easily view the progress of products and intervene at the right moment.
Interestingly, the solution includes additional modules for sustainable development, packaging management, sourcing and supplier quality. Centric PLM doesn't just provide structure: it also makes all your operations smoother, more secure and faster.
In short, Centric PLM combines a wealth of functions with meticulous ergonomics, to speed up your products' time-to-market without adding to your teams' mental workload.
🤩 Key benefits of Centric PLM :
- Industry adaptability: Centric PLM integrates modules and workflows designed for each industry.
- Intuitive interface: the solution benefits from a modern design and interface, so it's quick to get to grips with.
- Centralised management: strengthen the collaboration of different teams around reliable, harmonised data that's updated in real time.
- Support for sustainable development objectives: raw materials and waste management, carbon footprint, supply chain certification, circularity, etc.
Centric PLM
Oracle PLM
Oracle Fusion Cloud PLM is a solution designed to structure, automate and accelerate your product innovation processes. It covers the entire lifecycle, from the initial idea to design, validation, quality monitoring and compliance.
With this platform, you can centralise your technical data in a single repository, accessible in real time, wherever you are. Another key advantage is that it integrates natively with the Oracle ERP and SCM suites, guaranteeing cross-functional consistency between design and execution.
You'll also benefit from embedded AI technology, enabling you to detect anomalies earlier and adjust your strategic decisions as a result.
Highly scalable, Oracle PLM is suitable for both large groups and fast-growing organisations. No more scattered data. With Oracle PLM, you regain control of your product's value chain and enter into a real innovation dynamic.
🤩 Key benefits of Oracle PLM :
- Orchestration of product requirements: you finely structure business, technical and regulatory needs, right from the design phase.
- Automatic alignment with the Oracle ecosystem: Oracle PLM communicates natively with your ERP, SCM, IoT and finance tools.
- Reduced time-to-market : thanks to automated workflows, validations and centralised product data, you can launch faster... without compromising on quality.
- Global visibility: access dashboards and predictive analyses updated in real time, boosted by AI.
Teamcenter
Developed by Siemens Digital Industries Software, Teamcenter is a particularly robust PLM solution. It stands out in particular for its rich functionality and modular architecture, making it a solid response to the challenges faced by large industrial companies looking to boost their performance (aerospace and defence, automotive and transport, batteries, electronics and semi-conductors, energy and utilities, agri-food, shipbuilding, etc.).
With this software, available in the cloud or on site, you can centralise all your technical data (CAD designs, analyses, bills of materials, quality documents, etc.) and develop innovative products.
Its ability to structure and automate workflows makes collaboration between departments, sites or subsidiaries more fluid. Throughout the product life cycle. Teamcenter also includes functions for electrical systems, electronic and mechanical design, and software and IoT development.
As a bonus, the solution integrates seamlessly with the NX suite, Solid Edge and other business tools.
🤩 Key benefits of Teamcenter :
- Unified product lifecycle management: track every stage, from design to maintenance, with the utmost precision.
- Broad functional coverage: Teamcenter includes many features and addresses all types of industry.
- Modular, extensible architecture: you activate only the modules you need for your business. Teamcenter adapts to your strategy, not the other way around.
- Seamless integration with your existing tools: whether you use SAP, NX or Catia, Teamcenter connects easily.
Teamcenter
Windchill PLM
PTC's Windchill PLM has established itself as a pillar of product lifecycle management, especially in complex industrial sectors such as aerospace, automotive and mechanical engineering. Its strength? A modern, open, highly configurable modular architecture that adapts to your ecosystem without weighing it down.
This solution is particularly effective when it comes to centralising technical data in an up-to-date digital twin accessible to every department. It also helps you control your product configurations, engineering changes and quality validations. No need for multiple tools!
Through its integration with Creo, ThingWorx and Arbortext, Windchill PLM creates a bridge between design, IoT and documentation. As a result, your operations become more fluid and responsive. Users also appreciate the version management and real-time collaboration functions.
Finally, let's highlight the solution's compliance with international standards and automation of the regulatory submission process, which are essential in certain business sectors.
🤩 Key benefits of Windchill PLM :
- Advanced management of complex configurations: you oversee product variants, options and evolutions, even in multi-site or multi-lingual mode.
- Native interoperability with PTC tools: Windchill works hand in hand with Creo (CAD), ThingWorx (IoT) and Vuforia (AR).
- High traceability of changes: every modification is logged and contextualised, so your quality processes run smoothly.
- Support for large-scale work: even with 300 or 3,000 users, Windchill remains stable, and your teams can move forward without stepping on each other's toes.
What can we learn from PLM software?
PLM software is an essential strategic tool for optimising product lifecycle management, especially in sectors with complex design and regulatory requirements (manufacturing, aerospace and defence, automotive, pharmaceuticals, etc.).
What are the main advantages of this tool? It encourages collaboration between teams, reduces lead times and improves quality.
Now it's up to you to choose the platform that's right for your business, taking into account various criteria such as functional coverage (is it really tailored to your needs and business?), ease of use, ROI and how it complements your technological ecosystem.
And, of course, you need to be sure that your software is aligned with the many challenges that lie ahead. Artificial intelligence, predictive analysis, environmental issues... these are all challenges for tomorrow's industry that any good PLM must be able to meet. 💪
Article translated from French
Currently Editorial Manager, Jennifer Montérémal joined the Appvizer team in 2019. Since then, she's been putting her expertise in web copywriting, copywriting and SEO optimisation to work for the company, with her sights set on reader satisfaction 😀 !
A medievalist by training, Jennifer took a short break from fortified castles and other manuscripts to discover her passion for content marketing. She took away from her studies the skills expected of a good copywriter: understanding and analysing the subject, conveying the information, with a real mastery of the pen (without systematically resorting to a certain AI 🤫).
An anecdote about Jennifer? She stood out at Appvizer for her karaoke skills and her boundless knowledge of musical dreck 🎤.