PLM serious but…

More manufacturers across the board are getting interested in PLM (product lifecycle management) software. At the PLM Summit, where most of the main software providers exhibited in London earlier in the summer, the mood was of people looking to do something serious. Nigel Montgomery, PLM director at analyst AMR, believes there are several reasons, including the need to improve compliance, engineering development speeds and flexibility and outsourcing management. “They’re getting to the point that PLM is seen as necessary, not a future technology,” says Montgomery. “So will PLM finally have it’s day? The challenges are the same for the big guys and the little guys now, but the problem remains, who do you sell [PLM] to? It still falls between budget holders in manufacturing companies – and the board still don’t seem to get it.”