Glossary · Manufacturing systems
Product lifecycle management (PLM)
Also known as: PLM, PLM system
German: Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
In manufacturing, product lifecycle management (PLM) is the management of product data and processes across the product lifecycle, from requirements and design through production and service to retirement, typically supported by a PLM software system.
- Manufacturing systems
In one sentence
Product lifecycle management (PLM) manages product data and engineering processes from design through production and service to retirement.
Example
The PLM system holds the CAD models, the engineering BOM and the change orders, and releases the product structure to the ERP system.
Explained in context
Context cards connect this term with others to answer one question. Also in British English and German.
How it applies
- Engineering: PLM manages CAD data, documents, product structures, variants and engineering change processes with revisions and release states. It is often the source of the engineering Bill of materials (BOM).
- Change management: Engineering change requests and orders run through PLM workflows. Linking change orders to affected documents, including technical documentation, is a core PLM function; see Change control.
- Documentation: Technical documentation should be linked to the product structure in PLM so that a product change triggers a documentation review. For the digital product passport, PLM is one of the typical source systems; see Product data systems for the DPP (PLM, PIM, QMS, ERP, MDM).
PLM vs. ERP
PLM manages what the product is and how it evolves (engineering data). Enterprise resource planning (ERP) manages how it is bought, made and sold (business transactions). The release of product data from PLM to ERP is a key interface.