**Preface XI**


Emilia Sabău

Preface

The aim of this book is to present the terminology, applications, trends, and developments in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). PLM is one of the four approaches used as enter‐ prise business information technologies, the others being Enterprise Resource Planning, Customer Relationship Management, and Supply Chain Management. PLM is a business strategy for managing the entire lifecycle of products. This strategy includes the manage‐ ment of conception, design, testing, prototyping, manufacturing, process planning, quality control, use, maintenance, disposal, and recycling of products, integrating people, methods,

This book has a total of seven chapters. The introductory chapter is focused on the funda‐ mental and future terminology used in PLM. The next two chapters treat different aspects regarding product design and development. Configuration of the customized product is presented in the fourth chapter. Product testing plays an important role in PLM. Thus, some aspects regarding product testing are presented in the fifth chapter. PLM for supply chain optimization is treated in the next chapter. End of product life is the last stage of the product lifecycle, including the recycling of materials. The last chapter presents an application fo‐

> **Dr. Razvan Udroiu** Associate Professor

> > Brasov, Romania

Department of Manufacturing Engineering

Transilvania University of Brasov

Faculty of Technological Engineering and Industrial Management

CAx tools, processes, documentation, and data management solutions.

cused on the recycling of polymeric composite materials.
