**4. Product lifecycle management**

According to the CIMdata Inc. [7], "Product Lifecycle Management is a strategic business approach that applies a consistent set of business solutions that support the collaborative creation, management, dissemination, and use of product definition information" [7]. Integrating people, processes, business systems, and information, PLM supports the extended enterprise [7]. The extended enterprise is a wider entity that includes the customers, the employees, the suppliers, the distributors, etc., who collaborate in the design, development, manufacturing, and delivery of a product to the end user. The PLM concept is focused on six important concepts, as follows: strategic business approach, phases of product life cycle, collaboration within the extended enterprise, unique and timed product data source and consistency, traceability, and long-term archiving [8].

**Product lifecycle management for "X field"** is a general term to define a type of management within a specific field of work, for a specific product. "X field" is a generic term that is related to a specific industry. Thus, different products require different process developments, resulting the following: PLM for aerospace and defense; PLM for the automotive industry; PLM for the construction industry; PLM for the consumer and retail industry; PLM for the energy, process, and utility industry; PLM for the fashion industry; PLM for the food and beverage industry; PLM for the industrial equipment industry; PLM for the life sciences industry; PLM for the marine and offshore industry; PLM for the oil and gas industry; and PLM for the telecom and electronics industry.

• Management approaches supporting continuous improvement of the enterprise (e.g., just in time, lean manufacturing, six sigma, total quality management, and total productive

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CAx [4] is a generic term that includes all computer-aided technologies used to process the information and knowledge regarding the product data along the PLM stages. A CAx system is focused on a "X" task, and it contains the following main components: hardware component consisting in computer and interactive devices, software packages, data, knowledge, and human's activities [4]. The "X" task can be product design (computer-aided design) [13–17]; product manufacturing (computer-aided manufacturing) [13–17]; product simulation,

maintenance)

**Figure 2.** The fundamental terms related to PLM.

**Figure 1.** The evolution of the concepts related to PLM.

The evolution of the concepts related to PLM is shown in **Figure 1**. PLM concept was developed based on product data management (PDM). **Product data management** is the business function often within PLM that is focused mainly on design, manufacturing, and engineering data having the purpose of the management and publication of product data. PDM is the link between "islands of automation" such as computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided engineering (CAE), and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), being a PLM infrastructure. PDM system provides access and security controls, maintains relationships among product data items, enforces rules that describe and control data flows and processes, and provides notification and messaging facilities [7, 9].

The fundamental terms about PLM are shown in **Figure 2**. Processes, technologies, methods, software tools, and data managed by people are the main fundamentals of PLM that are involved in the lifecycle stages of the product.

**Concurrent engineering** [10, 11] or **simultaneous engineering** is an approach for product development that integrates all product lifecycle phases and carries out a number of tasks in parallel, minimizing the product development time. One of the most used methods of CE is **design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA)** that integrates two concepts such as design for manufacture (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA). DFM is a design methodology of the parts for their easy manufacturing, reducing the manufacturing costs. DFA is focused on the design of the product for easy assembly, reducing the assembly costs.

Generally, the methods can be classified as follows [12]:


• Management approaches supporting continuous improvement of the enterprise (e.g., just in time, lean manufacturing, six sigma, total quality management, and total productive maintenance)

CAx [4] is a generic term that includes all computer-aided technologies used to process the information and knowledge regarding the product data along the PLM stages. A CAx system is focused on a "X" task, and it contains the following main components: hardware component consisting in computer and interactive devices, software packages, data, knowledge, and human's activities [4]. The "X" task can be product design (computer-aided design) [13–17]; product manufacturing (computer-aided manufacturing) [13–17]; product simulation,

**Figure 2.** The fundamental terms related to PLM.

The evolution of the concepts related to PLM is shown in **Figure 1**. PLM concept was developed based on product data management (PDM). **Product data management** is the business function often within PLM that is focused mainly on design, manufacturing, and engineering data having the purpose of the management and publication of product data. PDM is the link between "islands of automation" such as computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided engineering (CAE), and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), being a PLM infrastructure. PDM system provides access and security controls, maintains relationships among product data items, enforces rules that describe and control data flows and processes, and provides

The fundamental terms about PLM are shown in **Figure 2**. Processes, technologies, methods, software tools, and data managed by people are the main fundamentals of PLM that are

**Concurrent engineering** [10, 11] or **simultaneous engineering** is an approach for product development that integrates all product lifecycle phases and carries out a number of tasks in parallel, minimizing the product development time. One of the most used methods of CE is **design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA)** that integrates two concepts such as design for manufacture (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA). DFM is a design methodology of the parts for their easy manufacturing, reducing the manufacturing costs. DFA is focused on the

• Methods supporting designers and engineers in the product development stage (e.g., theory for inventing problem-solving (TRIZ, design in context, bottom-up design, top-down

• Evaluation methods of the product responsiveness to needs coming from diverse phases (e.g., risk analysis and failure mode effects analysis (FMEA), fishbone/Ishikawa

• Methods based on past experiences (e.g., design for X) used in BOL, MOL, and EOL

design of the product for easy assembly, reducing the assembly costs.

Generally, the methods can be classified as follows [12]:

design))

diagram)

notification and messaging facilities [7, 9].

**Figure 1.** The evolution of the concepts related to PLM.

4 Product Lifecycle Management - Terminology and Applications

involved in the lifecycle stages of the product.


Also, new technologies such as rapid prototyping (RP), additive manufacturing, and reverse

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Digital factory is the foundation of the factory of the future, "a comprehensive approach of network of digital models, methods, and tools—including modeling, simulation, and 3D/vir-

New opportunities and future trends for PLM (**Table 2**) have appeared in areas such as **big data**, **smart products**, the **Internet of things**, **knowledge management**, and **SMAC** (social, mobile, analytics, cloud) [30]. **SMAC** is driving business innovation, being a concept that converges of four technologies, social media platforms, mobile technologies and platforms such as the iPhone/ iPad, data analytics, and cloud computing. Cloud computing is one of the key enablers for advanced manufacturing supporting not only storage of product data but

time, and autonomously run entire production processes" [25] Industry 4.0 Industry 4.0 [26, 27] supposes the introduction of the Internet of things and services into

Cloud computing Cloud computing store, manage, and process data, rather than a local computer by using a

network of remote servers hosted on the Internet [4]

Industrial Internet The industrial Internet "is the integration and linking of big data, analytical tools and

IoT (Internet of things) The Internet of things comprises of an intelligent interactivity, via the Internet, sensors and

Big data in PLM "Big data represents the information assets characterized by such a high volume, velocity

IoT PLM Big data and the IoT work in conjunction. Data extracted from IoT devices provides a

mapping of device interconnectivity

PLM system within the Industry 4.0

level networking functions, to distributed systems" [27]

Factory of the future [4, 24] is the combination of "virtual" and "real" that "can selfoptimize performance, self-adapt to and learn from new conditions in real or near-real

Cloud manufacturing [28] uses cloud computing, the Internet of things, service-oriented technologies, and high-performance computing for solving manufacturing applications

wireless networks with physical and industrial equipment, or otherwise applying meta-

and variety to require specific technology and analytical methods for its transformation into value."[29]. Big data challenges include capturing data, data storage, data analysis, search, sharing, transfer, visualization, querying, updating, information privacy, and data

actuators, etc., between human and things to exchange information and knowledge

engineering play an innovative role, especially in the BOL phase [18–20].

tual reality visualization—integrated by a continuous data management" [23]

The main terminology connected to PLM is presented in the **Table 1**.

also retrieval and reuse of product and process knowledge.

source

Smart PLM PLM system for a smart factory

**Table 2.** Terms connected to the future PLM.

Cloud PLM The applications of cloud computing in PLM

the manufacturing environment [4]

**Future concepts Remarks**

Factory of the future/ smart factory

CMfg (cloud manufacturing)

PLM for digital factory

(PLM 4.0)

**Table 1.** Terms connected to PLM.

analysis, and optimization (computer-aided engineering); product process planning (computer-aided process planning, CAPP) [11, 14–17]; product quality assurance (computeraided quality, CAQ); etc. CAE tools are available for a wide range of analyses: finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), kinematics and dynamic analysis of the mechanisms, etc. The numerical control (NC) of the machine tools and programming of industrial robots that perform tasks as assembly, welding, etc., are the most known applications of CAM.

Also, new technologies such as rapid prototyping (RP), additive manufacturing, and reverse engineering play an innovative role, especially in the BOL phase [18–20].

The main terminology connected to PLM is presented in the **Table 1**.

Digital factory is the foundation of the factory of the future, "a comprehensive approach of network of digital models, methods, and tools—including modeling, simulation, and 3D/virtual reality visualization—integrated by a continuous data management" [23]

New opportunities and future trends for PLM (**Table 2**) have appeared in areas such as **big data**, **smart products**, the **Internet of things**, **knowledge management**, and **SMAC** (social, mobile, analytics, cloud) [30]. **SMAC** is driving business innovation, being a concept that converges of four technologies, social media platforms, mobile technologies and platforms such as the iPhone/ iPad, data analytics, and cloud computing. Cloud computing is one of the key enablers for advanced manufacturing supporting not only storage of product data but also retrieval and reuse of product and process knowledge.


**Table 2.** Terms connected to the future PLM.

analysis, and optimization (computer-aided engineering); product process planning (computer-aided process planning, CAPP) [11, 14–17]; product quality assurance (computeraided quality, CAQ); etc. CAE tools are available for a wide range of analyses: finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), kinematics and dynamic analysis of the mechanisms, etc. The numerical control (NC) of the machine tools and programming of industrial robots that perform tasks as assembly, welding, etc., are the most known applica-

EDM Electronic document management, enterprise data management, or engineering data

SRM Supplier relationship management is analogous to customer relationship management

DFSS Design for six sigma is a business process management method related to traditional six sigma, based on the use of statistical tools

Virtual enterprise (VE) Virtual enterprise consists in "a group of people who work together on a project,

Digital mock-up (DMU) Digital mock-up is a concept that allows the description of a product, usually in 3D, for

Digital manufacturing (DM) DM links digital product development, digital production planning, and digital facility

communicating mainly by phone, email, and the internet, rather than regularly going to a central office to work providing operations as competitive as those in a traditional

planning [22]. DM is a manufacturing process in a virtual environment working with digital features (tooling, machining, assembly lines, resources, ergonomics, and factory

tions of CAM.

**Table 1.** Terms connected to PLM.

**Concepts Remarks**

PLM Product lifecycle management ERP Enterprise resource planning CRM Customer relationship management

6 Product Lifecycle Management - Terminology and Applications

SCM Supply chain management

PDM Product data management CPC Collaborative product commerce

CE Concurrent engineering

NPD New product development Standards of PLM STEP, DXF, IGES, XML, UML

management

PPLM Product and process lifecycle management

MPM Manufacturing process management

CPD Collaborative product development DFMA Design for manufacture and assembly

enterprise" [4, 21]

layout)

its entire life cycle [4]

Digital factory (DF) Digital factory consists in a digital mock-up of the factory
