Product Data Management Technology Research Articles

Global communication Part 2: The use of apparel product data management technology

Improving IT communication systems, through the evolution of future product data management (PDM) applications, is a theme that has received attention due to its perceived benefits in developing global supply chain success factors. This paper discusses the developments and capabilities of such systems, found within global fashion supply chain relationships and environments. Major characteristics identified within the data suggest that PDM technology appears to be improving the speed of data transfer; however, evidence also suggest that the technology is evolving quicker than consumer understanding, and arguably costs more to implement, train staff and maintain. Nevertheless, PDM technology increases communication efficiency and helps to enhance social economic and corporate development. The article discusses the findings and also presents the issues regarding human interaction, iconography, infrastructure necessity and individual communication enhancements using a variety of technology processes. PDM technology adoption is still a prevalent topic for the long-term developments of global strategy and communication amalgamation.

Research and Application on Product Data Management Technology

Product Data Management (PDM) enables the management of the entire product lifecycle and related information about its design and its manufacturing. The key of implement PDM technology is realization of the structure and configuration management about the product. The main functions of PDM and the product development process based on PDM are detailed in this paper. An implementation method is proposed and it is applied for a system by means of an example, which achieves a good result.

A component-based product data management system

Companies today have been attempting to expand their Internet infrastructures to cope with the growth of global business environments. In modern manufacturing industries, they are migrating their legacy product data management (PDM) systems to Web-based systems (being an essential tool of eManufacturing) to use the Internet. Accordingly, recent advances in PDM technology have dealt with the use of Web-based technology. Some research and development on Web-based PDM systems has been described in the literature, but those efforts have technical limits. They are not adequately available, secure, reliable, and scalable for global enterprise services. This paper describes the design of a component-based product data management (CPDM) system for supporting global manufacturing. The CPDM system is aimed at assuring flexibility, security, stability, and maintainability by utilizing a standard architecture of J2EE technology. The CPDM system consists of three tiers based on the J2EE architecture. The first is the presentation tier implemented as JSP/servlet components to allow users to access the system through a Web browser. The second is the business logic tier, which is implemented as Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) components to handle the core PDM functionality. The third level is the data tier, composed of a database and vault for the physical files. To develop the components of the CPDM system, a component-based development (CBD) approach is proposed. The associated component development procedure is illustrated with examples. The CPDM system is also tested for its performance.

A review of web-based product data management systems

Product data management (PDM) integrates and manages all the information that defines a product, from design to manufacture, and to end-user support. PDM can be seen as an integration tool connecting many different areas, which ensures that the right information in the right form is available to the right person at the right time. When properly implemented, PDM systems will result in faster work, fewer errors, less redundancy, and smoother workflow for an organization. A recent advance in PDM technology concerns with the use of web-based technologies. The objective of this paper is to review PDM technology in general, and discuss the web-based PDM systems in particular. The emphasis is given toward the integration of PDM methodology with web architecture, and how this new infrastructure enhances a traditional PDM system. To reinforce the argument, a number of currently available PDM systems that have embraced web-technologies are reviewed, and some industrial implementations are presented.

Extended Enterprise Integration

This paper discusses the competitive pressures forcing major organisations to co-operate ever more closely in designing, manufacturing and supporting new products and major assets. It explains the resulting business and integration issues and presents a potential solution based on the use of product data management technology, supported by business consultancy and flexible commercial models that share investment costs and benefits.

Product data management based on Web technology

At present, PDM (product data management) technology is on its way to application, and PDM vendors are demonstrating their PDM products on the market. At the same time, as the backbone of CE/CIMS, the PDM technology has caused academic concerns and has been regarded as the key to solving the problem of realizing CE/CIMS technology. Moreover, different ideas are being discussed. The author wants to present a new view of the PDM and its realization: the combination of the PDM and the Web. For this view, the author gives a specific method as to how to realize a PDM based on the Web.

PDM Moves to the Mainstream

Product data management (PDM) has proven its value as a critical tool in handling the enormous amounts of technical information companies generate. Now the PDM industry is applying this experience to more affordable systems targeted at smaller organizations. Several suppliers have entered the market with economical approaches aimed specifically at midsized companies. Many companies use PDM to eliminate inefficiencies in the engineering change process. Diebold, Inc. reduced engineering change cycle time by 30 percent through process automation with PDM. IBM is using PDM technology in product development for sharing data among groups, designing tools tightly coupled with release and change processes, interfacing with procurement and other services, and establishing real-time communication of data across the enterprise. Engineers increasingly are using PDM viewing features to track subsystems. Virtual-mockup capabilities enable engineers to import all the parts files for a product designed in Solid Edge, regardless of computer-aided design (CAD) vendor or file format.

The product data management market

Clarifies issues relating to product data management (PDM) since a survey of 600 European manufacturing company managers placed it at the top of the list for computer technology investment. Discusses the acceleration in PDM technology since 1993. Highlights the key differences between PDM and other computer‐aided technologies.