Distribution and integration of PDM data across systems in the new product development process

Abstract

The new product development process (NPD) is one crucial factor for the success of enterprises. Long before the first instance of a new product can be produced and sold, the development process determines the functionality, design and price of a product to be placed on the markets. Today, the product development process is supported by IT systems. Product Data Management (PDM) tools are used to manage the relevant data and processes. Contemporary PDM systems support a lot of different, PDM-related data types and systems that create and use the data. Besides the PDM systems, there are other, more specialized systems which hold additional artifacts to be used in the NPD. This leads to the requirement to integrate those systems and to provide access to their data through the PDM system. This article focuses on the role of PDM data and PDM Systems in the NPD. The integration of data and processes in the NPD will be explained and case studies will be provided. © Springer-Verlag London 2013.