It’s not uncommon that I get this question at least a couple of times a week… “Can your PDM or PLM system integrate with our __________________ software?” You fill in the blank…
I’m sure you can already predict the nature of that question. Typically, it’s centered around integration between the robust tools in SOLIDWORKS Manage PLM (Product Lifecycle Management), SOLIDWORKS PDM (Product Data Management), and how they may be able to transfer information to or from another business software. Often the “fill in the blank” is an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) or MRP (Material Requirements Planning) system that our customers may have in place already, and they would like their PDM or PLM software to communicate with it.
The trouble here is that this is a loaded question. My typical response to this is, “Most likely, yes, but what does integration mean to you?” My experience tells me that this answer will vary from person to person, company to company.
And while yes, it’s possible, in the vast majority of situations, “Yes” is really just the beginning of the discussion.
There is much more of a conversation to be had when we are pursuing any type of integration between these database-driven systems, and there are several ways to approach it. The process all needs to start by answering some important questions:
- What information do I need from either system?
- What are the requirements for how the data will get loaded?
- How automated do I want this data flow to be? (The answer to that is typically driven by the development costs of a solution.)
These are just a few examples of where the discussion begins.
What questions should I ask when I want to integrate PDM and PLM into my digital ecosystem?
This week, I was able to sit down with Rohan Sanyal, one of our Senior Enterprise Services Specialists to discuss some of the details of how to tackle this type of project. Rohan is one of our resident experts when it comes to SOLIDWORKS Manage and PDM implementation, and I knew from working with him in recent years, he’s been involved in some pretty interesting implementation projects. The good news is that SOLIDWORKS Manage can help facilitate integration, even with just the out-of-the-box tools provided with the application. Be sure to check out our PDM integration webinar to hear the whole conversation.
I hope this helps shed some light on where YOU would like to begin with your software integration efforts. Don’t forget, Hawk Ridge Systems is here to help. We’d love to discuss your questions around PDM and PLM integration, or any of your Design to Manufacturing needs.
