How PDMs stack up

Jerry Waxler
Director of Technical Communications.
Synergis Software
Quakertown, Pa.

Flexible midlevel PDM systems such as Synergis Adept support multiple 2D and 3D CAD platforms right out of the box.

One aspect of security deals with creating groups of users and assigning them access to special sets of documents.

Once groups or teams are created, it's easy for managers to grant permission for editing, viewing, checking and moving documents.

Engineering departments are the center of manufacturing organizations. At ever-increasing speeds, they must design products, upgrade and fix problems, and send jobs out for bid. Of course, engineering drawings and models are the focus of each activity. To improve productivity, it is critical to manage documents as effectively as possible. Manual methods have predominated, but when people handle paper, they are prone to losing documents, making mistakes in the BOM, and selecting wrong versions.

CAD systems generate mountains of information so a computer system should help manage the mountains. But which software is most appropriate? Dozens of document-management systems are available. How can a manager reduce the number of candidates to the few that make the most sense? One way sorts them into tiers.

In a nutshell, systems bundled with CAD programs occupy the low end, followed by midlevel systems from vendors not associated with a particular CAD system, and high-end systems can do anything at a cost. A closer look at the three levels show how systems stack up against each other.

LOW AND HIGH-END PDMS
PDM systems bundled with CAD software are affordable but have significant drawbacks. For instance, most do not handle file formats from other CAD vendors.

Low-end systems meet the minimal demands of the CAD environment, such as storing, retrieving, and organizing CAD drawings. Although designers may be satisfied with such systems, they do not address the organization's greater business needs. For example, they have little interdepartmental capability, so captured data often stays in its own isolated island. This reduces collaboration and forces technical staffs to do clerical work when outsiders want document copies.

Worse yet, such systems usually require each user to own a license of the CAD software. That means only engineers gain value from the document-management software. These systems typically do not include viewers, so unless a department has the originating software, teams can't view documents. Also, low-end software has no APIs for extended customization.

High-end systems, on the other extreme, offer a single source to manage all data required to manufacture parts and products. Unfortunately, high cost is a defining characteristic of these systems, and seat cost is only the beginning. Because of their enormous potential capability and flexibility, they come out of the box looking more like programmer toolkits than applications, and they require extensive programming just to get them up and running. An annual support contract alone could cost as much as the entire price of buying and implementing midlevel PDM.

The software can be so complex that training becomes disruptive and time consuming. And despite the high price, these systems are often so focused on the enterprise, they don't work as well as they should with different CAD programs. Finally, placing an entire infrastructure in the hands of a single vendor puts a company at the mercy of the vendor's policies and business health.

MIDLEVEL PDM
Midlevel document-management systems are intended for the rapid work-in-progress environment of design and engineering departments, so they contain features such as sign in and out, approval, redlining, and viewing. They work well with many CAD systems. In fact, software in this range is often more tightly integrated with engineering software than high-end systems.

Midlevel systems, include built-in viewers like their more expensive counterparts, however midlevel systems are more integrated with their supported CAD platforms. This is critical because it means users can view and, in most cases, redline a variety of document formats from one convenient interface without owning a license for the native software.

The reduced cost of user licenses is one way midrange systems trim costs. While high-end systems require expensive programming and other implementation services, midlevel systems have extensive out-of-the-box capabilities, and are easy to learn making departments more productive from day one. In addition, midlevel PDMs are less expensive to implement and manage, so they don't need day-to-day oversight by IT departments. The return on investment can be demonstrated in terms of months versus years.

While the main job of midlevel PDM is to manage documents, it also assists with collaboration, both within and outside the department. The systems can be extended beyond their out-of-the-box capability through custom programming.

Midlevel systems provide a central repository for data sharing and collaborating on designs. For example, they manage transmittals, give sales teams controlled access to as-built documents, and transfer information between engineering departments and back-office systems.

The PDM industry is moving so fast that what departments knew about it 2 to 5 years ago no longer applies. Affordable PDMs that did not meet a department's needs several years ago may seem like different products today. Midlevel systems can become the hub of interoperability and help make an organization more efficient and competitive.