PLM or ERP?
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Special contributors: EDS PLM Solutions China Manager Zhao Min
2003-10-9
China computer users
PLM is a relatively fashionable concept. When people are still dizziness in the concept of ERP, there is such a stuff, and it is even more unclear whether there is a PLM, it is really engaged. The company is difficult to see, see if there is a clear understanding of these two concepts.
When the voice of corporate informationization is increasing, some of the most often hear is: "ERP is the best management model today", "ERP contains all the features of CRM, SCM or even PLM", "Enterprise Informationization is Upper ERP. Is the fact now? PLM and ERP are two enterprise information systems that help companies improve production efficiency, but how to properly select and deploy them is not easy. During the construction of enterprise information, people often confuse PLM with ERP, can't understand the differences between the two systems and the relationship between each other, so that they have leaving the detour.
A new trend in the industry is that ERP manufacturers are providing and enrich their PLM function, and they have tried to join the PLM's field to divide a spoon. Is the PLM solution provided by the ERP manufacturer and the PLM solution provided by the professional PLM manufacturer?
ERP, SCM, CRM, and PLM are all organic components of enterprise informationization. In the selection process, it is necessary to configure the subject matter, reasonable configuration, and may not be scrapped for the actual situation of the company.
Several major camps in the PLM field
In the past few years, as the manufacturer begins to incorporate the workflow into the PLM system, the significant role of PLM is gradually reflected. PLM forms a very huge market with a tempting value space, attracting the purpose of software manufacturers. At the same time, the growth process of ERP market hysteresis causes ERP vendors to try to extend their products by adding software functions, and most of them have clearly entered the field of SCM and CRM. At the same time, PLM also mentioned their agenda. SAP first adds PLM to its product range; BaAN and Oracle have also developed some of the PLM applications; other neutral software vendors are also eager to try.
So, several major camps in the PLM field have been formed:
With CAD / PDM as the core business and traditionally successfully integrated ERP PLM professional manufacturers, such as: EDS, Daso and other companies. They have a long history in PLM. With geometric modeling tools and product data management assets, these systems are stronger in the industry and areas of product design. These software vendors are expanding their PLM capabilities on a geometry, improving accessibility and availability of these rich design information to drive business decisions.
Developed PLM functionality with ERP as the core business. Throughout these manufacturers' PLM history, such as SAP, Baan and Oracle, etc., long-term work is to work with resource management and use of BOM tables, using organized information to process things, currently by joining visualization functions and online meetings Function is transitioned to more synergistic aspects. Although the ability is not strong in geometric innovation, they are equipped with a set of solutions for the process manufacturing industry.
Providing neutral vendors for a single product, such as Agile Software, MatrixOne, etc., their roles are mainly between the CAD-centric and ERP-centric manufacturers. They emphasize their own CAD neutrality to integrate a variety of CAD and ERP systems.
This situation leads to the company's CIOs, and it is more difficult to review their IT investment. I don't know if I put into PLM? Still put in ERP? Or is it invested to "PLM" provided by ERP? Or nesting manufacturers better? What is the difference between this PLM and the PLM? Due to historical reasons, most companies have or being implementing the ERP system, so the issues that often propose are: "Can my ERP manufacturers also give all PLMs I want?" In most cases, The answer to this question is: "It is impossible!" "" ERP system will not meet all PLM needs of the emphasized innovative manufacturer "- this is the conclusion made by AMR Research Company MICHAEL BURKETT.
PLM with the boundary line of ERP
Traditionally, the ERP system has been successfully successfully achieved by tracking and maintaining business accounts in the downstream of the product lifecycle, has achieved success in the heavy matter of handling environment, exhibiting better control. The upstream with this process section is designed. The design is the best embodiment of creativity, and the design modification will directly affect the downstream process. Thus, the upstream creativity and the downstream control have annence connection and contradiction, and form a divided line of the PLM system and the ERP system.
For a PLM activity process, controlling capabilities and creativity are so important, and it is the two important core competitiveness that companies must pursue. For ERP and the choice of PLM systems, the contradictions marking control capabilities and creativity have come. So what is control and creativity?
Control --ERP is driven by the management visibility needs and controls corporate activities that have affected financial impact, such as cost reporting, resource management, procurement, data analysis, decision support, and monitoring of a project plan. These structured data worlds are more suitable for ERP. ERP performs excellent performance in project management, document control and reading, workflow, supply chain management, and customer service, all of which are associated with an integrated BOM table.
Creativity - the most critical factor in a fast innovative environment. PLM requires the research and development of products, focusing on the quick design iteration, understanding customer needs, manufacturing, supply chain, and product support. The goal is to accelerate the speed of profitability, promote innovation in both products and processes. This is a world with different types, complex, non-organizable data. For example, a three-dimensional modeling map may value thousands of words. Use a three-dimensional geometric model to accelerate design decisions and assess design effects in the downstream process, which is a key ability that cannot be implemented in the "PLM" of ERP vendors.
In short, ERP is a system that controls money ("save money"), and PLM is a system that creates money ("life").
Obviously, there is a large gap that needs to be filled between the control power represented by ERP and the creativity represented by PLM. Existing ERP manufacturers need to bridge the gap from control to creativity, even if ERP has a product like PLM, and does not mean that it has become a professional PLM manufacturer, such as SAP's PLM's connotation EDS's professional PLM connotation is in nature.
At the same time, 3D CAD software manufacturers need to strengthen the support of information integration downstream of the product lifecycle, better maintenance of those non-organized data, and improve their control through the system's functional extension. In the end, there will be some majors, which have surpassed the PLM manufacturers of the shape and management process stand out, filled with the gap between the creativity and control of the PLM.
People must be soberly recognized:
ERP has never been seen in the future, and it will not provide the function of CAD-centric PLM system. The PLM provided by the ERP manufacturer is actually a functionally extending in the ERP system perspective, which is limited PLM, which is not all the features covered by the professional PLM system. Similarly, in a professional PLM system, there will be no manufacturers to provide typical ERP, such as financial management, material supply, workshop statement, etc. The best choice for current industry users is still in the system integration, strengthening the openness of the two types of systems and improves interoperability between two types of systems to get an applicable, powerful PLM environment. Manufacturing company's choice
In manufacturing enterprises, the needs of sharing product information is different: people engaged in procurement with those who have very different information needs in the R & D department, service department or in the workshop. They all have the needs of product information, but they consider information about information. It is very different.
Therefore, based on completely different system design purposes, the ERP system is impossible to "include" and "alternative" PLM systems, which is not possible for at least a few years. Even the famous ERP vendors such as SAP, in order to meet the needs of customers, the needs of PLMs, and experienced the painful integration of ERP and R & D systems for many years, it can only develop a system called "MySAP PLM", making BOM Management from the manufacturing stage downstream of the product lifecycle, it is a big step toward the upstream. Even so,
The SAP PLM is still in the heart of the BOM, and the engineering BOM is still freely outside its PLM system jurisdiction. For integrated CAD systems, there is no discussion.
In any case, ERP adds new features, indicating that competition between PLM professional manufacturers and new ERP competitors is beginning to happen. Leaders of PLM professional manufacturers are EDS from technology and market share, and the leaders of ERP manufacturers are obviously SAP.
In short, is it to choose ERP or PLM? It is necessary to decide according to the specific situation of the company itself.
