Category: Cloud

Document management in Cloud PLM systems

Optimized processes, security, and global collaboration in the product lifecycle

How can companies efficiently manage their data and documents? How can they provide information across departments, locations, and organizations?

Even in individual projects, the number of documents quickly grows into the hundreds or thousands. Managing this data on network drives or email systems leads to bottlenecks in the face of the complexity of product development. Companies need a document logistics system that creates clarity and fosters teamwork.

Software for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is ideal for this task. Cloud-based systems, in particular, make document management more efficient by integrating all workflows and information throughout the entire product lifecycle. In this blog post, we explore how Cloud PLM systems simplify document management.

What are the benefits of cloud-based document storage?

Managing documents via the cloud offers two significant advantages:

Firstly, it promotes global real-time collaboration. Teams around the world can access legally binding documents and work on them together, significantly reducing development times.

Secondly, companies are not solely responsible for the security of their systems. Cloud providers must undergo rigorous certifications and audits, meeting the highest security standards. Sensitive information is optimally protected through data encryption, access controls, and regular security updates. This also simplifies compliance with regulations such as ISO and GDPR for customers.

What are the advantages of document management in PLM systems?

1. Centralized data storage:
The document management feature allows for company-wide organization of documents, promoting teamwork and knowledge sharing. Product-relevant documents, such as CAD files, are managed in a central location, avoiding data redundancies and ensuring all departments have access to up-to-date information.

2. Version control and change tracking:
PLM systems enable document versioning, ensuring teams always work with the latest data, as every change is logged.

3. Workflow and approval processes:
Integrated workflows automate approval and release processes, speeding up decision-making and ensuring structured processes without manual intervention.

4. Access controls:
Access rights can be clearly defined and managed within a PLM system, ensuring only authorized individuals can access sensitive documents.

5. Compliance adherence:
PLM systems provide audit-proof storage to meet regulatory requirements and industry standards (e.g., ISO).

6. Integrated data and processes:
Document management is often closely linked to areas such as project management, quality control, or product development. PLM systems integrate all product-related processes for comprehensive management.

7. Cost savings and increased efficiency:
With document management functions, employees use their working time more effectively, reducing search times and avoiding errors caused by outdated information. Improved collaboration across teams lowers costs in the long term, while automated processes enable faster turnaround times.

What makes document management with CIM Database Cloud stand out?

The intelligent document logistics of CIM Database Cloud enables organizations to maintain clarity and enhance collaboration even in complex processes. A powerful full-text search speeds up document retrieval and simplifies access to vital information.

With seamless integration with Microsoft Office for the web™, employees can use familiar applications to create, edit, and share documents without separate storage. Files are managed in the Cloud PLM document storage, allowing multiple people to work on the same document simultaneously—without requiring local MS Office installations.

Conclusion

Cloud PLM systems offer a powerful, secure solution for document management. Features like version control, workflow automation, and robust security measures help manage documents efficiently. Companies minimize risks and ensure compliance while the cloud-based structure offers maximum flexibility—teams can collaborate anytime, anywhere.

Learn more about how CONTACT CIM Database Cloud can optimize your document management.

Data migration to Cloud PLM systems

Challenges and best practices for successful data migration 

More and more companies are adopting cloud-based PLM systems to streamline their product development processes. Whether they are already using an on-premises PLM system and want to switch to a cloud solution or implementing a Cloud PLM system for the first time, one of the biggest challenges is the smooth and secure data migration.
How can this data be reliably transferred to the new system? In this blog post, we examine the challenges and best practices for successful data migration to Cloud PLM systems and offer tips on ensuring a smooth transition without data loss.

What challenges arise during data migration to Cloud PLM systems?

Migrating data to Cloud PLM systems, obstacles can present hurdles that complicate and delay the entire process:

  1. Data quality and consistency
    Legacy data is often incomplete or inconsistent. Missing attributes, invalid values, or duplicate records can hinder the migration process. Particularly with CAD models, missing files or broken references may prevent models from being imported completely
  2. Data scope and complexity
    Depending on the scope and complexity of the data being transferred, the migration process can be very time-consuming. Large datasets, such as entire version histories of CAD data or multi-level BOMs, require significant computing resources and can slow down the migration.
  3. Structural differences between systems
    Data structures in the new Cloud PLM system may differ from those in your legacy system. Attributes, data fields, or relationships between records may be organized differently, requiring data transformation or restructuring before import.
  4. Technical challenges
    Migrating data to a Cloud system brings specific technical issues. For example, along with ensuring file format compatibility, sufficient network bandwidth and data transfer rates must be guaranteed.
  5. Security and compliance requirements
    Strict security and compliance regulations must be followed when transferring sensitive data to the Cloud. Data must be encrypted during transport and storage, and data protection laws such as GDPR must be adhered to.

What key questions should you address before data migration?

Data migration is often underestimated, although it is one of the most critical tasks before a new PLM system goes live. You should address several key questions early to import your legacy data successfully.

First, determine which data objects will be transferred to the new system: Are you migrating CAD assemblies, parts and BOMs, office documents, or projects? It’s also essential to define the scope of the data: Do you want to migrate data from a specific project, a product, a specific company location, or the entire data archive?

You should also decide how much historical data you want to migrate. Do you want to transfer only the latest version or all versions, including the complete audit trail and engineering changes? These aspects are crucial as they influence the scope and complexity of the migration.

You should also carefully examine the content of the data itself. Consider whether all attribute values and CAD parameters are needed or if it’s sufficient to import only some of them. This is important to define which data should be stored in which objects and attributes in the target PLM system.

What makes data transfer with CIM Database Cloud so simple?

  1. User-friendly import tools
    The cloud-based PLM system CIM Database Cloud offers powerful, easy-to-use import tools specifically designed to simplify the migration process. They allow you a quick and efficient import of configuration data such as field selection values (e.g., dropdown fields), as well as PLM data such as CAD documents, parts, BOMs, office documents, projects, and requirement specifications.
  2. Support for various file formats
    CIM Database Cloud supports a wide range of file formats and data sources, making it easy to  import different data objects. These include Excel files, CAD formats, and the ReqIF format for requirement specifications.
  3. Automated validation processes
    CIM Database Cloud includes built-in validation mechanisms that help identify and correct potential errors during the import process. These functions automatically check whether the data is complete and consistent during import, contributing to high data quality.
  4. Iterative Migration Approach
    The platform supports an iterative migration approach, allowing you to import and test data step by step. This helps identify and resolve potential issues early on, without affecting the migration process. This approach reduces the risk of errors and accelerates data migration.
  5. Comprehensive Documentation and Support
    Alongside the migration process, CIM Database Cloud offers extensive documentation and tutorials. These contain clear instructions and examples on how to import and configure different data types. Additionally, customer success managers are available to assist if needed.

Conclusion

Data migration to cloud-based PLM systems is often fraught with many challenges. Successful data migration, therefore, requires careful planning, considering aspects such as data quality, scope, structural differences, and security requirements.
CIM Database Cloud enables you to efficiently migrate your PLM data and make your product development processes future-proof . With user-friendly import tools, support for various data formats, automated validation processes, and comprehensive documentation, companies can ensure the seamless and secure integration of their existing data. An iterative migration approach, combined with extensive preparation, minimizes risks and guarantees a smooth transition to the new system.

Five project management issues that software must solve in the industry

What can software accomplish in engineering projects? What typical project management problems do digital tools have to solve in industry? Which functions are required for this? And how can small and medium-sized companies manage digitalization in this area with relatively few resources? 

Project management software becomes essential

The requirements for product development are continuously increasing. This is driven by the growing share of electronics and software components, the high number of product variants, as well as new laws and compliance regulations. All of this inevitably impacts the complexity of engineering projects. Therefore, project management issues, particularly those affecting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), can no longer be resolved without digital support.

Which problems must software solve in engineering projects?

Digital tools for project management are abundant: from Excel spreadsheets and SharePoint to dedicated software solutions. However, SMEs in the industry often encounter limitations with these tools. This becomes apparent when examining five common problems that suppliers face in project management:

1. Lack of transparency

It is crucial for the success of industrial projects that everyone involved has access to up-to-date project and product data at any time. Such a data foundation requires software that can be connected to all data sources in the development organization (ERP, CAD, CAx, etc.) via interfaces. Project management tools without integrated data management cannot achieve this.

This leads to various problems. Project participants often work with isolated solutions that are used only in specific departments, locations, or companies. The resulting lack of interfaces forces team members to exchange information manually, for example, through emails or SharePoint.

This approach generates a lot of work. Data must be continually updated, which distracts employees from more important tasks. Additionally, they need to regularly exchange information about the current status of the data. It is also common for data to get lost among the multitude of emails so that it has to be requested manually.

All of this creates delays that negatively impact project progress, costs, productivity, and customer satisfaction.

2. Significant risk of manual errors

If project teams do not have access to a consistent data foundation, the risk of misunderstandings during data exchange increases. When product and project data have to be entered manually into documents or spreadsheets, it is only a matter of time before transfer errors occur.

In the industry, such errors can have serious consequences. For instance, a transposition error made by an engineer can affect ordering processes in procurement. Similarly, the design team might develop their designs based on incorrect or unclear product data.

Such mistakes are not just annoying. They jeopardize the success of the project, drive up project costs, and damage the company’s reputation with customers and partners.

3. Limited flexibility for spontaneous changes

In development projects, it is not uncommon for customers to spontaneously change the requirements for a product. This often creates chaos, especially in small and medium-sized companies. To implement these changes, close coordination with the customer’s interdisciplinary teams is essential. Furthermore, suppliers must optimally time their own supply chains and implement changes as quickly as possible.

Both skills require flexible processes and clean data handling. Project managers must be able to plan and implement necessary processes at short notice, even after the project has started. In addition, data statuses must be precisely documented and reconciled between the departments and companies involved.

Otherwise, changes become expensive and time-consuming. For example, today only a few suppliers still use prototype tools. Instead, due to tight project timelines, they immediately move to steel and iron. This approach is faster but creates significant difficulties in the event of changes, which could be avoided through greater flexibility.

4. Experience-based knowledge is not used systematically

Insights gained from a customer project are rarely incorporated into the planning and execution of subsequent orders. This often impacts costs. For example, factors that caused delays in working with customers or partners are not considered when preparing the next quote. As a result, expensive mistakes or misunderstandings frequently occur.

When companies do not systematically document insights and lessons learned – which is not possible with every project management tool – the dependency on individual employees increases. For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many experts left their companies due to poor order volumes. This loss of knowledge is particularly difficult for smaller businesses to compensate for in times of skilled labor shortages. In many companies, it still has an impact today.

5. New requirements due to laws and regulations

New laws and regulations bring numerous additional requirements for traditional industries. Many of them are aimed primarily at large companies. These, however, have to pass on specific requirements to their suppliers and partners.

Processes that companies have successfully used for decades no longer work under these circumstances. At the same time, suppliers lack the know-how and resources to adapt to the new conditions. For instance, customers are increasingly demanding that suppliers provide the carbon footprint of the parts they produce. This requires suitable processes and IT systems that companies must integrate alongside their day-to-day operations.

Laws and compliance requirements will continue to change the industry in the coming years. Those who ignore this trend risk losing their customers and, in the worst case, even face legal consequences.

What if companies ignore common mistakes in project management?

Project management software that is designed to meet the requirements of the industry must be able to solve these problems. If it doesn’t, project planning, management, and controlling will suffer, as will collaboration between project teams and external stakeholders. The results are

  • financial losses,
  • waste of resources,
  • delays,
  • unsatisfied customers,
  • loss of reputation,
  • frustrated employees,
  • internal tensions within the project team, and (in worst-case scenarios)
  • legal consequences.

Outlook

Many of the problems described in this article will become more pressing in the next few years. This is due to new laws and compliance requirements, but also the increasing use of new technologies. To address these issues, effective communication, efficient data exchange, integration of project and product data, and a high degree of standardization are essential. For this, you need software that not only offers project management functions but also includes PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) capabilities.

Our software CIM Database Cloud is such a solution. It is a powerful PLM tool that helps companies with product development as well as project management. The project management functions enable you to link schedules, tasks, and documents and support project managers in completing projects on time and budget. The cloud solution also makes it easier to connect globally distributed locations and implement laws and regulations.