PLM Software: An Asset for the Automotive Industry
The automotive industry is subject to intense competitive pressure and growing complexity, with a multiplication of models, integration of increasingly technical components, and ever-stricter quality and safety requirements.
To remain competitive, companies in the sector must coordinate numerous stakeholders and manage vast amounts of varied technical data.
PLM software then emerges as the solution to consider, thanks to its ability to centralize product information while integrating related processes.
Instead of multiplying scattered documents, PLM software provides a single, shared repository.
This simplifies work organization in the automotive sector as well as in other industries (railway, energy, etc.).
For more information on PLM software applications, read our dedicated article.
The Advantages of PLM Software in the Automotive Industry
Coordination and Multi-Team Collaboration
The development of a new vehicle model involves multiple professions.
PLM software offers collaboration tools to coordinate these teams, which are sometimes spread across different geographic sites.
For example, at the start of the project, managers can launch review workflows with key stage validations.
Exchanges then take place through this shared platform, avoiding critical information being dispersed.Later, during successive prototype iterations, each validated change in the system is automatically shared with other relevant departments.
This integrated collaboration prevents communication breakdowns typical of projects "managed the old-fashioned way" (via emails and spreadsheets).
Centralized Product Data Management
One of the major challenges in the automotive industry is the volume and variability of data.
Manufacturers handle thousands of 3D design files, often as many referenced components, and numerous related documents.PLM software serves as a single database for all these elements.
It records versions, variants, and links between objects (a part belongs to a group of parts, which belongs to a specific model).
Instead of copy-pasting files into folders or exchanging emails, all stakeholders access the same repository.
The risk of errors from working on outdated plans is thus significantly reduced.
In addition, advanced search features in a good PLM allow teams to quickly find components previously used in other projects.
This reuse speeds up design and reduces costs.
Reducing Time-to-Market
International competition and the rapid pace of technological change require companies to shorten time-to-market.
Integrating PLM software into the automotive industry can help shorten development cycles by avoiding downtime caused by lengthy manual validation loops.
Regulatory Compliance and Quality Control
The automotive sector is highly regulated.
PLM then becomes a valuable tool for demonstrating compliance with traceability requirements.
It automatically records every stage of a product’s lifecycle.
PLM Software: An Asset for the Automotive Industry… and Beyond
The effectiveness of PLM software is not limited to automotive.
The principle of unifying data and product processes also applies to various sectors: aerospace, luxury goods, medical, food industry...
Each sector has its own specific constraints (such as traceability in aviation or regulatory compliance in healthcare), but the core need for collaboration and information reuse remains the same.
Aletiq: A PLM Adaptable to Many Industries
In the PLM software market, several providers offer industry-oriented solutions.
Aletiq, a French publisher, offers 100% cloud-based software that is intuitive and adaptable to the business processes of the automotive industry.
With faster deployment than some other solutions on the market, Aletiq is a strong option to consider.
