Who needs PLM standards?

Standards are very important in everyday life – there’s no doubt about that. So it comes as no surprise that the talk about PLM standards has become a frequent topic nowadays among both PLM vendors and users. Ultimately, this question only makes sense as if you have two systems, you definitely need them to match in one very important thing – the way they store data. Otherwise, the sharing and exchange of data might become a complete nightmare. Because systems need to support each other when you want to change data representation in one or the other, it would be beneficial if you were to learn some additional things about the standards for PLM. 

And who better to give you all the guidelines you need than we here at Frontech Solutions EU? Our team is dedicated to creating individual yet up-to-standards PLM solutions that will completely change the face of your business. Sometimes, even the most complicated tasks become as easy as ABC, but only if you have the right PLM software working for the wellbeing of your entire business.

The conflict that accompanies PLM standards

Usually, standards are considered to be a good thing. If you live up to the professional standards then you are thought of as a decent and most likely successful company. Here’s the catch – the product development activity is different for every company. That’s why flexible PLM solutions are thought of as mandatory for a successful project nowadays. This has become such a common practice that it’s no wonder that flexible PLM solutions for plant facility or the fashion industry or any other industry have been on the rise. But what happens when some critical business process has to depend on a standard? That’s when the benefits of flexible PLM solutions end and the drawbacks begin.

The difficulty behind a set of standards

Do you want to modernize your business processes by using PLM? Great! Now all you have to do is find a company that provides top-notch PLM solutions. And that’s the thing about companies – they all have something different to offer. But with standards in place, all PLM vendors would have to coordinate data management development with other companies.

Realistically speaking, this could bring many negative sides to the industry, such as the prevention of future development and expansion. We are thaught to think that innovation is always a good thing, and that certainly applies to many spheres in life. But this isn’t the only downside that accompanies PLM standards. There are two other very important things that would most likely happen if the PLM vendors become forced to abide by the standards!

• The loss of time. It would take a lot of time to agree on what the standards should be like in the first place.
• The standards could become obsolete easily. Who is to say that the standards won’t have to change a day after all the PLM vendors agree on them? That brings us to an even bigger loss of time.

Does PLM have standards in the present moment?

We are talking about incorporating standards for PLM vendors in the future. But who is to say that they aren’t already operating guided by a particular set of them? For starters, all big PLM vendors are using SQL databases in production. They allow you to extract data from your PLM system and use it for your other business processes. And this feature is only one of the ways to extract more business value from PLM.

If you are ever in doubt about how PLM software works and what are its benefits, feel free to schedule a consultation with our team. We will be more than happy to explain to you the way our solutions work and exactly what they can do for your business. There’s one thing you have to remember – PLM seems to be shaping the future one company at a time. And you definitely don’t want to be left behind your competition.

What about the good things? Do they exist?

We have briefly talked about the negative sides of integrating standards for PLM vendors. But there has to be something good about it, right? Otherwise, they wouldn’t be occupying such a focal place in many summits and conferences. The truth is that if PLM vendors were to agree on a set of standards, that would eliminate the problem of system interoperability and information silos would disappear. But remember – all of this is true only if PLM vendors agree on the standards without too much debate. Otherwise, the downsides outweigh the benefits and that’s never a good situation.

Who can benefit from PLM standards?

And now to answer the burning question – who needs standards? When you put the current PLM business in perspective, PLM users seem to benefit the most from standards. After all, it’s the vendors’ problem to support standards – the customers are there to reap the benefits. But as it turns out, emerging PLM vendors could also be on the receiving end of the stick. That will allow them to interact with already established PLM companies which might be good for the industry in the long run. After all, there’s nothing better than a bit of friendly competition.

The good news is that if you are in need of a good PLM solution, all you have to do is turn to us. We here at Frontech Solutions EU have dedicated all of our time to creating the best software for your business. With our system in place, your business will suffer from fewer errors and will witness an increase in productivity. Sounds great? Then don’t hesitate to give us a call!