PLM management and process consulting

Product lifecycle management (PLM) is of strategic importance for the digital transformation and the successful implementation of new, service-oriented business models. This is something that companies must take into consideration when defining their PLM strategy, updating their IT infrastructure and optimizing their PLM processes. Take advantage of our PLM experts' wide-ranging consulting and process know-how.

Future viability of PLM solutions

Openness and scalability are essential when it comes to the future viability of PLM solutions, which have to be able to deal with new and changing requirements. As vendor-neutral consultants, we are in a position to provide an overview of the PLM market as a whole and we maintain good contacts to the major system vendors. We help you select a system – using benchmarks for example – and thus enable you to ensure the future viability of your PLM solution.

Harmonizing the PLM infrastructure

Your PLM strategy should be geared to your company's goals and identify the areas of activity that offer the greatest potential benefits. Using an analysis of the current situation as a starting point, we work together with you to define a robust strategy and the roadmap for its implementation. We use standardized methods to gather information about your IT architecture and develop a PLM infrastructure that takes account of organizational structures and process requirements.

Optimizing PLM processes

Heterogeneous and error-prone PLM processes make it difficult for many companies to deploy their globally distributed resources more efficiently. Standardizing these processes is a prerequisite for cutting lead times. The consultants from PROSTEP analyze your process landscape, identify deviations between current and target processes and draw up proposals for uniform, enterprise-wide processes. We also provide you with support for digitalizing your processes.

Systems engineering

The development of complex, cybertronic products and systems, which include increasing amounts electronics and software and are interlinked with other systems, gives rise to more complex processes and a growing need for harmonization between disciplines. Systems engineering is a systematic approach to making this complexity easier to manage and validating digital products quickly and efficiently. PROSTEP helps you break down the boundaries between disciplines, processes and systems with the aid of systems engineering and improve the integration of your product development activities.

PLM project audits

The question of to what extent a PLM solution is based on standards and thus meets quality requirements relating to product documentation often arises during the course of quality management initiatives. PROSTEP helps you perform PLM project audits, which provide an important basis for meeting these requirements. Would you like to learn more?

Complexity management

Would you like to make the increasing complexity of your products and business processes easier to manage? We help you analyze the interdependencies between products, processes, organization and methods and make the analysis tools you need available to you from our extensive methods toolkit. Would you like to learn more?

Enterprise architecture management

Would you like to continuously improve your technical PLM infrastructure and adapt it to current business demands? Our consultants help you to systematically document your infrastructure and plan changes using enterprise architecture management methods. Would you like to learn more? 

Introduction of the V model

Would you like to restructure your organization in a way that is geared to the interdisciplinary development of complex mechatronic or cybertronic products? We help you analyze your product development process and identify a solution that will allow you to successfully introduce systems engineering based on the V model for the development of complex products with software, electronic and mechanical components.

PLM methods and concepts

BOM management, variant and configuration management, and engineering change management provide the basis for consistent product structures throughout the entire product lifecycle. PROSTEP has the methods expertise required to provide you with effective support when structuring your products. Would you like to learn more?

Systems lifecycle management

Your products are evolving into systems. Are you faced with the task of systematically recording and validating the many different requirements? Do your development departments need a uniform product model in order to employ an agile approach to work? We analyze your existing PLM infrastructure and develop, together with you, a strategy for successfully introducing system lifecycle management.

  • Evaluation of PLM strategy and PLM infrastructure
  • Suggestions for alternative PLM architectures
  • Validation through comparison with the PLM infrastructures of comparable companies
  • Decision documents for strategic planning by company management
  • Development concept for introducing or extending PLM solutions
  • Conceptual planning of changes to the IT infrastructure in the specialist departments
  • Road map for implementing conceptual planning
  • Criteria catalog for PLM system selection
  • Creation of functional specifications for the request for quotes
  • Execution of a PLM benchmark
  • Cost estimates/ROI analysis based on our many years of experience
  • Rollout planning and transfer to a procedural model for PLM implementation
  • Systems engineering process assessment (SEPA)
  • Development of a strategy for systems lifecycle management