Abstract
Today, a mechanical engineer’s biggest task is to make products within a short span of time while maintaining quality and reducing cost. Latest technologies like PDM contribute towards this. Product Data Management (PDM) is a software system that manages product data and the product development process involving that data. PDM allows companies to securely store, share, modify and track their most valuable asset- product content- while streamlining their product development processes.

PDM should maximize the time-to-market benefits of concurrent engineering while maintaining control of data. It should also distribute data automatically to the people who need it when they need it. In PDM systems, master data is stored (only once) in a secure “vault” where its integrity can be assured. They help in instant delivery of information, speeding up tasks. A PDM system allows creation and maintenance of multiple revisions and versions of any design in the database. Collaborative PDM systems offer CAD management, ERP integration and Supply Chain Management.

Today, PDM is one of the fastest growing technologies in the engineering-manufacturing market, with some form of the technology being implemented in a range of industries including automotive, aerospace, office equipment, industrial machinery, sports equipment, agricultural machinery, and construction equipment.

Author Ravindranadh Vetsa

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