Starting down the path of implementing PLM solutions may at first seem like a daunting task, but your opinion may change after speaking with one of our sales specialists.
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Aerospace and Defense companies face massive data management challenges that may extend over a 50-year product lifecycle. An enterprise data management initiative is fundamentally a lifecycle strategy for integrating, controlling and managing all of the intellectual property that defines – from both the physical and functional perspectives – all aspects of an aerospace system, platform or product. It aims to bring all relevant information together in a very structured and highly secure way at the data model level, enabling stakeholders across the value chain to access the information they need to make informed decisions.
In the area of 3-D simulation, one complete mock-up of a new airplane could require several terabytes of data including well over a million part positions in order to provide a complete 360-degree view of the product. To share information on this magnitude requires a powerful data management infrastructure with seamless connectivity among disparate systems and data formats. In addition, this infrastructure must be highly secure and scale to meet new requirements. Few aerospace and defense support systems can simultaneously support more than 20,000 users, yet today’s value chains may need to support twice that number.
To quickly ramp up to volume production with desirable yields and the right price points, companies need to address the following within an enterprise data management initiative:
Provide a single, highly secure master source of all configuration management data to support rapid and fully informed decision making. This requires integrating and managing all of the information and knowledge that defines the physical functions of the finished product. When the product includes future service and support initiatives for a fleet of diverse and dispersed aircraft, the data management challenge is magnified.
To support this effort, companies need information-technology support systems robust enough to handle all the right data elements – for example, a history of all the molded plastics required for the interior of an aircraft. Advanced PLM solutions can provide designers with both vertical searches – e.g., search the total build of one airplane – and horizontal searches – e.g., look at all hydraulic systems in a class of aircraft.
Link data with processes across the lifecycle. This includes managing all pertinent knowledge relating to product, structure, master model or bill of materials (BOM). It also includes continuing data management throughout aftermarket and maintenance. Fully inform decision makers about trade-offs and available options.
Product change management – All changes to both the physical and functional aspects of the product must be tracked and evaluated across disciplines and throughout the value chain. In addition, the process of gathering timely information to support regulatory compliance should be automatic.
Process change management – Manage all processes centering on product structure master models or BOM. Deliver the right information to the right personnel at the right time. A critical factor here is the ability to personalize key information for users so that they see only what is relevant to getting the job done. Since all irrelevant information is filtered out, productivity improves. Likewise, security issues are minimized.
Establish the right relationships among all data elements (including 3-D data) to ensure that decision support and knowledge management tools are able to quickly find and contextualize relevant product data that could reside in multiple BOMs. Establish mechanisms to consolidate and contextualize BOM data so that all users work from a single version of the truth.
