PLM Overview
PLM manages the lifecycle of product designs — from initial concept through engineering changes, version control, and end-of-life. It connects with Manufacturing via Bills of Materials.
What PLM does
PLM adds version control and change management to your Bills of Materials and products. Every change to a BoM goes through an Engineering Change Order (ECO) — a formal review and approval process before the change takes effect in production. This prevents unauthorised BoM changes and maintains a complete history of product revisions.
Key concepts
ECO (Engineering Change Order): a formal request to change a product's BoM, routing, or specifications. ECO Type: a category of change — e.g. Design Change, Cost Reduction, Quality Improvement. Stage: the approval steps an ECO must pass through. Version: each approved BoM change creates a new version number for traceability.