Lean Approach to Product Life Cycle Management

E­ffective product life cycle management is vital for remaining competitive. Sovelia provides a lean approach to achieve this.

Lifespans of companies on the S&P 500 Index has narrowed from 61 years in 1958 to 18 years today, according to an Innosight study. The study suggests that companies must embrace innovation and lean management principles to survive in today’s world.

Cad-Q is a key technological vendor in the Nordic market that helps customers to avoid idea obsoletion. It offers a Product Life Cycle Management (PLM) software called Sovelia.

“Sovelia improves the quality and consistency of data available within an organization in order to eliminate processes that do not add overall value to the ideas, projects or products”, says Mikko Viertola, Business Area Manager for PLM.

Cross-functional management

Complete information related to ideas, projects or products, usually birthed in the Engineering Department, can be captured by Sovelia, making it available cross-functionally across the organization right up to the sales, production and after-sales departments.

“Ensuring that product information is flowing consistently between all departments using product data, in itself represents a huge cost saving potential.” Viertola says.

In addition feedback from the customers and organization alike would be captured in SOVELIA. Thus, Sovelia allows Nordic organizations to enhance their productivity and efficiency and thereby better compete with low cost products from the emerging markets.

Fits existing IT environment

Sovelia is designed to work effectively alongside existing CAD and ERP systems within organizations.  Sovelia integrates into CAD environment providing the companies to better benefit the product information created in design processes. In Sovelia the product information is further developed to meet the requirements set in the business processes. Sovelia ensures the quality and consistency of the product formation released to ERP systems.

ERP systems essentially use approved and released information for products that are currently produced and sold. In contrast, Sovelia can also capture detailed information related to developed as well as seed ideas, projects or products, including drawings and 3D models. Information at a stage too early to be released through the organizations' ERP systems can then be made available via Sovelia to relevant internal and external parties. Sovelia also manages the information of the delivered units providing after sales and service operations with detailed product information essential for their operations.

Effective implementation

Sovelia offers a variety of templates that minimize errors and speed up implementation of pre-defined processes and best practices. It is suited to a variety of industries, including oil and gas.

“We have over 20 years of experience in the PLM market and our solutions including Sovelia have been developed together with our customers,” Viertola concludes.