Dissolving data silos in product development
Achieving a single source of truth by effective data management
Data silos complicate collaboration, reduce productivity, and limit innovation. From startups to established businesses, almost all companies struggle with such isolated databases. They unintentionally form around individual departments due to the use of different IT systems and tools. Since these systems are typically proprietary and manage and store data separate from each other, they significantly complicate cross-department data exchange.
The sluggish flow of information presents companies with growing challenges, especially when it comes to the collaboration between engineering and manufacturing teams. With increasing customer demands, compliance obligations, and environmental regulations as well as ever-shorter product cycles and times to market, data silos along the product development process become a considerable economic risk. In global competition, companies simply cannot afford inefficient processes, inconsistent data, and errors. Consequently, it is imperative to synchronize the information from design, manufacturing, and the subsequent processes in materials management at an early stage.
Many companies are aware of the problem but struggle to find a suitable solution to unlock the full potential of centralized and revision-proof data management. Our expert Dr. Patrick Mueller explains how you can break down data silos in your company and increase efficiency and quality in product development.
1. Mr. Mueller, what are the biggest obstacles for companies when it comes to creating a consistent database – from development and manufacturing all the way to disposal?
PM: The core competency of industrial companies lies primarily in the development, manufacturing, and maintenance of their products, not in the selection of digital tools. Company processes typically run in IT landscapes that have grown over time. Here, outdated systems for Product Data Management (PDM), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) meet an increasing number of different isolated solutions and technologies such as internet-based software services (for example, for team collaboration or external communication). The result is a complex, highly heterogeneous IT landscape with fragmented data storage that undermines every existing IT policy and compliance requirement. Not to mention the lack of scalability. Data must be transferred manually from one system to another. On top, countless makeshift spreadsheet solutions lead to version chaos. This results in errors, asynchronous document versions, and opaque processes. Reprocessing this data requires a lot of time and resources.
In addition to technical obstacles, there are also organizational barriers within companies, often rooted in corporate culture. Each department typically focuses only on its own world: they have their own goals, challenges, processes, and ways of working. This 'culture of isolation' also leads to separate data sets and has never been questioned until now. Using data collectively must be learned from scratch. This endeavor may naturally face resistance at one point or another.
2. How can companies overcome these obstacles?
PM: Consistency in information logistics is not a matter of course. Providing and accessing up-to- date data is crucial for innovation dynamics and delivering better products. Especially in the collaboration between Design Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering, friction often arises. If product development manages product designs in a CAD application and the associated bills of materials along with other important product information in a PLM system, but manufacturing stores product information and assembly instructions in a separate tool like an ERP system, the information gap can create significant problems. Either because potential changes or specific requirements are not taken into account, or because errors occur during manual synchronization. This leads to a considerable loss of time in production or, in the worst case, a product recall. Vice versa, the lack of integration of manufacturing and design data prevents insights and the optimization of the production process.
Professional cloud services (including the corresponding software services and IT operations) are increasingly viewed as a valid option for central digital data management and process management tasks. This applies to both large as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). While large companies often demand customized cloud solutions, the more suitable path for SMEs usually lies in highly standardized software, developed and harmonized according to proven best practice approaches.
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions can effectively assist companies in standardizing their data management, establishing resilience and reliability, and fully focusing on their core competencies. When they are based on technologies and system properties that are mature – or “steeled in business”, to use the language of mechanical engineers – they are a decisive factor in bringing together data from different sources, harmonizing it, and establishing a seamless data foundation. SaaS can provide PLM functionality, project management, and IoT for machine and device connectivity that is preconditioned and ready for integration. CAD or ERP integrations as well as interfaces to Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) can be realized through standards, making them easier to maintain and keeping costs transparent.
3. How long would it take to implement such a solution?
PM: When looking at the scope of services mentioned above, you might initially think of a complex implementation. But the major advantage of SaaS is that such offerings are readily available from the cloud “at the push of a button” in self-service. Companies no longer have to worry about IT and hardware. Maintenance, updates, and backups are carried out automatically in the background. Complete business systems are available within minutes. We provide our customers with tools that make system integration and populating these
systems with data as easy as possible. The functionality of our SaaS PLM offering is consolidated and was optimized through the feedback of countless users. Tutorials and e- learning programs are available to help users quickly familiarize themselves with the application.
4. Can SaaS PLM software be seamlessly integrated with ERP systems?
PM: Interfaces to other systems and tools are essential for dissolving data silos. For this purpose, our SaaS PLM software, CIM Database Cloud, offers a seamless out-of-the-box integration with CAD and ERP systems. CONTACT's Workspaces Desktop allows to directly link CAD systems with CIM Database Cloud. Standards for data exchange, such as REST, ensure connectivity with other data management systems. This enables users to effortlessly integrate devices into our SaaS PLM solution through no-code and low-code methods in self-service, without requiring any programming skills.
5. Is there anything else to consider, any additional tips?
PM: For smooth data exchange to succeed, companies need to incorporate the strength of collaboration more deeply into their corporate culture. An open communication and the implementation of a data management strategy, or Data Governance, actively counteract data silos. This ensures that requirements are understood and met so that the end product meets the customer needs. Streamlined SaaS PLM software provides the necessary leeway to raise awareness and educate all employees on the topic of data use. Companies should also make sure that SaaS providers offer comprehensive support, for example, in the form of a customer portal with corresponding e- learning programs, webcasts, forums for exchange and discussion, and complete software documentation.
Take advantage of cloud-based PLM software now: CIM Database Cloud is the solution for end-to-end digital product development. With “Accelerate”, you speed up your processes through system integration and seamless information exchange.
