Software teams use control systems to manage large numbers of engineers working in parallel to break down and solve tough engineering problems quickly. These systems minimize lost work and accelerate the merging of different pieces of code. But somehow hardware engineers have missed this boat. Up to 70% of CAD users don’t use a commercial PDM system to manage their CAD files. They get by with shared file systems and ad hoc processes to manage their data. Why? It’s because PDM systems are expensive, difficult to deploy and difficult to maintain.
It’s hard to get multiple people working on the same thing at the same time. Whether you’re cooking a meal, building a house, writing software, or designing a car, it’s too easy for people to get in each other’s way. Most disciplines have developed tools to avoid the perils of parallel workers. Every serious software team uses a source code control system of some sort, which enables multiple engineers to “check out” portions of the code and then “check it in” safely, avoiding the risk that two engineers spend a day working on the same code and then have a fist-fight when they realize that someone’s work was wasted.
What could possibly be so bad about current PDM solutions that 70% of engineers avoid them?
Cost and complexity.
Selecting and setting up PDM
First you need to select and purchase a PDM solution - a large upfront cost since most PDM systems are sold in a traditional “perpetual license” model. Then the software needs to be installed, which usually requires an IT administrator and sometimes requires teams of consultants. Add in the cost of a server and the normal data center considerations like rack space, power and air conditioning.
You’re already in the tens of thousands of dollars for a small company.
Getting started with PDM
Next you need a data migration project to move existing files and data to the new PDM system. CAD engineers will need to be trained to use the new system. Along the way many engineers discover that a PDM system’s complex rules slow down their work, so they don’t use or actively work around the system.
Ongoing PDM maintenance
The costs don’t end once the system is up and running - there are ongoing costs like backing up data, installing patches and new releases. Policies will need to be developed for upgrading the CAD system and PDM system - believe it or not, there are PDM systems that only work with one major release of CAD software from the same vendor.
So you’re facing large upfront costs as well as an increasingly complex IT and engineering system. Plus in many cases you’re managing a simmering rebellion among the engineers, who can no longer work from home, share models with vendors, or access models while at a customer site.
And now you can see why only 30% of users have undertaken the journey to a commercial PDM system. Furthermore, these organizations are generally larger companies with existing IT infrastructure and processes. For small companies, it’s an impossible task. So they labor on with spreadsheets, emails and multiple versions of CAD files, longing for a better way.
Fortunately the world is changing. Stay tuned.
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