In the dynamic landscape of manufacturing and automotive production, the effective integration of PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems plays a crucial role. We explore our integration experience on PLM systems (with particular focus on PTC WindChill) and SAP, outlining benefits, challenges, and implemented solutions. 

Our Integration Experience

The basis of our approach is the adoption of the PLM system as the “master.” During the design phase, we transfer key data such as material master data, change numbers, bill of materials, and production cycles from PLM to SAP, facilitating smoother management of the manufacturing process. 

Data Flow

Once design is complete, objects migrate to SAP for logistics and production management. Simultaneously, we develop interfaces for transferring material costs from ERP to PLM, contributing to accuracy in product costing at the design stage. 

Tangible Benefits

Integration offers obvious benefits, including: 

• elimination of manual tasks on the ERP 
• creation of objects on the ERP system only at actual industrialization  
• data consistency between PLM and ERP 

Addressing Critical Issues

We recognize the challenges, particularly the complexity in defining master data in SAP. We solve this with solutions designed to manage such information by inhibiting the user from updating data in SAP, whose master is PLM. We also address the criticality of initial data capture by performing proper identification of information to be reported to PLM and targeted testing. 

Conclusions and Future Perspectives

Our experience shows that PLM/ERP integration is critical to improving operational efficiency in the manufacturing and automotive industries. Looking ahead, we will continue to develop innovative solutions to address emerging challenges and ensure optimal product lifecycle management. 

For more details about our experience and implemented solutions, please feel free to contact us.