THE HISTORY OF PLM:
From Paper to the Cloud
Explore the evolution of product lifecycle management (PLM),
from its origin as a paper-based system to today’s cloud-based
SaaS platform that is essential for business success.
1931 Otto Kleppner, founder of a New York advertising agency, conceptualizes a precursor
to the product lifecycle in which products go through three stages: pioneering,
competitive, and retentive.1
1950 Concept of “configuration management” is introduced by the U.S. Department
of Defense as a paper-based system for documenting and tracking how
products are configured. 2
1966 American economist Raymond Vernon publishes “International Investment and
International Trade in the Product Cycle.” In this article he theorizes the product
lifecycle to include the following stages: introduction, growth, maturity,
Date
saturation, and decline. 3
Time
1969 Software company United Computing (later known as Unigraphics) releases UNIAPT,
one of the world’s first commercially available computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)
products. CAM soon becomes a complementary tool to computer-aided design (CAD).
1970 U.S. military issues standards (i.e., “MIL-STD”) on how government contractors should
use configuration management. With a focus on management, quality, and
interoperability, these standards eventually become one of the key drivers for PLM.
1979 Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston introduce the first electronic spreadsheet program
called VisiCalc. Spreadsheets are eventually adopted as a tool for manufacturing
to manage bills of materials (BOMs) for engineering and manufacturing. 4
Early • CATIA, a multi-platform computer-aided design (CAD) software, is introduced. 5
1980s CAD is adopted as a standard tool to help engineering teams create
product designs.
• Product data management (PDM) systems are developed to accommodate CAD,
as the volume and versions of CAD become difficult to manage.6
• Unigraphics, a division of McDonnell Douglas, merges CAD and PDM systems
to develop a computer-based PLM solution. 6
1985 American Motors Corporation first uses PLM to accelerate production of their
vehicles, notably the Jeep ® Grand Cherokee.7
1992 Jeep ® Grand Cherokee is the first recorded product built using a process
called “product lifecycle management.”6
2000 The first multi-tenant Cloud PLM solution, BOMControl, is introduced by Bom.com
which later becomes known as Arena Solutions.6
Mechanical
Electrical
Today Extending the Boundaries of Traditional PLM
Software Arena, now a PTC Business, continues to extend the traditional boundaries of PLM.
People Today’s SaaS platform includes advanced quality, compliance, engineering, and
integration processes that connect internal teams and supply chain partners to
BOMs
Drawings improve quality, reduce costs, and speed new product development (NPD).
Files
Extended
Processes
Future Digital Transformation
The rise of smart, connected products gives way to the next generation of PLM which
leverages IoT data to gather greater insights across the entire product lifecycle—from
product usage and performance to product maintenance and repair.
References
1. Kleppner O., Advertising procedure. 1925: p 5.
2. Otero F., A guide to configuration management. CIOReview.
3. Vernon, R. International investment and international trade in the product cycle.
The Quarterly Journal of Economics. 1966; 80 (2): 90-207.
4. Levy, S. A spreadsheet way of knowledge. Wired. 2014, October 24.
5. Weisburg, D. The engineering design revolution. 2008. July 27.
6. Spiegel, R. A brief history of PLM. DesignNews. 2017. July 4.
7. Segal, T. Product lifecycle management (PLM). Investopedia. 2019. July 5.
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