Consumers, analysts and product developers agree: the Internet of Things (IoT) not only represents the products that will define tomorrow's world, but in many ways is already a reality. IoT technology is already changing the way companies develop products, extract information from them and improve future products. But while IoT products are known as smart connected solutions, these Internet of Things 'things' cannot do it all on their own. Product lifecycle management (PLM) is a technology that will play a crucial role in the development, management, implementation and use of these products. But PLM technology still has some way to go before it is ready for this challenge.
Realising the potential of IoT
The combination of low-cost sensors and the increasing capacity of hard drives means that product developers can literally collect more data than they can use. The lack of the right tools to turn this data into practically applicable information keeps product developers from widely deploying this valuable IoT data.
Getting wise from mountains of operational data requires identifying deviations from expected values. Outliers need to be analysed so that one can identify why they occur and take appropriate action. However, the complex nature of the product development process does not make it easy to determine exactly what those expected values look like. PLM is designed to provide a grip on this complexity and manages inter-product variability: it oversees the different configurations of all products introduced to the market. PLM creates and manages the unique baseline values that define how each product configuration is developed and made operational. Consider, for example, expected operating conditions, user behaviour, product performance and maintenance planning. Knowledge of the expected values is the first step towards identifying and analysing outliers, making it crucial for IoT.
Every final configuration managed by PLM contains diverse product development data, such as information on parts, documentation, software versions and CAD visualisation. This data can be used as input to, and to improve, the IoT solutions themselves. A connection between the complete digital definition of a product in the PLM system and its physical counterpart or 'twin' in the field can provide information on expected product performance, such as the quality and reliability and usage KPIs of each product configuration, to support IoT data analysis. The PLM system could additionally enrich IoT solutions with valuable information from the different teams, such as visualisations, maintenance plans, predicted failure rates and software configurations.
Fulfilling the promise of PLM
With the rise of popular new technologies such as IoT, the importance of PLM is only increasing. Indeed, products need to be made suitable for IoT by equipping them with a complex system of electrical, mechanical and software components. PLM helps companies develop IoT products by providing the systematic processes, change management and workflows needed for effective collaboration between increasingly diverse teams (such as ECAD designers, system engineers and programmers). The technology notifies stakeholders of changes made by other teams that affect their work. PLM provides a completely accurate and up-to-date overview of product design and planning, including all electrical, mechanical and software components.
Unfortunately, PLM actually manages little or no product data related to the operational phase. And this is precisely the longest and perhaps most relevant phase for product development and maintenance. Information about the use of products in practice, such as operating conditions, performance and quality, remains largely inaccessible to product development teams and processes. As a result, there is hardly any systematic use of operational data to improve the product.
If PLM were to close the loop by harnessing IoT data captured in real time during product use, the entire product lifecycle would improve. Product planners and product designers could use value analysis to improve the features that users use most often. A more complete set of data can also bring benefits to service teams, such as the ability to monitor products in the field for these trends and identify and resolve problems before they result in failures. This benefits the user experience and optimises service delivery.
PLM recreating for IoT
Getting the most out of IoT requires leveraging the strengths of PLM, e.g. managing configurable product logic, providing a central source of information on predicted KPIs for products (the performance, quality, operating conditions and usage) that are crucial for analysing IoT data, and managing product configurations with support for visualisation.
In its current form, however, PLM is not sufficient to provide all these things. PLM needs to be augmented with new capabilities and integrated with new technologies that make it possible to develop, manage and provision the 'things' of the Internet of Things more effectively. To enhance IoT products, the scope of existing PLM technologies needs to be extended to data and processes related to ECAD, systems engineering and software development. PLM must also provide more functionality, connectivity and scalability for collecting sensor data and analysing data and interpretations. This can provide product developers with relevant inputs for making improvements throughout the product lifecycle. And this creates a closed-loop approach.
Several companies have already taken the first steps in combining PLM with IoT. Swedish manufacturer Elekta, for example, analyses the exact lifespan and condition of essential components in its complex medical equipment. By making the right choice in components, placing spare parts close to relevant machines and replacing components just before they deteriorate in reliability, the manufacturer ensures that its life-saving machines remain optimally available. Japanese automotive supplier Hirotec uses sensors to monitor car paint temperatures in real time. This allows maximum use of these without loss of quality and less delay in the production process.
The importance of PLM for IoT cannot be underestimated. There is no doubt that IoT will bring about profound changes to the way companies develop products. However, its success hinges on effective integration of IoT technologies with PLM. This will bring both new challenges and growth opportunities for the people, processes and technologies contributing to the products that will define tomorrow's world.
