PROSTEP’s OpenCLM Platform Enables Improved Data Transparency in Product Development

The software connects data from various source systems for easier access to information under a unified platform.

Image source: Pixabay.

Image source: Pixabay.

Product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions developer PROSTEP recently unveiled a new tool that will provide manufacturers with improved data transparency and agility throughout the product development process. The OpenCLM is a smart web application that creates digital threads for cross-discipline configuration lifecycle management (CLM). While data is typically spread out across various data silos, the software can coordinate numerous domains and links data and documents from different source systems. This simplifies the product management process by combining all product-relevant information under a unified system. According to PROSTEP, the technology was developed as an alternative to data replication methods.

OpenCLM is based on the OpenPDM integration platform, which connects various data management systems including TDM, PDM/PLM, and ERP. It can also connect simulation data management systems such as application lifecycle management (ALM) as well as several other enterprise applications. The new OpenCLM is equipped with additional integration and function modules that supplement the original capabilities of OpenPDM.

In a press release, PROSTEP shared the software’s different core features, which include the “integration of process and project management, maturity validation, the planning of milestones and deliverables (tasks), the coordination of cross-domain changes, and the generation and management of trace links and configurations.”

OpenCLM can create a directed web of relationships between information objects located in different domains. It displays the linked information objects in the web application with relevant metadata, including its status, change data, and owner. This allows manufacturers to easily compare various data statuses. According to the company, OpenCLM was designed to focus on the target linking of original data based on the specified process requirements and the status information within individual management systems. This is in contrast with other linking methods that instead aim to establish semantic references between the data at the database level via search algorithms.

This means that OpenCLM not only displays linked data but also allows write access when necessary. Users can then initiate a status change or fill in missing attributes when the write function is enabled. All data links are independent and are not affected even when switching between systems.

OpenCLM also allows users to create templates for different project types where baselines or milestones can be enabled alongside the specifications, enabling project managers to easily keep track of relevant information. A current version of the linked information for each milestone is automatically provided. These can also be exported, exchanged or archived in standardized formats. PROSTEP has also included reusable project and process templates for consistent project compliance and documentation. Project managers have the options of creating their own templates or having them developed by PROSTEP for customization. This is particularly beneficial for product certification.

The product development process of smart products has grown increasingly complex due to the extensive technologies involved in both their development and production, which has resulted in a heterogeneous engineering environment. Traditional integration methods often require manual effort or fail to keep up with rapidly changing requirements. The OpenCLM platform automates the integration of significant data while ensuring real-time data transparency and traceability across various domain boundaries.

For more information, visit PROSTEP’s official website.