Knowing the role of PLM in service isn’t always clear. When you think about PLM and a service lifecycle, there are a few different areas of potential crossover. But knowing what these are and how to apply them in your organisation isn’t easy.
How can PLM have a role in service?
One of the service areas that PLM can be applied to is maintenance, repair and over hall (MRO), which is particularly important for long lifecycle products. It can also apply to products that are highly engineered and unique. A secondary area that PLM can help with is the planning and documentation of services. The idea here is that for a certain service procedure, a part can be taken out of it and then the procedure can then be completed. Also, it’s important for documenting the instructions, step-by-step, on how to complete the procedure.
What areas of service data should be included in PLM?
When you think about service, there is a lot that is related to your products. One perspective is that PLM has a role to play whenever product information is being used. This includes validation of service procedures and management of service documentation. But PLM shouldn’t go further than this.
At the same time, there is also a lot of information that isn’t entirely related to the product itself. You need to have specialised service knowledge to manage this, enabling you to manage the business of service provision.
This view of the role of PLM in service suggests that, as the information required for service processes isn’t all contained within the product data, this additional information also needs to be documented. Limiting PLM to a specific section of service provision isn’t taking advantage of the full potential that it has to offer. The problem with this view is that it is a highly complex offering.
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