There are several challenges in successfully implementing Product Lifecycle Management system for Process industries like CPG, Chemical, Pharma etc, some of the key ones are -
The responsibility for PLM implementation is often unclear due to its enterprise-wide scope, making it difficult to start.
Unlike HRMS, CRM, and Marketing platforms, which are owned by corresponding functional departments, PLM platforms cut across departments right from executives, marketing, sales, R&D, manufacturing, and distribution.
This requires interdisciplinary ownership to initiate a successful PLM deployment in large organizations.
Interconnectedness
A PLM platform is inherently cross-functional and requires improvements in interconnected systems and collaboration among people and business units.
Using standard API-based integration capabilities to seamlessly connect with other enterprise systems (ERP, SCM, CRM) ensures continuity of information flow.
With the advent of collaboration features to share, co-author, comment, annotate, track, version control, and share documents, the PLM implementation enables people and departments to work effectively regardless of their physical location.
Diverse product data is often fragmented and siloed, requiring complex integration, consolidation, transformation, and even translation efforts.
For many businesses having a Product data universe with all the latest and greatest information in single source is always a distant pipe dream. This often boils down to lack of central PLM platform, uniform business process and its data is simply stored and duplicated across marketing, CRM and ERP systems.
People-centric business workflows, real-time APIs, and data import/export features enable the PLM deployment to work as an integrated universal product data set.
Product lifecycle processes may lack clear definition and alignment.
Taking a product through its creative journey from idea to product launch requires an iterative process with agility. Any process too rigid stifles the innovation and too liberal will burn the timelines and budgets without outcomes.
Product leaders should define an enclosing framework with clear processes, methods, and means of execution throughout the product lifecycle. The chosen PLM platform should be configurable and adaptable to accommodate the defined processes and methods - enabling a successful closed loop PLM implementation.
Geographically distributed teams, external partners, including suppliers can pose coordination challenges.
To put a finished product on a customers domain it can take a team of scientists, skilful technicians, packaging experts, artwork designers and quality experts. All these expertise has to come from both internal and external to organisation.
Teams are sparsely distributed, more so if you have many contract researchers and suppliers to work with. A robust PLM implementation bridges these gaps by providing real-time visibility and collaboration.
Fragmented and incomplete product knowledge, especially with contracted research, supplier materials, production equipment, can hinder progress.
For any product there’s an endless chain of communication between internal and external teams. Knowledge is shared both in structured and unstructured forms but rarely curated on a central PLM platform.
Having a collaborative PLM deployment that supports structured transactional data (specifications, formulations, labeling), semi-structured machine data (tests, results), and unstructured data (documents, images, packaging), along with powerful search capabilities, enhances knowledge discovery multifold.
Uncertainty stemming from changing product roadmaps, business models, company structures, and mergers/acquisitions can disrupt PLM implementation projects.
In a competitive and volatile market, product strategies evolve, new business models emerge, and products get acquired or divested - all impacting an organisation’s ability to respond rapidly.
A successful closed loop PLM implementation with agile processes allows organizations to respond in a timely and structured manner. A scalable, cloud-based PLM platform can flex according to organizational changes during mergers or acquisitions, adapting to project complexity and scale.
In nutshell business need to adopt a centralised cloud managed adaptable PLM platform with collaborative and integration capabilities to overcome the key challenges.