SMEs are getting serious about taking on PLM

SMEs are getting serious about tackling PLM - a recent research survey shows that 73% of midmarket companies are either likely or very likely to evaluate a complete PLM system.

Epicor Software Corporation, a leading provider of integrated enterprise software solutions for the midmarket, announced today its popular Epicor Vantage manufacturing solution now offers integrated Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) capabilities.

Vantage PLM addresses new and emerging industry requirements, raising the bar for end-to-end integrated manufacturing solutions specifically aimed at the midmarket.

According to an AMR Research Alert, "manufacturers with fewer than 2,500 employees are getting serious about tackling PLM.

A recent AMR Research survey shows that 73% of midmarket companies are either likely or very likely to evaluate a complete PLM system." Vantage PLM is a critical capability that enables midmarket companies to optimize the entire lifecycle of a product from initial design to manufacturing, service and support.

It allows a company to manage all information regarding a product to help companies bring better products to market faster, with less rework, and lower costs for materials and production.

"Given the declining costs to enter global markets and the decreasing time needed to develop new products, enterprises must continuously seek ways to economically develop innovative families of products that can expand market share, protect margins and continuously enhance brand value," said Marc Halpern, research director at Gartner.

"Many enterprises that have already invested in ERP, supply chain management and CRM to improve operational performance are beginning to explore PLM." Vantage PLM serves as a central knowledge repository for process and product history, and promotes integration and data exchange among all enterprise users who interact with the product - including project managers, engineers, salespersons, buyers, and quality assurance representatives.

Key features of the new Vantage PLM module include full integration with more than 12 Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) systems - including Pro/ENGINEER, AutoCAD, and Solid Edge.

Vantage PLM manages all documentation associated with a product throughout its entire product lifecycle.

Additionally, the module offers sophisticated document management, critical for those orgainizations that need excellent audit tracking and control of all documents across the enterprise.

"Vantage PLM offers a complete end-to-end solution to manage all aspects of a product's life as well as enabling enterprises to control the enormous amount of electronic documents that they produce," said Paul Farrell, senior director of product marketing for Epicor.

"This supports collaboration throughout the value chain, and delivers unprecedented opportunity to help manufacturers increase revenues, drive profitability, create and maintain competitive advantage and promote increased customer satisfaction." More than 1,500 companies use Vantage, Epicor's complete end-to-end manufacturing solution that addresses the core business needs of midsized make-to-order (MTO) and mixed-mode manufacturers.

Vantage is delivered 'out of the box' with built-in workflows that enable manufacturers to manage the entire order cycle: from Marketing and Sales through Production and Planning, Sourcing and Procurement, Installation and Service, and finally Financial recognition.

Vantage enables the whole process to be real-time and paperless.

Because the entire Vantage solution streamlines the order cycle, an enterprise can maximize its resources, minimize its costs and improve profitability.

To keep information system costs at an absolute minimum, every part of Vantage is optimized for rapid installation, low training costs, simple operation, easy modification, and cost-effective expansion.

Key features include multiple operating system support, business activity monitoring, multi-company collaboration and support for global operations aimed at meeting the increasingly global needs of manufacturers.

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