Editor’s Pick: Over 100 Million Electronic Components Enter PLM Workflow

Dear Desktop Engineering Reader:

This week, Aras announced something called Aras Component Engineering for its Aras Innovator PLM (product lifecycle management) platform. This is neat stuff for current users of Aras PLM. It’s also another reason why anyone contemplating the idea of switching to a new PLM platform or making the leap to PLM should give Aras every possible consideration. Here’s why.

The nub of Aras Component Engineering is that it embeds access to the cloud-based IHS CAPS Universe electronic component database inside of Aras Innovator. This functionality means that you designers, engineers and sourcing people get access to data on some 100 million commercial electronic components in 400 categories from 2,000 or so manufacturers directly from your Aras PLM environment. This is a secure, single point of access connection. You do not have to launch separate browsers or applications. It’s just there, ready to access when you’re ready to use it.

Two brief digressions: One, IHS CAPS Universe is working toward data on 400 million components. A team of component engineers using ISO-certified processes updates the database continuously. Two, while this release of Aras Component Engineering focuses on electronic components, Aras says it is planning on adding mechanical parts.

Aras Component Engineering comes in three flavors: Open, Standard and Advanced. Open is its most basic form. It’s complimentary too. Here you can search by manufacturer part number, manufacturer name and keywords. You can compare parts side by side, and you can download manufacturer datasheets into your Aras Innovator project folder. You can also launch new part and/or supplier approval workflows.

The Standard edition has all that. It also provides parametric/filtered searching and such user conveniences as color-coded indicators for approved manufacturers and in-use parts. You can also view manufacturer part information and part reports.

Aras Component Engineering Advanced has those features and provides environment compliance documentation for RoHS and REACH, Certifications of Conflict Mineral Compliance (CMRT), full material disclosure datasheets and regulated substances data. It also gives you legacy part histories, application notes and timing diagrams, reporting capabilities and BOM (bill of materials) and costs analytics. It has push notifications, product change notices and end of life alerts.

The Standard and Advanced editions are subscription-based. The Advanced edition will be available shortly; the other editions are ready for download now.

You’ll find more details on Aras Component Engineering in today’s Pick of the Week write-up. Make sure to take in the 11-minute video demonstration of it. You can also download the presentation’s slides to follow along and to pass along to your colleagues, who’ll want to know about this.

Aras Component Engineering seems to have boundless potential to boost productivity, simplify component selection processes and make getting approvals for new parts and manufacturers easier. Its ability to help you find new sources for components alone is enormous. And anything that can help you streamline compliance processes, get better control over regulatory imperatives and reduce supply chain complexity is worth a few minutes of your time checking out.

Hit today’s Pick of the Week link and begin learning about Aras Component Engineering. It earns the engineer’s high praise: Neat stuff.

Thanks, Pal. — Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood

Editor at Large, Desktop Engineering

Read today’s pick of the week write-up.

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