Editor’s Pick: PLM System for Growing, Innovative Companies

By Anthony J. Lockwood

Dear Desktop Engineering Reader:

Small manufacturers often have growing pains as reward for success. When starting out, many small manufacturers felt that they had to rely on such tools as e-mail, telephone,  and spreadsheets to manage their data because that was what they could afford. As their data expanded with new products, clients, suppliers, and expanded lists of approved parts, their spreadsheets grew out of hand, printouts of important e-mails got buried in folders, and people simply forgot whether they were ever told about an engineering change. But, still, the cost and complexity of a PLM implementation leaves many small manufacturers willing to accept (grudgingly) the inefficiencies and costs of ad hoc product data control processes. If this sounds like you, then you should check out PDXpert from Active Sensing. PDXpert is PLM scaled in terms of both cost and complexity for the small manufacturer.

PDXpert has the most-wanted PLM functionality needed by small enterprises: bills of materials,  vaulting, document control, configuration management, workflow management,  engineering change request and change orders, supplier source management,  automatic rules-based document and part numbering, standardized approvals, and so on. It supports industry-standard data exports to ERP, CRM, and similar systems, and it even provides materials identification for environmental compliance like RoHS. But again, PDXpert is scaled to the on-the-ground realities of growing manufacturers of things like control electronics, consumer electronics, industrial machinery, automotive parts, and the like.

So, what does scaled mean?  First, it means that PDXpert works on your typical 32-bit Windows Server 2003/2008, Vista, or XP system as well as 64-bit Windows Vista and Server 2008 systems. It leverages 32-/64-bit SQL Server, even coming with the 32-bit version of SQL Server 2005 Express if you need it.

Secondly, PDXpert is affordable. You can get a perpetual single-user license for $999. Maintenance and upgrades are less than $250. And additional users scale down in price. Data conversion services are offered, if you need them. But the important point is that PDXpert gets you into PLM without busting the bank or compromising on the vital functionality that you need to get control over your data and processes.

Today’s Pick of the Week write-up has a lot more detail on PDXpert, including links to registration-free videos. And, get this, you’ll also find a link to a fully functional, no cost evaluation that includes support and application advice. Your data is your most valuable asset. It deserves better than ad hoc control processes. PDXpert could be the solution that you’ve been waiting for.

Thanks, pal.—Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood
Editor at Large, Desktop Engineering Magazine

Read today’s Pick of the Week write-up.