Advantages of a Composable PLM architecture

Easier to scale and renew, operate and maintain more efficiently

In the PLM environment, composable architectures offer decisive advantages. They enable companies to integrate new functions and services or update existing ones without having to redesign the entire PLM environment. The result: greater efficiency and faster and more agile responses to the dynamic requirements of PLM.

The qualitative and quantitative requirements for product lifecycle management are constantly increasing and the implementation of new functionalities is therefore a key issue for companies. For example, new technologies are increasing product complexity and compliance requirements are also becoming more demanding: customers are increasingly demanding more transparency regarding compliance with regulations. In many companies, however, the PLM architecture is not optimally prepared for changing requirements. Technical dependencies make it difficult to integrate or update functions and a new functionality often affects the entire product life cycle.

Breaking down technical dependencies

Wherever possible, the composable PLM architecture endeavors to break down technical dependencies. The basis is always a stable backbone with common enterprise applications such as PDM, ERP etc. These are supplemented by smaller and larger services that provide an "encapsulated" function. By separating functional components and composing an architecture from standard components and specific modules, it is possible to easily add new functions or update existing ones when requirements change without having to redesign the entire system. It is also possible to access existing services from third-party providers that cover specific functionalities well and maintain or further develop them (SaaS components).

As the services function independently of each other, they can also be easily reused in different contexts. This leads to more efficient utilization of resources and accelerated development of new products. The composable PLM architecture can also be easily scaled - for example, as the company grows. Last but not least, thanks to modularity and reusability, companies can utilize resources more efficiently and reduce development and maintenance costs.

What aspects need to be considered?

The key question when implementing a composable PLM architecture is: What are the core requirements for an ideal PLM composition and how can the backbone be optimally assembled for the requirements of the respective company? Two equally important key stakeholders must be taken into account:

1. User needs

For a solution to be accepted and utilized, it is important that the specific needs of the various users are taken into account in the composable PLM architecture. Among other things, it is essential that the operation is simple and that user touchpoints are independent of the subsequent processes. Users can also be supported directly with information from the PDM and/or ERP (e.g. article data or documents), provided this serves the use case.

2 Requirements of the PLM architect

For the PLM architect, it is important that functions are used as standard, as any form of customizing ties up resources in the long term - for example when scaling a system or updating a service. If the existing solution used in the company does not fulfill these requirements and the general business needs, the search should be opened up. According to the "best of breed" approach, it is important to choose the most suitable solution (i.e. not necessarily the best technical solution available on the market) that can be easily integrated and has well-documented and functioning interfaces. It is also important that there are good partners and a strong developer community for the chosen solution that can provide support during implementation, but also in the event of problems and challenges.

PLM Open Hour

Service-orientated PLM architecture

In this Open Hour, we used concrete use cases from practice to show how implementations with modern service-orientated architectures can lead to success.

Click through the presentation here (in German):

Watch the webinar recording «Service-orientated PLM architecture. Register here: