Revolutionary PDM suite bridges CAD-MRP domains, delivering first comprehensive solution to product life-cycle management
Revolutionary PDM suite bridges CAD-MRP domains, delivering first comprehensive solution to product life-cycle management
Keywords Pragmax, Software, CAD, Engineering
The UK start-up, Pragmax Limited, has launched an advanced product data management (PDM) suite for electronics companies, capable of increasing engineering productivity by up to 50 per cent. Delivering the first truly comprehensive bridge between CAD and ERP/MRP, this powerful software suite puts engineering managers in complete control of the design-to-production cycle,significantly shortening time-to-market and increasing business profitability. By breaking down the traditional divisions between engineers, drawing office,production management and quality assurance, Pragmax PDM becomes a key link in electronics supply chain management, opening the way to hassle-free outsourcing.
For any electronics manufacturing business, the investment of time and effort in parts and assembly information is considerable. Making it instantly available to engineers while protecting it against loss is fundamental to continued success. Visibility of data and processes puts the company in touch with its functions, making the organisation more efficient, effective and, most importantly in today's highly competitive climate, more responsive. Pragmax focuses information access – including the wealth of product data now available over the Web – regardless of format and application, to ensure a free-flow of information across all company activities, from the design engineer's desk to the shipping dock.
"Current CAD and MRP packages provide some PDM functionality but neither ventures into the other's domain, creating the opportunity for a communication breakdown within companies", states Mike Kidd, Pragmax's Technical Director."Pragmax PDM bridges that gap to deliver an environment that slashes development time scales by providing instant access to current company-wide parts information."
Built on the proven Microsoft SQL database foundation, Pragmax PDM offers an enterprise-wide portal into a company's information vault, speeding the location of parts and reducing the change control "where-used" problem to a single click, reclaiming weeks of unproductive drawing office and engineer time. In the drawing office, this means there are no data books to go out of date, no parts validity misunderstandings, and the end of frustrating trawls through lever-arch files. Engineers will appreciate the automatic production of bill-of-materials lists with parts status clearly highlighted, ensuring a design is complete when moving it into production engineering. Production managers, and external sub-contractors, have complete visibility of parts information,approval status, change notes, etc., enabling them to proceed with complete confidence.
At the heart of Pragmax PDM is an extensible hierarchical database with almost zero constraints. Engineers can store, locate and manage all part types and assembly levels, from the simplest passive component through sub-assemblies to entire customer installations, and from CAD symbols to complete user documentation – even sales presentations. Corporate approval processes,assembly histories and change control procedures are tracked and enforced electronically, eliminating the potential for nasty surprises when a product hits production. A complete audit trail allows instant backtracking on any modification and satisfies the demands of today's total quality management regimes.
The gateway to Pragmax PDM is Part Explorer. This simple window provides instant access to all parts data by number, type or value, by tracking down through product or part-type hierarchies, or by using the rapid search tools. Clicking on any field immediately displays available additional data, allowing the user to open up 2D and 3D CAD drawings, Gerber files, PDFs, Internet URLs,word processor and spreadsheet files, images and so on. Parts symbols and footprints can be previewed and exported directly into CAD tools. Viewing/editing flexibility of any data is ensured through Windows OLE links to the associated application, allowing any available engineering tool to be utilised, and – since files are not moved into the database itself –dramatically simplifying installation.
Estimates of engineering time spent locating parts range from 30 per cent to 60 per cent. Part Explorer provides several quick and easy methods for adding new parts – including a particularly powerful tool which can clone a complete new part from an existing entry regardless of hierarchical level. Company rules governing new part creation are enforced with automatic approval status setting, enabling projects to proceed concurrent with the approval process.
Part Viewer allows users to see and edit all information relating to the parts and assemblies, graphical and non-graphical, regardless of file format. Unlimited attribute definition allows companies to introduce almost any type of part into the database, offering an unprecedented level of flexibility at a time when technology is changing rapidly. Simple tab selection pulls up a list of outstanding engineering change requests and the complete change note history for the part, ensuring everybody knows the current status. All changes to the pads database are recorded as part of the Pragmax cradle-to-grave history which not only provides the all-important audit trail but is also the key to reconstructing previous versions of products or assemblies.
Central to efficient product management is change control, a key process in establishing accurate information communication with internal, client and supplier organisations. Pragmax Change Control ensures optimal project collaboration across project teams and departments, and with external clients and suppliers, by extending conventional change request and change note functionality with delivery concession note management, work in-process salvage support and electronic approval enforcement.
Change requests do not become change notes until all approvals have been received, ensuring all interested parties have reviewed the request; all requests – and any changes that result – are logged into the audit trail.
Anybody in an organisation with access to Pragmax PDM, can enter an engineering change request (ECR) into the system. Subcontract managers, who typically only have read-only access to client information, will particularly appreciate the option to raise ECRs across this fast, efficient documented link with engineering.
Pragmax Change Control also eliminates the extremely time consuming and frustrating process of finding all parts affected by a particular change with its powerful "ripple up" function. Instead of spending days, perhaps weeks, finding all parts affected by a change, Pragmax PDM can instantly create the where-used list of associated pads, allowing engineers to make across-the-board updates with a single mouse-click.
Cornerstone of the Pragmax change control approval procedure, and all other company approval procedures, is the "Check-and-Chase" function. Permanently on-line from all active seats, Check-and-Chase raises a small flashing icon whenever the user's approval is required. A simple click brings up the current list of outstanding approvals with immediate links to appropriate information, giving managers a highly effective tool for change review, approval and sign-off. Once all necessary approvals have been gathered, the part is released or the ECR transitions to a change note.
