Why use low-code apps to close gaps in your PLM digital thread?
Companies are increasingly using low-code platforms like Mendix to build mobile Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) apps and web-portals to extend their engineering processes into the field, connect with customers, suppliers, partners and employees on the move and close gaps in their Digital Thread.
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) have made great efforts in recent years to move away from their old ‘document centric’ ways of working where useful information and valuable intellectual property is trapped inside individual files and documents.
The Goal?
They are trying to achieve more ‘data centric’ ways of working. One where information is broken down into its smallest re-usable units that are linked together inside Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems. These units are then connected to related data creating a 'daisy-chain' of information that stretches through time and across the business processes and people who transform good ideas into great products or assets. This chain even extends into servicing and maintenance until the product or asset is eventually retired and recycled. This 'daisy-chain' is the 'Digital Thread'.
Why are Digital Threads Important?
Here's just a few examples.
Aerospace companies are tracing digital threads to allow them to track the provenance of parts used in their aircraft so that when troubleshooting, there is a traceable path back to the source of the problem.
The automotive industry is weaving digital threads between traditional mechanical designs and the exponential rise of software and electronic systems that will increasingly comprise the zero-emission and autonomous cars of tomorrow.
Operators and owners of these products benefit when the OEM is able to track a product or asset's current configuration or ‘Digital Twin’ while its in service.
By combining digital thread and twin information with live data, gathered from onboard sensors, and artificial intelligence, they are able to spot trends and patterns and establish ‘Predictive Maintenance’ routines which improve safety and reliability and which in time will even transform how they monetise their intellectual property.
Why is Building and Maintaining Digital Threads Getting Easier?
Historically, manual ways building and maintaining digital threads have been unreliable and have quickly broken down.
But now that PLM technologies are is allowing digital threads to be reliably created and preserved, their value is becoming increasingly clear and with it a desire to curate them as valuable digital commodities that might, in future, be capitalised along with the intellectual property they underpin.
Not Everyone Carries a Laptop With Them All Of The Time
To achieve its full potential, the digital thread must connect people and data across large and complicated supply-chains with lots of moving parts. But of course, not everyone has a laptop with them all the time.
This is why low-code platforms like Mendix are being utilized by industry to swiftly build mobile PLM applications that close gaps in their digital threads.
There are several factors that make Mendix particularly suited to this task.
You can create highly simplified & role specific web-portals and mobile apps for customers, partners and suppliers. They are probably not accustomed to working every day in your PLM system and are much more likely to work properly with your systems when they are easy to use and intuitive.
You can synchronize your PLM data to web-portals and mobile apps using Mendix REST services
You can share just the information you want to share with your customers, partners and suppliers and allow them to view or update only the very specific data that you have shared
You can build your web-portals and mobile apps once and deploy everywhere onto PC, tablet or phone and across Windows, IOS and Android operating systems.
You can build your mobile apps to take advantage of all the native features of the device such as camera, location, and biometric security.
You can build your company branding into your web-portals and mobile apps using the Mendix Atlas UI design language
You can give highly mobile PLM users the ability to work offline and then synchronise their information back to base later when they are online.
Watch the video below to see an example of a web-portal.
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