Product Structures with Attribute Management for future PLM systems : A study for Ericsson BOM Management

Sammanfattning: Information Management in the database system for the Product Development process demands continuous evolution and digital transformation investigations with the PLM systems to explore the latest functionalities. Ericsson today has a main frame PDM system PRIM with various connected sub-systems to store the Product related data which serves limited functionality and does not fully track the complete lifecycle in the IT system landscape. This study covers future Ways of Working with BOM Management for Products and connected objects in the 3D Experience system R2021x variant by Dassault Systèmes. Investigations on both the systems were conducted focusing on the ways modern PLM systems can aid the Product Development approach along with attribute grouping functionality and change control on Objects. The data model was customized to add information on Entities along with optimal usage of Widgets and OOTB functionalities from 3DX. Improvement strategies included introducing Types on the Parent Objects, defining Classes, and various admin and customer extension groups as per requirement. The lifecycle states and Versioning were tracked considering both controlled and uncontrolled changes by users. It was found that ER model in the 3DX system has limitations with the Document Entity and the Widget possesses restricted configurations. The development process for the structure was possible by either importing or developing the Objects within the database. Business use cases were defined for the study and focused on working within a change-controlled environment to supply limited access to users for modifications. Backtracking the information with the PRIM database was also readily possible by using specific Titles, attributes, and Enterprise Item numbers on Objects. Some suggestions on the Widgets for both Suppliers and Organizations are presented to create a convenient system that can add value to the process. This project finally aims to benefit the organizations by defining ways to fully utilize the OOTB system.