The Product Is at the Heart of PLM

This chapter addresses the characteristics of products that need to be understood and addressed in PLM. The product is at the heart of PLM. Whether it’s a car, a television, a beverage or an anaesthetic, it’s the product that the customer wants. The product is the source of company revenues. Without a product, the company doesn’t need to exist and won’t have any customers. From a product lifecycle management viewpoint, even though there’s a huge range of products, much is common between different products. This chapter addresses issues about structuring a product and its parts. Issues with identification, classification and requirements are described. And similar issues about product numbering, definition of product specifications and working with versions, variants and options are evoked.